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THE 


MAGAZINE  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


By  EDWARD    CHARLESWOTtTH,   F.G.S, 


LONDON 


PRINTED  FOB 

LONGMAN,  ORME,  BROWN,  GREEN,  AND  LONGMANS, 

PATERNOSTER    ROW. 

1839. 


LONDON : 

PRINTF.D  BY  G.  LUXFORD, 

RATCLIFF  HIGHWAY. 


PREFACE. 


In  bringing  to  a  conclusion  the  thirty-sixth  number  of  the  new  series 
of  the  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  the  Editor  has  little  to  offer  by 
way  of  preface  to  the  third  volume.  The  condition  of  the  journal 
as  it  respects  its  stability,  is  much  the  same  as  at  the  close  of  1838 ; 
and  its  conductor  has  only  to  repeat  the  determination  which  he  then 
expressed,  of  not  relinquishing  his  post,  unlesss  some  unforeseen 
circumstances,  or  a  diminution  of  that  support  hitherto  tendered 
him  by  the  contributors,  should  leave  him  no  alternative  but  the 
adoption  of  that  measure. 

In  some  respects,  every  additional  year  that  the  present  series  of 
the  Magazine  stands  its  ground,  it  may  be  said  to  gather  strength ; 
and  considering  the  large  and  increasing  number  of  the  cultivators 
of  science,  who  have  made  its  pages  a  medium  for  recording  their 
observations  in  the  different  branches  of  Natural  History,  and  the 
prospective  reduction  in  the  present  rates  of  postage,  which  have 
hitherto  pressed  most  heavily  upon  scientific  periodicals,  the  Editor 
still  looks  to  the  future  with  sanguine  anticipations. 

A  large  number  of  wood-cuts  illustrate  the  present  volume ;  and 
the  supplementary  plates,  a  feature  in  the  work,  the  introduction  of 
which  was  attended  with  some  little  anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  Edi- 
tor, have  been  extremely  well  received  by  the  Subscribers.* 

103,  Great  Russell  Street,  Bloomsbury. 
Nov.  26th,  1839. 


*  So  far  as  the  circulation  of  the  second  number  of  the  supplementary 
plates  can  be  at  present  ascertained,  it  would  seem  that  not  more  than 
five  or  six  of  the  subscribers  have  declined  them. 


CONTENTS. 


LIST  OF  CONTRIBUTORS, 

With  references  to  the  subjects  of  their  respective  communications. 


Agassiz,  Louis,  (Professor.) 

Letter  addressed  to  the  Editor,  on  the  subject  of  the  French 
Edition  of  Sowerby's  Mineral  Conchology  of  Great  Britain  -  356 
Alexander,  Henry,  F.G.S.  &c. 

On  the  discovery  of  the  teeth  of  the  Mastodon,  in  the  Crag      -  466 
Alexander,  Sir  James 

Letter  in  reply  to  the  Review  of  his  African  Expedition  of  Dis- 
covery.        -.-__.._  512 
Anning,  Mary. 

Note  on  the  supposed  frontal  spine  in  the  genus  Hybodus.       -  605 
Bachman,  J.,  D.D.  &c. 

Monograph  of  the  species  of  the  Genus  Sciurus,  inhabiting 
North  America,  with  Descriptions  of  New  Species  and  their 
Varieties  -  -  -  -113,154,220,330,378 

Baker,  George. 

Extract  from  a  Letter  addressed  to  the  Editor,  relating  to  the 
death  of  Dr.  William  Smith  -  -  -  -515 

Bartlett,  A.  D. 

Note  relating  to  some  Goshawks  in  the  possession  of  the  late 

Mr.  Hoy 602 

Bean,  William. 

Catalogue  of  Fossils  found  in  the  Cornbrash  Limestone  of  Scar- 
borough ;  with  figures  and  descriptions  of  new  species         -    57 
Bedford,  William. 

An  Account  of  the  Strata  of  Lincoln,  from  a  recent  Survey, 
commencing  North  of  the  Cathedral,  and  descending  to  the 
bed  of  the  River      ------  553 

Bird,  F.  J. 

On  the  artificial  arrangement  of  some  of  the  more  extensive 
Natural  Orders  of  British  Plants     -  -  -  -  181 

Bird,  Golding,  M.D.,  F.L.S.,  &c. 

On  the  application  of  Heliographic  or  Photogenic  Drawing  to 
Botanical  Purposes ;  with  an  economical  mode  of  preparing 
the  Paper  -  -  -  -  -  -  188 

Bladon,  James. 

On  the  derivation  of  the  name  Adder,  as  applied  to  the  Viper    566 
On  the  mode  of  projection  of  the  eggs  in  the  Crane-fly  -  566 


vi  contents. 

Blyth,  Edward. 

Analytic  Descriptions  of  the  Groups  of  Birds  belonging  to  the 
Order  Strepitores     -  -  -  -  -  -76 

Remarks  on  the  Fieldfare  breeding  in  the  British  Islands        -  467 

Observations  on  the  Wild  Fowl  in  St.  James's  Park  -  469 

Birch,  Samuel. 

On  the  Monkeys  known  to  the  Chinese  -  587 

**B0WERBANK,  J.  S.,  F.G.S.,  &C. 

Ventriculite  containing  a  Cidaris,  from  the  Chalk.      -  -  352 

Bradley,  Thomas. 

Information  relating  to  the  Gymnotus  electricus  in  the  Adelaide 

Gallery       -  - 564 

Brown,  John,  F.G.S. 

Experiment  as  to  the  capability  of  the  Toad  existing  without 

food 518 

Brown,  J. 

Record  of  the  breeding  of  the  Crossbill  in  Gloucestershire      -  310 
Buist,  Henry. 

Description  of  the  pupa  of  Necrodes  littoralis.  -  -  600 

Carter,  James. 

Observations  on  some  of  the  Natural  Objects  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Cheadle,  Staffordshire         -  -  -  -    72 

Charlesworth,  Edward,  F.G.S. ,  &c. 

On  the  fossil  remains  of  an  apparently  new  species  of  Hybodus 

from  the  Lias  of  Lyme  Regis  -  242 

On  a  specimen  of  the  lower  jaw  of  the  Mammoth  procured  from 
the  Dogger  Bank    ------  347 

On  a  tooth  of  the  Genus  Otodus,  from  the  London  clay,  in  the 
Cabinet  of  Lady  Sidmouth  -----  351 

On  a  fossil  Zoophyte  from  the  Kentish  Chalk,  enclosing  a  Ci- 
daris -------  352 

On  the  discovery  of  a  portion  of  an  Opossum's  jaw  in  the  Lon- 
don clay,  near  Woodbridge,  Suffolk  -  448 
On  some  fossil  teeth  of  the  genus  Lamna        -            -            -  451 
Clarke,  W.  Barnard,  M.D. 

Remarks  on  the  Red-legged  Partridge  (Perdix  rubra,  Briss.)     142 
Clarke,  Rev.  W.  Branwhite,  M.A.,  F.G.S. 

Illustrations  of  the  Geology  of  the  South  East  of  Dorsetshire 

390, 432,  483 
Clarke, Joseph. 

Remarks  on  some  of  the  rarer  Birds  captured  near  Saffron 
Walden  -    -  -  -  -  -  -    99 

On  the  occurrence  of  the  young  of  the  Crossbill,  at  Saffron 
Walden       -------  565 

On  the  disappearance  of  the  Mus  messorius.    -  606 

**Colchester,  William. 

Fragment  of  a  Jaw  of  the  supposed  extinct  Didelphis.  -  448 

Cooper,  Daniel,  A.L.S.,  &c. 

Notice  of  the  discovery  of  a  specimen  of  Achatina  acicula  in 

the  interior  of  a  human  skull  -  565 

Directions  for  collecting  and  preparing  land  and  fresh-water 
Shells.  -  -  -  -  _  .  -  602 

Couch,  Jonathan,  F.L.S.,  &c. 

Note  relating  to  the  distribution  of  the  Marsupialia    -  -  312 

On  the  Structure  and  Habits  of  the  Physalia  (of  Cuvier)  or 
Portuguese  Man-of-War ;  Holothuria  Phyaalis,  of  Linnaeus   556 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

Coward,  Charles. 

On  a  carnivorous  habit  in  the  common  Squirrel  ..  311 

Cox,  J.  C,  F.Z.S.,  Sec 

Note  relating  to  the  Argonaut  -  -  .  -    99 

Cuming,  H. 

Extract  from  a  letter  to  the  Editor      -  420 

Davis,  A.  H. 

On  a  singular  procession  of  Caterpillars,  observed  at  Adelaide, 
South  Australia       -._.-_  146 

DoUBLEDAY,  EDWARD. 

Note  on  Amphicoma  vulpina    -  -  -  -  -     97 

List  of  the  Entomological  Writings  of  Thomas  Say     -  -139 

Drummond,  James  L.,  M.D. 

Observations  on  Echinorhynchus  hystrix  and  Ech.filicollis       -     63 
Description  of  a  new  species  of  Anthocephalus  (Antho.  rudicor- 
nis,  Drummond)      ------  227 

On  Fossil  Infusoria  found  in  the  County  Down,  Ireland         -  353 
Dugmore,  Rev.  Henry. 

Record  of  the  capture  of  an  Eagle  (Falco  albicilla)  at  SwafFham  198 
Flower,  Thomas  Bruges,  F.L.S. 

A  Catalogue  of  some  of  the  most  interesting  Plants  collected 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Swansea,  Glamorganshire,  during 
the  past  Summer  [1839].     -  -  -  -  -  561 

Garner,  Robert,  F.L.S. 

On  the  Anatomy  of  the  Lamellibranchiate  Conchiferous  Ani- 
mals      123,  164,  294,  439 

Gill,  Thomas. 

On  some  improvements  in  the  Microscope       -  -  -  199 

Gould,  John. 

Extract  of  a  letter  addressed  to  Mr.  Prince     -  568 

**Higgins, 

Jaws  and  Spine  of  Hybodus  Delabechei.  -  242 

Hogg,  John,  M.A.,  F.L.S.,  &c. 

On  the  Classifications  of  the  Amphibia    -  265,  367 

Hope,  Rev.  F.  W.,  F.R.S.,  &c. 

Observations  on  the  Lamellicorns  of  Olivier  -  -  17,  171 

On  a  new  species  of  Lamia      -  230 

Critical  remarks  on  the  Iconographie  des  Insectes  Coleopteres, 
par  De  Laporte  Comte  de  Castleneau  et  H.  Gory    -  -  255 

Jelly,  Rev.  H. 

On  the  Fossil  Shells  of  the  genus  Modiola,  being  frequently 
found  in  the  Bath  Oolite,  inclosed  in  the  Shells  of  the  genus 
Lithodomus  -  -  -  -  -  -551 

Lee,  John  Edward. 

Notice  of  Undescribed  Zoophytes  from  the  Yorkshire  Chalk    -     10 
Note  on  the  fossil  from  Marychurch,  figured  in  the  Geological 
Transactions  -  -  -  *  -  -471 

Long,  H.  L. 

Notice  of  the  discovery  of  the  Nest  and  Eggs  of  the  Crossbill, 
near  Farnham,  Surrey  -  -236,311 

Luxford,  George,  A.L.S.,  &c. 

Record  of  a  locality  for  Lycopodium  inundatum  -  -  420 

Lyell,  Charles,  V.P.G.S. 

On  the  Relative  Ages  of  the  Tertiary  Deposits  commonly  called 
'  Crag,'  in  the  Counties  of  Norfolk  and  Suffolk        -  -  313 


Viii  CONTENTS. 

Mantell,  Gideon,  L.L.D. 

Note  upon  the  ventriculite  enclosing  a  fossil  Cidaris,  figured 
by  Mr.  Charlesworth  -  604 

Mitchell,  D.  W. 

Record  of  the  capture  of  the  rose-coloured  Pastor,  near  Pen- 
zance        --  -  -  -  -  -  -  467 

Mitchell,  James. 

Notice  of  Fossils  found  at  Stratford,  in  the  cuttings  for  the 
Eastern  Counties  Railway  -----  520 

Moore,  Edward,  M.D.,  F.L.S. 

On  the  destruction  of  Kyanised  Wood  in  Plymouth  Harbour, 
by  the  Limnoria  terebrans     -  -  -  -  -  1 96 

Catalogue  of  the  Malacostracous  Crustacea  of  South  Devon  -  284 
Morris,  John. 

A  Systematic  Catalogue  of  the  Fossil  Plants  of  Britain  -  452,  543 
Newman,  Edward,  F.L.S. 

On  the  Synonymy  of  the  Perlites,  together  with  brief  characters 

of  the  old,  and  of  a  few  new  Species         -  32,  84 

Description  of  a  new  species  of  Lamia,  from  Congo,  in  the  Bri- 
tish Museum  ------  147 

Descriptions  of  new  Popillice  -----  365 

Notes  on  Irish  Natural  History,  more  especially  Ferns    -  548,  570 
Ogilby,  W.,  M.A.,  F.R.S.,  &c. 

Observations  on  the  History  and  Classification  of  the  Marsupial 

Quadrupeds  of  New  Holland         -  -  -  130,  257,  338 

Description  of  the  Frontal  Spine  of  a  second  species  of  Hybodus, 
from  the  Wealden  Clay,  Isle  of  Wight         -  279 

Owen,  R.  (Professor.) 

Description  of  the  jaw  of  the  fossil  Macacus  from  Woodbridge.  445 
Pamplin,  William,  jun.,  A.L.S. 

Remarks  on  the  Botany  of  Selborne  -  -  -  137 

Patterson,  Robert. 

On  some  Snow  Crystals  observed  on  the  14th  of  January,  1838  107 
Pelerin,  W.  G. 

On  the  structural  differences  observable  in  the  Crania  of  the 
four  British  Swans  -  -  -  -  -  -178 

Phillips,  John,  F.R.S.,  (Professor.) 

Biographical  Notices  of  William  Smith,  L.L.D.  -  -  213 

Richardson,  William,  F.G.S.,  &c. 

Notice  respecting  the  discovery  of  the  fossil  remains  of  Cetacea 
at  Heme  Bay  -  -  -  -  -  -    98 

Salter,  T.  B.,  M.D. 

Notice  of  the  early  appearance  of  the  common  Bat,  (Vespertilio 
pipistrellus)  at  Poole  -  -  -  -  -  198 

Saunders,  W.  Wilson,  F.L.S. 

Rare  and  interesting  Plants  about  Kirtlington,  Oxfordshire    -  239 
Shuckard,  W.  E.,  V.P.E.S.,  &c. 

Notes  on  the  Pensile  Nests  of  British  Wasps  -  -  458 

**Sidmouth,  Viscountess. 

Tooth  of  the  genus  Otodus,  Agass. 
Skaife,  John. 

Note  on  a  large  assemblage  of  Swifts  (Cypselus  apus)  near  Black- 
burn -  -  -  -  -  -  -  199 

Sowerby,  Jas.  De  C. 

Letter  relating  to  the  French  Edition  of  the  Mineral  Conchology  418 
Strickland,  Arthur. 

Upon  the  claims  of  the  Ardea  alba — Great  Egret,  or  White 


CONTENTS.  IX 

Hearn,  to  be  considered  a  British  bird  -  -  -    30 

Stutchbury,  Samuel,  A.L.S.,  &c. 

Description  of  a  new  fossil  Avicula  from  the  Lias  Shale  of  So- 
mersetshire -  -  -  .  -  -  163 
Thompson,  George. 

On  the  fall  of  a  shower  of  Meteoric  Stones  at  the  Cape  -  145 

Thompson,  William,  F.L.S.,  Sec. 

On  some  Snow  Crystals  observed  on  the  14th  of  January,  1838  107 
Zoological  Notes  on  a  few  Species  obtained  from  the  South 
West  of  Scotland    -----_  585 

Waterhouse,  George  R.,  M.E.S.,  &c. 

Observations  on  the  Rodentia,  with  a  view  to  "an  arrangement 
of  the  group  founded  upon  the  structure  of  the  crania 

90,184,274,595 
Weissenborn,  W.,  D.Ph. 

Record  of  the  curious  capture  of  a  White-headed  Eagle,  in  the 
river  Havel  -  -  -  -  -  -197 

Remark  relating  to  the  nature  of  the  Ignis  fatuus        -  -197 

Note  on  an  extinct  species  of  Frog  in  yellow  Amber    -  -  256 

Notice  of  an  immense  erratic  block  of  Granite  -  -  472 

of  a  newly  discovered  metal,  called  Lantanum  -  .  472 

Note  on  the  formation  of  an  Entomological  Society  in  Stettin  472 
On  the  Natural  History  of  the  German  Marmot  -  473,  533,  577 
On  a  great  migration  of  Dragon-flies  observed  in  Germany  -  516 
Note  on  some  new  facts  in  the  nature  of  mineral  precipitates  -  567 
Note  on  the  Ushar  or  Abuk  (Asclepias  procera)  of  the  Senaar  568 
Notice  of  a  valuable  collection  of  objects  in  Natural  History, 

bought  by  the  Belgian  Government  -  568 

Notice  of  the  decease  of  Count  Caspar  Sternberg-Serowitz      -  567 
Westwood,  J.  O.,  F.L.S.,  &c. 

On  Hymenotes,  a  genus  of  exotic  Orthopterous  Insects  -  489 

Wetherell,  Nathaniel,  F.G.S. 

Notice  of  a  species  of  Rotalia  found  attached  to  specimens  of 
Vermetus  Bognoriensis  *  -  -  -  -  162 

of  some  undescribed  Organic  Remains  from  the  London 

Clay  - 496 

White,  Adam,  M.E.S.,  &c. 

Description  of  two  new  species  of  Beetles,  belonging  to  the 
Family  Cetoniidce  of  MacLeay         -  -  -  -    24 

Description  of  two  Hemipterous  Insects  -  537 

Willmot,  E.  Eardly. 

Record  of  the  Woodcock  breeding  at  Berkswell  -  -  255 

Wilson,  W.  K. 

Account  of  the  capture  of  an  immense  Saw-fish,  in  the  Gulf  of 
Paria  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  519 

Wood,  Searles,  V.,  F.G.S.,  &c. 

On  the  species  of  the  genus  Lima  occurring  in  the  Crag         -  233 
On  the  species  of  the  genus  Bulla  occurring  in  the  Crag         -  460 
Letter  announcing  the  discovery  of  Fossil  Quadrumanous  -Re- 
mains near  Woodbridge,  Suffolk     -  444 
Woods,  Henry,  F.L.S.,  &c. 

Letter  addressed  to  the  Editor  respecting  the  supposed  Frontal 
Spine  of  Hybodus  in  the  Bath  Museum       -  282 

Yarreli,  William,  F.L.S.,  &c. 

Remarks  appended  to  Mr.  Long's  communication  on  the  dis- 
covery of  the  Nest  and  Eggs  of  the  Crossbill  at  Farnham.      236 


CONTENTS. 


ARTICLES  PUBLISHED  WITH  ASSUMED 

SIGNATURES. 

Philaletes. 

Letter  on  the  present  state  of  the  Hon.  East  India  Company's 
Botanical  Garden,  at  Calcutta.        -  304 


TRANSLATIONS. 

Agassiz,  Prof.  Louis. 

Vindicatory  Letter  relating  to  the  French  Edition  of  Sowerby's 
Mineral  Conchology.  -----  358 

Blainville,  M.  De. 

New  Doubts  relating  to  the  supposed  Didelphis  of  Stonesfield.    49 
Power,  Madame  Jeannette. 

Observations  on  the  Poulp  of  the  Argonaut.     -  -      101,149 

M.  Sander. 

On  the  genus  Argonauta.        -  521 

Valenciennes,  M.  A. 

Observations  upon  the  Fossil  Jaws  from  the  oolitic  beds  at 
Stonesfield  -  -  -  -  _  l 


EXTRACTS. 

Grant,  (Professor.) 

On  the  impressions  of  footsteps  of  Chirotherium  in  the  Stourton 
Quarries  at  Liverpool  -  -  -  -  -    43 

Ogilby,  William,  F.R.S.,  &c. 

Observations  on  the  Structure  and  Relations  of  the  presumed 
Marsupial  remains  from  the  Stonesfield  oolite         -  -  208 

Owen,  (Professor.) 

On  the  jaws  of  the  Thylacotherium  and  Phascolotherium  from 

Stonesfield  ----__  201 

Observations  on  the  Teeth  of  the  Zeuglodon,  Basilosaurus  of 

Dr.  Harlan  -__.»_  209 

On  the  relation  existing  between  the  Argonaut-shell  and  its 
cephalopodous  inhabitant    -  -  -  -  -  421 


CONTENTS. 


REVIEWS. 

Agassi z,  Louis,  (Professor.) 

Monographic  d'Echinodermes  -----  499 

Alexander,  Sir  James  Edward. 

An  Expedition  of  Discovery  into  the  Interior  of  Africa,  under 
the  auspices  of  Her  Majesty's  Government,  and  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society  -----  401 

Aube,  Ch. 

Species  General  des  Coleopteres         -  248 

Beale,  Thomas. 

The  Natural  History  of  the  Sperm  Whale.      -  -  -  248 

Ehrenberg,  Prof. 

The  Infusoria  as  Perfect  Organisms ;  a  glance  into  the  deeper 
organic  life  of  Nature.  With  an  Atlas  of  64  coloured  plates, 
after  drawings  executed  hy  the  author.        -  508 

Haliday,  A.  H. 

Hymenoptera  Britannica,  {Oxyura).  309  ;    Hymenoptera  Bri- 
tannica,  {Alysia).     ------  363 

Germar,  Friedrich. 

Zeitschrift  fur  die  Entomologie.         -  248 

Harris,  Capt.  W.  C. 

Narrative  of  an  Expedition  into  Southern  Africa,  during  the 

years  1836  and  1837.  -  -  -  -  -  401 

Hope,  Rev.  F.  W. 

The  Coleopterists'  Manual,  (parts  1  &  2) ;  containing  the  La- 
mellicorns,  and  predaceous  Land  and  Water  Beetles  of  Lin- 
naeus and  Fabricius.  -  306 
MacLeay,  W.  S. 

Annulosa,  contained  in  part  3  of  Andrew  Smith's  Illustrations 
of  the  Zoology  of  South  Africa.       -  -  -  -    38 

Shuckard,  W.  E. 

Elements  of  British  Entomology ;  containing  a  General  Intro- 
duction to  the  Science,  a  Systematic  Description  of  all  the 
Genera,  and  a  list  of  all  the  Species,  of  British  Insects ;  &c.  503 
British  Coleoptera  Delineated ;  consisting  of  Figures  of  all  the 
Genera  of  British  Beetles.  -  507 

Walker,  Francis,  F.L.S. 

Monographia  Chalciditum.     -  363 

Yarrell,  Wm. 

Supplement  to  the  History  of  British  Fishes.  -  364 

On  the  Growth  of  the  Salmon  in  Fresh  Water.  -  -  365 


Note. — When  a  contributor's  name  is  preceded  by  two  asterisks,  (*  *) 
it  indicates  his  having  communicated  specimens  only  for  description. 


LIST  of  the  SUPPLEMENTARY  PLATES,  with  references  to  the 
descriptive  Letter-press  in  the  body  of  the  Magazine. 

PLATE  I. 

Portrait  on  steel  of  the  late  William  Smith,  LL.D.,  "in  his  69th  year ;    , 
— the  author  of  ■  Strata  Identified  by  their  Organized  Fossils,'  and  gene- 
rally known  as  the  •  Father  of  English  Geology.'     Page  213. 

PLATE  II. 

Lamia  Boisduvalii,  Hope ;  a  new  species  from  New  Holland,  in  the  ca-   * 
binet  of  the  Rev.  F.  W.  Hope,  F.R.S.,  Pres.  Entomol.  Soc.     Page  230. 

PLATE  III. 

Fossil  Shells  of  the  genus  Lima,  from  the  Crag  of  Suffolk,  in  the  cabi-  * 
net  of  S.  V.  Wood,  Esq.,  F.G.S.,  &c.     Page  233. 

PLATE  IV. 

Fossil  remains  of  a  species  of  Shark  from  the  Lias  of  Lyme  Regis,  be- 
longing  to  the  extinct  genus  Hybodus,  Agass.,  in  the  cabinet  of  Edmund 
Higgins,  Esq.     Page  242. 

PLATES  V.  and  VI. 

Two  views  of  the  Paper  Nautilus  (Argonauta),  showing  the  manner  in   * 
which  the  shell  is  embraced  by  the  two  membranous  arms  of  the  Poulp,  as 
observed  by  Madame  Jeannette  Power  and  M.  Rang.     Pp.  529  and  530. 

PLATE  VII. 

Fossil  shells  of  the  genus  Bulla  from  the  Crag,  in  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  S.  ' 
V.  Wood.    Page  460. 

PLATES  VIII.  and  IX. 

Figures  of  some  very  remarkable  unknown  organic  remains  from  the   • 
London  Clay,  in  the  cabinet  of  N.  Wetherell,  Esq.,  of  Highgate.     Pa.  496 


THE  MAGAZINE 


OF 


NATURAL    HISTORY. 


JANUARY,  1839. 


Art.  I.— ^Observations  upon  the  Fossil  Jaws  from  the  Oolitic  Beds 
at  Stonesjield,  named  Didelphis  Prevostii  and  Did.  Bucklandii. — 
By  M.  A.  Valenciennes.1 

~L  he  fossil  bones  of  very  small  vertebrated  animals  discover- 
ed in  the  oolitic  beds  of  calcareous  schist  at  Stonesfield,  have 
acquired  great  notoriety  among  geologists,  in  consequence  of 
the  opinion  formed  respecting  them  by  M.  Cuvier,  upon  a 
first  inspection. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  upon  examining  the  rather  mu- 
tilated half  jaw  in  the  Oxford  Museum,  shown  to  him  by  Pro- 
fessor Buckland,  Cuvier  recognised  the  characters  of  a  mam- 
mal, which  he  pronounced  to  be  of  the  order  Marsupialia. 

In  no  other  way  can  we  explain  why  Cuvier  applied  to 
them  the  name  of  Didelphis.  His  ideas  respecting  them  ap- 
pear to  convey  precisely  this  meaning ;  not  only  in  the  note 
at  page  359  of  the  second  part  of  vol.  v.  of  his  '  Ossements 
Fossiles,'  but  in  the  expressions  which  he  uses  in  the  text  of 
the  same  page.  While  enumerating  the  endless  variety  of 
fossils  found  in  the  Stonesfield  slate,  he  says,  "  and  even,  as 
I  am  assured,  two  fragments  of  jaws,  which,  judging  from  a 
hasty  inspection  made  when  at  Oxford  in  1818,  seemed  to 
me  to  belong  to  some  Didelphis" 

The  extract  from  his  note  is  as  follows. — "  It  [the  draw- 
ing] confirms  me  in  the  idea  which  a  first  inspection  had 
given  me  :  it  is  the  jaw  of  a  very  small  camassier,  the  grind- 
ers of  which  very  much  resemble  those  of  the  opossums ; 

1 '  Comptes  Rendus,'  Sept.,  1838,  p.  572. 
Vol.  HI.— No.  25.  n.  s.  b 


Ti  OBSERVATIONS  UPON 

but  there  are  ten  in  a  series,  a  number  found  in  no  other  car- 
nassier  with  which  we  are  acquainted." 

It  is  impossible  to  doubt  that  the  expressions  "quelque  Di- 
delphe"  and  "celles  des  Sarigues"  must  have  been  employed 
to  intimate  that  the  fossil  animal  was  a  pouched  mammal, — 
in  other  words  that  it  belonged  to  the  order  Marsupialia, 
Geoffroy,  and  undoubtedly  closely  related  to  the  didelphs. — 
His  remark  upon  the  number  of  molars  also  shows  that  he 
believed  even  then  that  this  mammal,  when  farther  studied, 
would  be  regarded  as  a  distinct  genus. 

At  any  rate,  however,  this  opinion  confers  great  importance 
on  this  small  relic  of  a  jaw,  not  more  than  nine  or  ten  lines 
in  length,  because  it  indicates  the  presence  of  terrestrial 
mammals  in  rocks  of  more  ancient  deposition  than  the  chalk. 

Cuvier  having  never  had  these  fossil  jaws  in  his  own  ca- 
binet,— having  been  unable  to  compare  them  with  the  skele- 
tons of  existing  species  which  were  brought  together  in  his 
extensive  collection  of  comparative  anatomy,  but  merely  hav- 
ing received  the  drawing,  made  by  M.  Constant  Prevost,  of 
the  jaw  in  the  Oxford  Museum,  and  also  that  of  a  larger  but 
less  perfect  one,  preserved  in  the  Museum  of  the  Rev.  C. 
Sykes, — did  not  treat  of  these  remains  in  a  special  memoir, 
in  which  he  might  have  endeavoured  to  establish  their  rela- 
tions with  other  vertebrated  animals. 

From  this  time,  geologists,  confiding  in  the  authority  and 
judgment  of  the  great  anatomist,  have  cited  the  Stonesfield 
Didelphis  as  an  exception  to  the  generally -received  law,  that 
fossil  mammals  are  not  to  be  met  with  in  the  beds  belonging 
to  the  secondary  period ;  more  recently,  however,  doubts  have 
been  raised  by  naturalists  and  anatomists,  concerning  this 
determination. 

It  has  been  made  known  that  these  remains  of  Vertebrata 
were  regarded  as  having  belonged  to  the  class  Reptilia :  this 
opinion  is  said  to  have  originated  with  Professor  Grant,  in 
the  German  translation  of  Dr.  Buckland's  Bridgewater  Trea- 
tise, by  M.  Agassiz 

If  this  new  determination  could  have  been  applied  without 
contradiction  to  the  half  jaw  examined  by  Cuvier,  it  would 
have  had  the  advantage  of  restoring  to  the  order  of  hitherto- 
observed  phenomena,  the  nature  of  the  animals  from  the 
Stonesfield  beds ;  but  M.  de  Blainville  has  again  rendered 
the  opinion  uncertain,  in  the  elaborate  memoir  lately  read  by 
him  before  the  Academy,  and  published  in  the  eighth  num- 
ber of  the  '  Comptes  Rendus'  for  1838,2  under  the  title  of 

2 For  a  translation  ofM.  de  Blainville's  Memoir,  see  'Mag.  Nat.  Hist.' 
1838,  p.  639.-^7. 


THE  FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD.  3 

"  Doubts   concerning   the    supposed   fossil  Didelphis  from 
Stonesfield,  &c." 

This  celebrated  anatomist  having  had  at  his  disposal  only 
the  drawings  of  these  interesting  fossils,  which  are  more  or 
less  faithful  representations,  has  nevertheless,  with  his  usual 
precise  method  of  comparison,  scrutinised  the  different  parts 
of  these  jaws;  he  has  put  forward  in  succession  all  the  diffi- 
culties to  be  overcome;  and  placed  us  in  possession  of  the 
doubts  which  the  previous  opinions  had  left  in  his  mind :  and 
finishes  by  coming  to  this  conclusion. 

First. — That  it  is  not  probable  that  the  two  solitary  fossil 
fragments  from  Stonesfield  can  belong  to  a  mammal  of  the 
genus  Didelphis,  or  to  a  carnassier  allied  to  the  Insecti- 
vora. 

Secondly. — That  if  we  ought  to  regard  them  as  belonging 
to  the  class  of  mammals,  their  molar  dentition  would  bring 
them  nearer  to  the  family  of  the  seals  than  to  any  other. 

Thirdly. — That  it  is  more  probable  that  they  should  be  re- 
ferred to  a  genus  of  the  sub-order  of  saurians. 

Fourthly. — That  in  the  present  state  of  the  case  he  propo- 
ses to  distinguish  them  under  a  distinct  generic  name, — that 
of  Amphitherium. 

We  thus  perceive  that  this  distinguished  professor  of  com- 
parative anatomy  is  inclined  to  regard  these  vertebrated  ani- 
mals as  more  nearly  allied  to  the  Reptilia  than  to  any  other 
class  ;  and  he  cites,  in  support  of  his  conjectures,  the  opinion 
of  M.  Agassiz,  whom  he  believes  to  entertain  the  same  views 
of  the  matter  as  himself. 

I  ought  here  to  observe  that  the  note  extracted  from  a  let- 
ter of  M.  Agassiz  which  is  placed  at  the  head  of  No.  10  of 
the  'Comptes  Rendus  de  TAcademy,'  seems  in  favour  of  this 
opinion,  since  it  says, — "  M.  Agassiz,  on  the  occasion  of  a 
recent  communication  from  M.  de  Blainville,  writes  word  that 
subsequently  to  the  year  1835,  he  has  expressed,  in  Bronn 
and  Leonhard's  Journal,  (p.  186,  anno  1835),  an  opinion  per- 
fectly agreeing  with  that  of  M.  de  Blainville  concerning  the 
supposed  Didelphis"  In  referring  however  to  this  quotation 
I  find  that  in  this  note  M.  Agassiz  establishes,  in  a  very  clear 
manner,  the  opinion  that  the  Stonesfield  animals  are  undoubt- 
edly mammals,  but  that  their  affinity  with  the  marsupials 
does  not  appear  to  him  to  be  so  certain ; — that  their  teeth  re- 
semble more  those  of  the  Insectivora,  and  also  have  some  re- 
semblance to  those  of  the  seals. 

The  object  of  M.  Agassiz  therefore  in  this  note,  is  to  show 
that  these  bones  are  those  of  a  mammal,  which  he  considers 
rather  as  belonging  to  the  order  Insectivora  than  to  any  other. 

b  2 


4  OBSERVATIONS  UPON 

M.  de  Blainville  concludes  his  task  by  an  invitation  for 
fresh  observations,  which  may  furnish  new  elements  to  the 
argument,  for  or  against  the  opinion  hitherto  admitted. 

The  memoir  of  M.  de  Blainville  proves,  that  if  he  had  had 
the  advantage  of  examining  the  fragments  themselves,  he 
would  have  left  no  doubt  upon  the  subject. 

Having  myself  been  more  fortunate,  I  hastened  in  some 
sort,  to  reply  to  the  appeal  which  he  made,  in  the  name  of 
the  Academy,  and  it  is  this  which  has  determined  me  to  re- 
quest to-day,  permission  to  read  the  memoir  which  I  now 
submit  to  your  approval. 

Dr.  Bucldand  has  just  brought  over,  among  other  very  va- 
luable geological  specimens,  the  two  jaws  found  in  the  schist 
at  Stonesfield,  and  preserved  in  the  Oxford  Museum.  He 
very  willingly  entrusted  them  to  me  during  his  stay  at  Paris, 
and  allowed  me  to  have  models  of  them  taken,  which  I  have 
presented  to  the  Academy.  I  have  compared  the  originals 
with  the  different  mammals  and  reptiles  in  the  cabinet  of  the 
Jardin  des  Plantes,  and  I  believe  that  I  have  arrived,  by  this 
comparison,  at  a  confirmation  of  the  justice  of  Cuvier's  opi- 
nion. 

One  of  the  two  jaws  submitted  to  my  examination  is  the 
very  one  which  Cuvier  for  a  short  time  inspected  ;  the  Didel- 
phis  Prevostii.  The  other,  subsequently  discovered,  is  of  the 
same  species  as  that  described  and  figured  by  Mr.  Broderip, 
his  Didelphis  Bucklandii. 

Another  jaw,  which  I  believe  to  be  of  this  latter  species, 
makes  a  part  of  Mr.  Sykes's  collection.  It  is  this  specimen 
which  Messrs.  Phillips  and  Lyell  allude  to  when  speaking  of 
the  fossils  in  their  works. 

This  specimen,  which  I  am  able  to  refer  to,  from  the  draw- 
ing sent  by  Mr.  Phillips  to  M.  Cuvier,  and  which  M.  Lau- 
rillard  has  had  the  goodness  to  lend  me,  is  less  complete  than 
the  two  others,  for  the  angle  is  wanting,  as  well  as  the  con- 
dyle, and  the  largest  part  of  the  ascending  ramus ;  the  latter 
however  has  left  its  impression  upon  the  stone,  which  serves 
as  a  matrix. 

This  proves  that  we  now  have  four  of  these  jaws  belonging 
to  two  distinct  species  of  vertebrated  animals  ;  and  so  far  I 
perfectly  agree  with  M.  Agassiz,  who  appears  to  have  seen  a 
fifth,  and  who  remarks,  it  is  singular  that  we  have  never  yet 
discovered  any  bone  belonging  to  any  other  part  of  the  ske- 
leton. 

The  jaw  first  known  has  been  so  fully  described  by  M.  C. 
Prevost,  in  his  memoir  upon  the  Stonesfield  fossils,  that  it 
will  be  needless  to  recapitulate  here  any  details  of  its  general 
form. 


THE  FOSSIL  JA.WS  FROM  STONESFIELD.  5 

I'have  observed  however,  in  the  bone  itself,  that  the  molar 
teeth,  which  are,  as  you  are  aware,  ten  in  number,  are  all 
pressed  closely  one  against  another ;  that  the  five  or  six  an- 
terior teeth  have  two  visible  roots  ;  a  triangular  and  pointed 
crown,  with  a  little  "  talon"  on  each  side,  the  anterior  being 
more  acute,  the  posterior  more  obtuse  ;  that  these  latter,  when 
their  outer  side  is  shown,  present  a  crown  terminating  in  two 
nearly  equal  conical  points,  with  a  little  "  talon"  behind. 

The  second  piece  of  jaw  is  a  horizontal  left  ramus,  with 
its  inner  side  visible.  This  fragment,  which  is  curved  like  the 
jaw  of  the  Did.  murina  has  a  high  coronoid  process,  enlarged, 
rounded,  and  bent  a  little  backward.  The  condyle,  which  is 
very  distinctly  seen,  is  placed  a  little  above  the  dental  line. 
The  angle  of  the  jaw  is  prolonged  into  a  "  languette  mience," 
making  an  obtuse  angle  with  the  inferior  line  and  the  hori- 
zontal ramus.  One  thing  very  important  to  point  out,  be- 
cause it  is  a  fact  not  previously  verified,  is,  that  this  ramus 
shows  the  opening  of  the  dental  canal,  which  is  a  small  cir- 
cular foramen,  pierced  a  little  forwarder  than  that  of  the 
D.  murina.  The  symphysis  is  entire  and  distinctly  apparent. 
It  has  a  rough,  oval,  oblong  surface,  which  equals  in  width 
a  quarter  of  the  jaw,  and  which  is  obliquely  truncated  infe- 
riorly,  as  we  observe  in  the  Mammalia. 

The  teeth  remaining  upon  the  dental  arch,  are  three  ante- 
rior grinders,  exactly  in  their  right  place ;  they  are  shaped 
like  those  left  in  the  other  fossil  jaw ;  that  is  to  say,  they  are 
compressed,  triangular,  and  with  two  small  "talons"  on  each 
side.  At  the  base  of  the  ascending  ramus  we  observe  a  pos- 
terior, imperfect  molar  tooth,  out  of  its  place,  and  displaying 
two  very  distinct  pointed  tubercles.  There  is  upon  the  ma- 
trix and  in  front  of  the  three  teeth,  an  impression  which  ap- 
pears to  have  been  caused  by  a  fallen  tooth.  By  measuring 
with  a  pair  of  compasses  the  void  space  comprised  between 
the  base  of  the  ascending  ramus,  and  the  teeth  which  are 
still  in  their  places,  and  also  that  occupied  by  the  same  three 
teeth,  it  is  easy  to  convince  ourselves  that  the  interval  ought 
to  be  occupied  by  five  teeth  ;  which  brings  the  total  number 
of  the  grinders  to  ten,  as  in  the  other  jaw. 

The  anatomists  who  are  my  auditors,  will  be  able  to  per- 
ceive from  what  I  have  just  observed  of  the  presence  of  the 
condyle,  of  the  form  of  the  teeth,  of  the  aspect  of  the  ascend- 
ing ramus  and  of  the  symphysis,  the  opening  of  the  dental 
canal,  and  the  prolongation  of  the  angle  of  the  jaw  into  an 
apophysis  which  is  slender  and  compressed  into  the  form  of 
a  tongue, — that  the  animal  which  exhibits  these  characters  is 
sl  Mammal.     But  that  which  will  complete  the  description 

b3 


6  OBSERVATIONS  UPON 

and  remove  all  doubts,  is,  that  this  jaw,  like  that  of  the  Di- 
delphis  Prevostii,  is  formed  of  a  single  bone ;  while  in  the 
saurians,  it  is  well  known  that  each  half  is  formed  of  five 
osseous  pieces. 

The  inductions  which  have  been  drawn  from  the  lobulated 
character  of  the  teeth  in  these  animals,  appear  to  me  to  prove 
that  this  configuration  has  been  greatly  exaggerated.  Let 
us  only  examine  the  false  molars  of  a  carnivorous  animal, 
a  panther  for  instance — and  we  perceive  that  they  are  also 
formed  of  a  middle  tubercle,  compressed  and  triangular,  hav- 
ing on  each  side  a  little  "talon"  or  tubercle.  There  is  nothing 
more  in  the  teeth  of  the  Stonesfield  fossil.  This  sort  of  pal- 
mated  appearance  is  not  at  all  similar  to  the  flattened  and 
triangular  teeth  of  some  of  the  saurians,  which  have,  as  in 
the  Iguanas,  their  edges  notched  in  very  fine  regular  indent- 
ations. 

This  comparison  leads  me  back  to  the  osseous  fragment 
possessed  by  Mr.  Sykes.  This  jaw,  belonging  to  the  right 
side,  has  its  external  surface  visible ;  its  ascending  ramus 
and  symphysary  portion  are  wanting.  We  perceive  in  it  nine 
distinct  teeth,  and  the  socket  for  a  tenth.  The  artist,  who 
was  not  an  anatomist, has  represented  the  teeth  as  with  crowns 
divided  into  lobes,  to  the  number  of  five,  and  forming  a  sort 
of  "rosace",  which  never  exists  either  in  the  Mammalia  or  Rep- 
tilia.  It  appears  to  me  that  these  organs  have  not  been  pro- 
perly detached  from  their  matrix,  and  that  persons  have  been 
led  into  error  as  to  the  palmated  division  of  these  teeth. 

Having  thus  given  the  reasons  which  prove  to  me  that  the 
animal  to  which  the  fossil  jaws  discussed  in  this  memoir  have 
belonged,  must  have  been  a  mammal,  let  us  examine  to  what 
order  it  ought  to  be  referred. 

I  apprehend  that  what  has  led  us  from  the  truth  has  been 
the  comparison  made  between  these  fossil  animals  and  the 
common  opossum  (Didelphis  Virginiana).  We  see,  in  fact, 
in  this  animal,  that  the  second  false  molar  is  much  higher 
than  those  next  to  it,  and  that  it  differs  from  them.  But  let 
us  take,  as  a  point  of  comparison,  the  D.  murina,  which  is  a 
small  didelph  of  about  the  same  size ;  and  we  shall  find  the 
resemblance  more  striking,  and  shall  no  longer  wonder  at  the 
affinity  indicated  by  M.  Cuvier.  In  this  animal  the  false 
molars  are  of  the  same  height,  and  are  equally  pressed  one 
against  another ;  they  are,  like  nearly  all  the  false  molars  of 
the  true  carnassiers,  triangular,  and  have  on  each  side  a  small 
supplementary  tubercle.  The  posterior  molars,  like  those  of 
the  fossil  which  I  have  in  view,  have  two  points,  succeeded 
by  a  small  "talon,"  upon  the  outer  edge,  and  three  conical  and 


THE  FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD.  7 

pointed  tubercles  upon  the  inner  edge.  ThOse  specimens  of 
this  fossil  which  are  completely  disengaged  from  their  matrix 
probably  exhibit  a  similar  conformation  of  their  molar  teeth; 
for  M.  Agassiz  says  in  his  note,  that  the  grinders  have  five 
points,  disposed  like  those  of  the  Insectivora.  The  curve  of 
the  horizontal  ramus  of  the  Didelphis  Bucklandii,  and  the 
form  and  direction  of  the  ascending  one,  present  a  perfect 
agreement  with  that  of  the  D.  murina ;  the  differences  con- 
sist in  the  fossil  having  the  condyle  less  elevated,  the  tongue- 
shaped  process  of  the  angle  more  external,  and  the  opening 
of  the  dental  canal  more  anterior. 

The  Didelphis  Prevostii  has  the  ramus  of  the  jaw  straight- 
er,  but  the  form  of  its  molars,  and  the  great  number  of  these 
teeth,  bring  it  nearer  to  the  didelphs  than  to  any  other  mar- 
supial animal. 

If  we  compare  the  fossil  animal  with  the  Insectivora,  we 
perceive  in  the  latter  the  coronoid  process  carried  more  for- 
ward, and  separated  from  the  condyle  by  a  deeper  space ; 
the  angular  process  of  the  jaw  is  shorter,  forming  a  less  ob- 
tuse angle  with  the  horizontal  ramus ;  the  commencement  of 
the  horizontal  ramus  is  more  convex,  the  rest  of  the  bone 
straighter,  and  the  number  of  teeth  always  less. 

Nevertheless,  if  we  admit  that  the  fossil  animal  is  of  the 
order  of  Marsupialia,  we  must  not  wonder  at  the  resemblance 
which  may  exist  between  it  and  the  Insectivora,  for  we  know 
that  the  pouched  animals  form  a  kind  of  sub-class,  as  Cuvier 
says,  of  which  the  series  is  parallel  with  that  of  the  placental 
Mammalia ;  and  we  can  thus  distinguish  insectivorous  mar- 
supials, carnivorous  marsupials,  and  rodent  marsupials ; 
&c.  But  the  animals  of  this  order  [Marsupialia]  are  the  only 
the  Cetacea  excepted,  which  are  furnished  with  so  large  a 
number  of  teeth. 

It  was  also  thought  that  this  fossil  animal  might  be  refer- 
red to  the  family  of  the  seals,  on  account  of  the  subdivision 
of  the  teeth  into  lobules.  I  shall  first  observe,  that  in  the 
Phoca  properly  so  called,  the  common  seal  is  the  only  one 
which  has  five  tubercles  upon  the  dental  crown ; — that  the 
others  have  only  three ; — and  that  in  the  Phoca  cristata  there 
even  appears  to  be  nothing  more  than  a  simple,  blunt,  coni- 
cal crown,  furrowed  upon  its  surface,  and  without  any  sup- 
plementary tubercles. 

Thus,  a  lobulated  form  of  tooth  cannot  be  looked  upon  as 
a  constant  characteristic  of  the  seals,  and  consequently  is  not 
a  distinction  of  importance.  But  it  must  be  observed  that 
among  the  Amphibia  the  angle  of  the  jaw  is  not  produced  in- 
to the  tongue-shaped  process  which  exists  among  the  car- 

b  4 


8  OBSERVATIONS  UPON 

nassiers  and  the  carnivorous  marsupials.  In  the  common 
seal  we  find  a  simple  tubercle  at  the  maxillary  angle ;  in  the 
Phoca  cristata  this  process  is  more  obtuse ;  and  in  the  Pho- 
ca  leptonyx,  de  Blainville,  it  is  quite  obsolete. 

We  see  indeed  that  this  process  re-appears  and  becomes  a 
character  of  more  importance  in  the  genus  Otaria,  in  which 
it  constitutes  a  strong,  trihedral  projection,  obtuse,  and  pro- 
longed into  a  prominent  ridge  below  the  jaw.  But  there  is 
one  characteristic  mark  in  the  species  of  this  genus,  which 
quite  removes  all  affinity  to  the  fossil  jaw; — their  molar  teeth 
have  but  a  single  root. 

Thus  the  supposed  Didelphis  does  not  appear  to  be  refera- 
ble to  the  family  of  the  seals. 

A.s  we  never  see  this  angular  process  disappear  in  the  car- 
nassiers,  I  think  we  may  therefore  conclude  that  the  fossil 
bones  found  at  Stonesfield  belong  to  a  terrestrial  carnivorous 
mammal ;  and  on  account  of  the  great  number  of  its  teeth, 
that  it  is  more  closely  related  to  the  didelphs  than  to  any  other 
known  mammiferous  animal. 

The  present  investigation  furnishes  a  fresh  proof  that  the 
attentive  study  of  even  the  smallest  parts  of  organic  struc- 
ture leads  to  very  curious  general  results,  since  they  become 
characters,  the  importance  of  which  we  did  not  in  the  least 
anticipate. 

The  prolonged  tongue-shaped  process  is  absent  in  man,  in 
the  Quadrumana,  and  in  the  frugivorous  bats,  animals  in 
which  the  articulation  of  the  jaw  does  not  require  that  fixed- 
ness which  is  a  necessary  condition  in  the  existence  of  the 
carnassiers.  This  process  in  the  last  furnishes  a  strong  in- 
sertion for  the  ligaments  or  sets  of  muscles  which  regulate 
the  lateral  movements  of  the  jaw;  when  it  closes,  they  fix  it 
in  its  articulation,  and  produce  that  action  of  the  teeth  neces- 
sary for  the  proper  mastication  of  the  food.  This  process  is 
obsolete,  or  nearly  so,  in  those  seals  which  are  placed  in  the 
order  carnassiers,  because  these  seize  their  prey  in  the  water, 
and  transfix  it  with  their  pointed  teeth  rather  than  masticate 
it,  and  do  not  therefore  require  so  much  fixedness  of  articu- 
lation. 

If  we  observe  it  to  become  projecting  among  the  Otarice,  it 
is  easy  to  account  for  this  by  a  simple  examination  of  their 
slightly  pointed  teeth,  inserted  obliquely  and  across  the  den- 
tal arch,  and  which  would  have  been  less  fitted  for  retaining 
living  prey,  if  the  lower  jaw  had  been  capable  of  making  a 
lateral  movement  below  the  upper  one. 

Were  I  not  afraid  of  wandering  from  my  subject,  it  would 
be  easy  for  me  to  demonstrate  that  the  prolongation  of  the 


THE  FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD.  9 

angle  of  the  jaw  is  just  as  well  adapted  in  the  Rodentia  for 
the  action  of  their  teeth. 

Thus  the  form  of  this  process,  and  that  of  the  teeth  and  of 
the  condyle,  are  always  combined  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
study  of  these  parts  becomes  of  very  great  importance  in  as- 
certaining the  natural  relations  of  animals. 

I  think,  therefore,  to  return  to  our  subject,  that  the  bones 
from  the  Stonesfield  slate,  published  under  the  names  of  Di- 
delphis  Prevostii  and  Did.  Bucklandii,  have  belonged  to 
mammiferous  animals,  very  nearly  approaching  the  didelphs, 
but  of  a  distinct  genus. 

Not  having  had  the  advantage  of  inspecting  the  portion  of 
a  jaw  preserved  at  "l'Ecole  des  Mines,"  I  have  been  unable 
to  treat  of  that  fossil  in  this  memoir. 

M.  Agassiz,  who  regarded  these  animals  as  of  an  ambigu- 
ous nature  among  Vertebrata,  has  proposed  for  a  generic 
name  that  of  Amphigonus. 

M.  de  Blainville,  adopting  the  same  views,  without  being 
aware  of  the  name  proposed  by  M.  Agassiz,  which  is  not 
cited  in  his  note  in  Bronn  and  Leonhard's  Journal,  has  pro- 
posed that  of  Amphitherium  or  Heter other ium.  As  in  all 
that  we  can  deduce  from  a  study  of  the  portions  of  jaws  sub- 
mitted to  our  examination,  I  see  nothing  which  indicates  an 
ambiguous  or  heterogeneous  nature, — and  as  the  names  pro- 
posed by  these  naturalists  express  doubts  which  in  my  opin- 
ion no  longer  have  any  foundation,  I  think  it  would  be  advis- 
able now  to  apply  a  more  significant  appellation.  I  do  not 
think  that  sufficient  time  has  elapsed  for  the  ill  consequences 
to  arise  which  generally  follow  changes  of  names  in  Natural 
History,  because  those  which  I  propose  to  replace  by  others 
have  not  yet  been  adopted  by  systematic  writers,  and  conse- 
quently have  not  yet  received  the  sanction  of  naturalists  in 
general.  The  name  of  Thylacotherium  appears  to  me  a  pre- 
ferable one. 

If  we  call  to  mind  the  figure  of  the  fossil  jaw  published  by 
Mr.  Broderip,  which  is  taken  from  a  fragment  that  I  have  not 
examined,  the  new  genus  of  fossil  Mammalia  will  have 
the  following  characters,  taken  from  the  examination  of  the 
lower  jaw  only. 

Eight  incisor  teeth,  two  canines,  and  ten  molars,  with  five 
or  six  false  anterior  ones ;  the  hinder  teeth  presenting  a  sum- 
mit consisting  of  five  tubercles,  three  internal  and  two  exter- 
nal, the  latter  succeeded  by  a  small  "talon." 

The  two  species  referable  to  this  genus,  are — 

Thylacotherium  Prevostii,  [Didelphis  Prevostii,  Cuvier), 


10  NOTICE  OF   UNDESCRIBED   ZOOPHYTES 

having  its  horizontal  ramus  some  what  straightened ;  its  depth 
about  the  fourth  part  of  its  length.     And — 

Thylacotherium  Bucklandii,  (Didelphis  Bucklandii,  Bro- 
derip),  having  its  horizontal  ramus  narrower  and  more  curved. 

Such  are  the  zoological  characters  at  present  known  of 
this  genus  of  fossil  Mammalia. 


Art.  II. — Notice  of  Undescribed  Zoophytes  from  the   Yorkshire 
Chalk.     By  John  Edward  Lee,  Esq. 

Professor  Phillips,  in  his  "  Illustrations  of  the  Geology  of 
the  Yorkshire  Coast,"  has  observed,  that  "  the  interesting  re- 
mains of  Spongice  are  nowhere  so  well  developed  as  in  Eng- 
land, and  perhaps  nowhere  in  England,  so  well  as  in 
Yorkshire.  On  the  shore  near  Bridlington,  they  lie  exposed 
in  the  cliffs  and  scars,  and  being  seldom  enclosed  in  flint, 
allow  their  organization  to  be  studied  with  the  greatest  ad- 
vantage." 

This  locality  however,  does  not  seem  to  have  attracted  the 
attention  it  deserves  :  the  chalk  cliffs  from  Sewerby  to  the 
Danes'  Dyke  on  the  south  of  Flamborough  Head  abound  in 
Zoophytes,  and  a  diligent  collector  will  not  be  long  in  obtain- 
ing an  extensive  suite  of  specimens  ;  the  chalk  is  of  such  a 
nature  as  to  admit  of  being  easily  worked,  so  that  the  fossils 
may  be  cleared  without  much  difficulty,  and  their  characters 
properly  exposed.  The  labour  however  has  only  commenced  : 
the  varieties  in  form,  and  the  gradations  from  one  to  another, 
are  almost  endless,  and  the  difficulty  in  determining  species 
is  so  great,  that  it  almost  operates  as  a  bar  to  the  study  of 
these  remains  ;  still  as  every  additional  fact  respecting  them 
must  be  of  some  value,  where  so  little  comparatively  is  known, 
I  shall  endeavour  to  give  a  description  of  several  species 
which  appear  to  me  to  be  new;  and  should  it  afterwards 
prove  that  I  have  been  mistaken,  they  can  then  be  referred 
to  their  proper  situations. — Two  of  the  species  described  seem 
to  be  Siphonice  ;  four,  or  perhaps  five,  may  for  the  present  be 
considered  as  sponges,  and  one  seems  to  be  a  Udotea. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  though  the  locality  from  which 
these  fossils  were  obtained,  is  extremely  rich  in  Zoophytes, 
yet  the  rest  of  the  Yorkshire  chalk  is  comparatively  barren  : 
this  is  particularly  the  case  with  the  southern  part  of  the 
range ;  I  have  sought  almost  in  vain,  for  any  specimens 
worthy  of  preservation,  in  the  numerous  chalk  pits  from  Mar- 
ket Weighton  to  Hessle. 


FROM  THE  YORKSHIRE  CHALK.  11 

The  kind  most  abundant  near  Bridlington  is  the  Spongia 
radiciformis  of  Phillips  ;  numbers  of  this  species  lie  in  all 
directions  in  the  cliff  below  Sewerby,  both  parallel  with,  and 
across  the  direction  of  the  strata :  many  specimens  appear 
to  have  been  a  good  deal  worn  before  they  were  imbedded, 
while  others,  particularly  of  the  cup-shaped  form,  are  per- 
fect, even  to  the  finest  fibres  of  the  root.  In  some  cases 
these  latter  have  disappeared,  but  are  yet  shown  very  beau- 
tifully by  the  hollows  in  the  chalk  they  once  filled,  being 
coloured  with  ochreous  matter. 

I  have  never  yet  observed  the  root  of  any  sponge  attached 
to  any  of  the  other  fossil  bodies  which  are  found  in  the  chalk; 
this  fact  appears  singular,  since  the  fine  fibres  of  the  root 
are  in  many  cases  perfectly  preserved:  about  two  years 
ago  however,  I  obtained  a  specimen  of  a  variety  of  Spon- 
gia radiciformis,  (or  perhaps  a  new  species),  in  which  the 
short  thick  fibres  of  the  root  appear  attached  to  the  head  of 
another  individual  of  the  same  species. 

The  variety  in  outward  form  has  been  already  referred  to  ; 
the  internal  structure  also  exhibits  very  great  irregularity  of 
character  :  for  instance,  it  has  been  generally  believed  that 
the  root-shaped  sponges  had  a  central  cylindrical  cavity,  ex- 
tending downwards  to  the  stem  :  the  annexed  diagram  (fig.  1.) 
jtnpn^  shows  however  that  this  character  is  not  con- 
stant: it  is  a  magnified  representation  of  the  sec- 
tion of  one  of  these  fossil  bodies.  The  specimen, 
when  obtained,  was  broken  in  two  or  three  places ; 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  stem  there  was  a  simple 
circular  perforation,  but  about  an  inch  higher  this  cavity 
had  assumed  a  quadrangular  appearance,  and  other  circular 
canals  were  visible  on  each  side,  two  of  which  were  of  much 
larger  size  than  the  others.  At  first  sight,  it  appeared  to  con- 
nect the  Siphonice  with  the  Choanites  of  Mantell,  and  being 
very  anxious  to  obtain  further  specimens,  I  examined  with 
great  care  the  neighbourhood  of  the  spot  where  this  fossil 
was  procured :  from  that  day  to  this  however,  I  have  never 
been  able  to  find  another  instance  of  such  a  conformation, 
and  at  length  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion,  that  these  cha- 
racters must  be  considered  as  merely  accidental. 

The  young  Spongia  are  very  abundant  along  the  whole 
face  of  the  cliff :  a  great  variety  of  globular  specimens  may 
be  obtained,  from  the  size  of  a  small  pea  to  that  of  a  common 
nut;  the  form  then  becomes  rather  conical,  and  there  are 
often  appearances  of  a  process  of  attachment. — As  they  in- 
crease in  size  the  specific  characters  gradually  develope  them- 


12 


NOTICE  OF  UNDESCRIBED  ZOOPHYTES 


selves ;  but  the  young  specimens  as  well  as  the  old,  are  sub- 
ject to  great  variety  in  character. 

Some  of  the  cup-shaped  sponges  attain  a  large  size ;  I 
have  one  which  measures  12  inches  in  diameter. 

Many  specimens  in  my  possession  exhibit  characters  which 
apparently  indicate  new  species,  besides  those  about  to  be 
described.  I  have  however  thought  it  best  only  to  give  an 
account  of  such  as  are  sufficiently  perfect  to  afford  a  dis- 
tinct idea  of  the  character. 


SlPHONIA. 

1.  Siph.  clava. — Club-shaped  ;  gradually  increasing  in  size  till  very  near 
the  crown  :  the  larger  canals,  after  spreading  widely  in  the  substance 
of  the  body,  are  crowded  together  at  the  top,  presenting  a  pentago- 
nal, or  hexagonal  appearance.    Fig.  2. 

The  shape  of  this  species  is  very  regular,  as  will  be  seen 
from  the  annexed  figure,  (Jig.  2.) ;  the  original  is 
seven  inches  in  length  :  the  stem  is  pierced  by  a 
single  canal,  for  about  an  inch  and  a  half  from  the 
bottom :  about  an  inch  higher,  four  or  five  prin- 
cipal canals,  and  several  smaller  ones  shew  them- 
selves ;  the  subjoined  sketch,  (Jig.  3.)  drawn  of  the 
natural  size,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  appearance : 
still  higher,  the  canals  increase  in  number,  and 
are  considerably  spread  in  the  body  of  the  fossil. 
3      j*msnm^  w(¥»v       4 


At  the  crown  there  seems  to  be  a  still  greater  number,  and 
they  are  so  crowded,  as  almost  to  represent  a  honeycomb ; 
figure  4,  which  is  drawn  of  the  natural  size  from  a  specimen 
a  little  ground  down  at  the  top,  will  give  some  idea  of  this 
arrangement. 

In  specimens  which  have  been  rolled  on  the  beach,  and 
which  are  consequently  without  the  external  covering,  the 
whole  surface  appears  studded  with  minute  pores ;  these  are 
the  orifices  of  small  radiating  tubes,  which  communicate  with 
the  larger  canals. 

This  species  does  not  appear  to  be  very  rare. 

2.  Siph.  anguilla. — Elongated,  cylindrical,  nearly  of  an  equal  size 
throughout ;  length  equal  to  eight  or  more  times  the  breadth  ;  larger 
canals  not  crowded  at  the  summit.    Fig.  5. 


FROM  THE  YORKSHIRE  CHALK. 


13 


Fig.  5.  which  is  reduced  from  a  specimen  thir- 
teen inches  in  length,  will  shew  the  general  form 
of  this  species  :  the  bottom  is  pierced  by  a  single 
canal,  which  about  an  inch  and  a  half  higher,  ap- 
pears divided  into  eight  or  ten  :  this  number  is 
not  materially  encreased  at  the  top,  where  the 
canals  are  scattered  over  the  surface,  and  not 
crowded  together  as  in  the  last  species 
nexed  figure,  {Jiff.  6.) 
which  is  of  the  natural 
size,  shows  the  appear- 
ance of  the  summit :  it 
will  be  seen,  that  the 
highesfpart  is'of  a  lessf 
size  than  the  rest  of  the 

fossil,  and  forms  assort  of  crown.  The  specimen 
figured  is  considerably  compressed,  so  that  in  the 
sketch  it  appears  broader  in  proportion  to  its  length 
than  it  would  haveMone  had  it  been  of  its  natural 
form. 

I    This  species  is  rare :  besides  the  specimen  from 
which  the  above  description  was  taken,   I  have 
only  met  with  two  or  three  fragments. 


Spongia. 

1.  Sp.  catablastes. — Inversely  conical,  with  a  considerable  depression  at 
the  crown  :  from  ten  to  fifteen  arms  projecting  downwards  from  the 
lower  part  of  the  body.    Fig.  7. 

Of  this  beautiful  fossil, 
(fig.  7.),  only  one  specimen 
has  hitherto  been  discover- 
ed: but  as  the  characters 
are  very  well  marked,  it  will 
not,  I  hope,  be  thought  pre- 
mature, to  consider  it  a  new 
species.  Nothing  can  be 
said  respecting  the  length 
of  the  stem,  as  it  had  unfor- 
tunately been  lost  when  the 
specimen  was  taken  from 
the  face  of  the  cliff:  the 
whole  body  is  covered  with 
irregular  depressions,  which 
on  the  superior  surface,  and 
in  the  neighburhood  of  the 
side  arms,  take  a  flexuous 


14 


NOTICE  OF  UNDESCRIBED  ZOOPHYTES 


appearance  :  neither  the  stem,  nor  the  side  arms  appear  to 
have  had  any  central  perforation.  The  original  is  nearly  six 
inches  in  length. 

2.  Sp.fastigiata. — The  lower  part  funnel-shaped,  inflated ;    the  upper 
part  a  cone,  rising  from  a  slight  depression.     Fig.  8. 

This  fossil  is  not  by  any  means  common  ; 
I  have  only  seen  two  specimens,  of  which 
the  most  perfect  is  represented  in  the 
annexed  sketch,  {fig.  8.)  The  inferior 
part  is  surrounded  by  depressed  undula- 
ted lines,  some  of  which  take  a  diagonal 
direction :  the  terminating  cone  is  small, 
and  not  by  any  means  proportionate  to 
the  inflated  appearance  of  the  lower  part : 
the  central  cavity  appears  to  be  very 
small  indeed. 

The  figure  is  about  one  half  the  natural 
size. 


Sp.  sepiaformis. — Irregularly  funnel-shaped  :  marked  externally  with 
a  few  scattered  elevated  orifices ;  from  eight  to  ten  arms,  rising  up- 
wards from  the  superior  edge  :  one  or  more  additional  branches  arising 
from  the  same  root.    Fig.  9. 

This  beautiful  species  appears  to 
be  extremely  rare:  besides  the 
specimen  represented  by  the  fi- 
gure, {Jig.  9.)  I  have  only  met 
with  two  or  three  fragments, 
which  still  were  sufficient  to  con- 
vince me  that  the  above  charac- 
ters were  not  accidental  :  the 
length  of  the  fossil  from  the  root 
to  the  extremity  of  what  remains 
of  the  longest  arm,  is  about  eight 
inches :  there  is  an  appearance  of 
I      |fc :^M  one   small  side  arm,  thrown  off 

i         ■iffi|ffi  downwards,  but  most   probably 

JfH/'  this  is  not  a  constant  character  : 

the  root  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  very  fibrous. 


FROM  THE  YORKSHIRE  CHALK. 


15 


4.  Sp.  ampulla. — Bladder-shaped,  covered  with  irregular  depressions  ; 
stem  equal  to  the  hody  in  length  ;  fibres  of  the  root  short  and  thick  ; 
central  cavity  cylindrical,  half  the  depth  of  the  body.     Fig.  10. 

^nr^^msi^  This  species  is  not  so  rare  as  the  pre- 

ceding, but  is  seldom  met  with  in  such 
complete  preservation  as  the  specimen 
figured,  {fig.  10.);  the  greater  number 
of  those  which  have  been  found,  are 
compressed  and  distorted.  Two  or 
three  weathered  specimens  in  my  pos- 
session show  very  clearly  that  the  cen- 
tral cavity  is  in  the  shape  of  a  short, 
thick  cylinder,  suddenly  terminating 
about  the  middle  of  the  body:  the 
length  of  the  specimen  is  about  nine 
inches  and  a  half. 


5.  Sp.  spinosa. — Globular,  unattached,  covered  partly  with  oval  notched 
plates,  overlying  each  other,  partly  rough,  covered  with  irregular  de- 
pressions :  armed  with  from  eighteen  to  twenty  spines  :  internal  struc- 
ture fibrous,  radiating  from  a  point  in  the  circumference.  Spines 
varying  much  in  size,  hollow,  covered  with  an  appearance  of  pointed 
scales  overlying  one  another.     Fig.  1 1 . 

This  most  singular  fossil  has  I  believe,  only  been  found  in 
two  localities  ;  one  of  which  is  the  cliff  about  a  hundred 
yards  west  of  the  Danes'  Dyke,  and  the  other  a  quarry  north 
of  Marton,  probably  where  the  same  bed  appears  on  the  sur- 
face. It  is  rare ;  I  only  know  of  five  specimens,  of  which 
one  was  found  by  my  friend  Mr.  W.  H.  Dykes,  and  is  now 
in  the  Museum  of  the  Hull  Literary  and  Philosophical  So- 
ciety. I  have  indeed  heard  of  a  fossil  in  the  collection  of 
Mr.  Bowerbank,  which  from  the  account  given  to  me  by 
Mr.  Charles  worth,  may  probably  be  the  same  species,  but 
I  have  never  been  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  a  sight  of  it. 

The  general  appearance,  when  most  perfect,  is  that  of  a 
small  Cidaris,  with  the  spines  attached  :  when  imperfect,  it 
would  probably  be  taken  for  one  of  the  small  globular  sponges, 


16    UNDESCRIBED  ZOOPHYTES  FROM  THE  YORKSHIRE    CHALK. 

so  common  in  the  chalk  near  Bridlington,  which  may  perhaps 
account  for  its  not  having  been  before  noticed. 
11  12  13 


The  annexed  {Jig.  11.)  will  give  some  idea  of  its  general 
form.  The  specimen  drawn  {Jig.  12.)  is  one  which  was 
found  on  the  scar,  and  having  been  water-worn  and  weathered, 
shows  the  internal  structure;  the  figure,  which  is  a  little 
magnified,  displays  the  fibrous  structure  rather  more  plainly 
than  is  seen  by  the  naked  eye,  but  when  a  lens  is  applied, 
the  radiating  structure  becomes  very  apparent.  The  struc- 
ture of  the  spines  is  very  singular  ;  at  the  base,  they  seem 
composed  of  an  aggregation  of  little  spiculae,  which  after- 
wards are  so  arranged  as  to  give  the  appearance  of  a  series 
of  furrowed,  pointed  scales.  Fig.  13.  represents  the  lower 
part  of  one  of  the  spines  very  higly  magnified. 

The  covering  of  the  body  is  of  a  peculiar  character;  in 
some  places  it  appears  similar  to  that  of  many  other  sponges, 
marked  with  indefinite  depressions  ;  in  others,  there  are  very 
decided  oval  notched  or  jagged  plates,  most  of  which  overlie 
one  another ;  this  arrangement  is  generally  seen  most  dis- 
tinctly in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  spines.  Fig.  14  repre- 
14  ^^^^.      sents  a  portion  of  the  covering  very  highly 

magnified.  From  the  singularity  of  this 
appearance,  the  animal  might  almost  be 
supposed  to  belong  to  a  very  different  class 
from  that  of  the  sponges,  and  the  associa- 
ted genera ;  so  at  least  it  appeared  to  me, 
till,  being  anxious  to  see  more  of  the  in- 
ternal structure,  I  had  the  specimen  cut  through,  just  below 
the  plates  figured  in  the  last  diagram  :  an  irregular  fibrous 
structure  then  became  visible,  similar  to  that  shewn  in  {Jig. 
12.)  with  the  exception  of  the  radiated  appearance  :  this  dif- 
ference however  may  be  accounted  for  by  its  being  a  cross 
section.  Under  these  circumstances,  as  the  spongy  structure 
appears  to  be  constant,  while  the  plated  appearance  is  not 
so,  I  have  placed  it  amongst  the  sponges  till  it  shall  have 
been  examined,  and  its  place  assigned  by  some  more  ex- 
perienced naturalist. 


ON  THE   LAMELLICORNS  OF  OLIVIER. 


17 


Udotea. 

1.  Ud.  cancellata. — Form  simple,  not  lobed,  marked  with  numerous  pa- 
rallel lines,  which  are  crossed  by  others  equally  strong,  as  well  as  by  se- 
veral concentric  undulations. 

The  imperfect  specimen  figured  is  the 
only  one  which  I  have  seen,  so  that  its 
characters  cannot  be  very  correctly  de- 
ifined. 

The  annexed  sketch  (Jig.  15.)  will 
give  a  general  idea  of  its  appearance, 
though  it  does  not  mark  the  undulations 
so  well  as  could  be  wished ;  it  is  drawn 
of  the  natural  size. 
It  was  found  in  the  same  locality  as  the  other  specimens. 

Hull,  Nov.  15*/*,  1838. 


Art.  III. — Observations  on  the  Lamellicorns  of  Olivier.     By  The 
Rev.  F.  W.  Hope,  F.R.S.,  F.L.S.,  F,Z.S.,  &c. 


Melolontha.     i  fullo. 

2  alba. 

3  Commersonii 

4  serrata. 

5  vulgaris. 

6  villosa. 

7  occidentalis. 

8  Candida. 

9  alopex. 

10  solstitialis. 

11  cestiva. 

12  pini 

13  fusca. 

14  oblonga. 

15  cornuta 

16  glauca 

17  lanigera 

18  punctata 

19  lutea 

20  elongata 

21  fervida 

22  refiexa 

23  plebeia 

24  pallida 

25  unicolor 

26  ruficollis 

27  rustica 

28  atriplicis 

29  signata 

Vol.  III.— No.  25.  n.  s. 


England. 

Siberia. 

Madagascar. 

C.  of  Good  Hope 

England. 

Germany. 

South  of  France. 

East  Indies. 

C.  of  Good  Hope 

France. 

Paris. 

Provence. 

Italy. 

Paris. 

Calabria. 

Brazils. 

North  America. 

Virginia. 

North  America. 

Pennsylvania. 

North  America. 

Senegal. 

Senegal. 

C.  of  Good  Hope 

Senegal. 

Coromandel. 

Guadaloupe. 

Barbary. 

Jamaica. 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  AUTHORS 

Melolontha,  Fabricius, 
Lepidiota,  Kirby. 

Holotrichia,  Kirby. 
Melolontha,  Fabricius. 
Anoxia,  Laporte. 

Lepidiota,  Kirby. 
Cephalotrichia,  Kirby. 
Rhisotrogus,  Latreille, 

Microdonta,  Kirby. 
Rhisotrogus,  Latreille, 
Anomala,  Megerle, 
Pachypus,  Latreille. 
Pelidnota,  MacLeay. 
Areoda,  Leach. 
Pelidnota,  MacLeay, 
? 

Genus  novum 
Holotrichia,  Kirby. 

Anomala,  Megerle. 


Anomala  ? 
Unknown. 
Hoplopus,  Laporte. 
Cyclocephala,  Latreille 


18 


OBSERVATIONS    ON 


GENUS.  SPECIES.  COUNTRY. 

MELOLONTHA.   30  immaculata  Guadaloupe 

31  viridis  China 

32  Leii  East  Indies 

33  bicolor  Java 

34  suturalis  New  Holland 

35  dubia  Cayenne 

36  angulata  Brazils  ? 

37  bimaculata  China 

38  doreyi  St.  Domingo 

39  vitis  England 

40  Frischii  Holland 

41  femoralis  East  Indies 

42  ccerulea  C.  Good  Hope 

43  ceerulocephala  East  Indies  ? 

44  bipunctata  C.  Good  Hope 

45  maura  Barbary 

46  glacialis  Terre  de  Feu 

47  testacea  Ditto 

48  striata  Ditto 

49  globator  C.  Good  Hope 

50  rauca  Coromandel 

51  erythrocephala  East  Indies  ? 

52  melanocephala  Cayenne 

53  obscura  Equin.  Africa 

54  rufa  C.  Good  Hope 

55  brunnea  England 

56  ferruginea  East  Indies 

57  pubescent  Coromandel 

58  errans  North  America 

59  innuba  South  America 

60  nitidula  Cayenne 

61  picea  C.  Good  Hope 

62  f estiva  New  Zealand 

63  lata  Ditto 

64  aulica  Equin.  Africa 

65  splendida  C.  Good  Hope 

66  tineata  Sierra  Leone 

67  gibba  C.  Good  Hope 

68  versicolor  Sierra  Leone 

69  mutabilis  Tranquebar 

70  variabilis  North  America 

71  ruricola  England 

72  humeralis  Paris 

73  Zebra  C.  Good  Hope 

74  vittatus  East  Indies 

75  ( vulpes,  mas  Siberia 
76{hirta,  fcem.  Caucasus 

77  crinita  C.  Good  Hope 

78  cinerea  Ditto 

79  ursus  Ditto 

80  lynx  Ditto 

81  proboscidea  East  Indies 

82  limbata  C.  Good  Hope 

83  praticola  Siberia 
#4  agricola  Germany 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  AUTHORS. 

Cyclocephala,    Latreille. 
Euchlora,  MacLeay. 
Mimela,  Kirby. 
Euchlora,  MacLeay. 
Stethaspis,  Hope. 
Chalepus,  MacLeay. 
Bolax,  Fischer  ? 
Adoretus,  Escholtz. 
Rutela,  Latreille. 
Anomala,  Megerle. 

Adoretus,  Escholtz. 
?Popillia,  Leach. 


Glaphyrus,  Latreille. 
Macrosoma,  Hope. 


Genus  novum. 
Apogonia,  Kirby. 

Cyclocephala,  Laporte. 
Adoretus,  Escholtz. 
Genus  novum. 
Serica,  MacLeay. 
Apogonia,  Kirby. 

Anomala,  Megerle. 

Bolax  ?  Fischer. 
Trochala,  Laporte. 
Calonota,  Hope. 


Genus  novum. 
Serica,  MacLeay. 
Trochala,  Laporte. 


Serica,  MacLeay. 


Stripsipher,  G.  P. 
Glaphyrus,  Latreille. 
Amphicoma,  Latreille. 

Anisonyx,  Latreille. 


Anisoplia  ? 
Agenius,  Serville. 
Hoplia,  Illiger. 
Anisoplia,  Megerle. 


THE  LAMELLICORNS  OF  OLIVIER. 


19 


GENUS. 


Melolontha. 


SPECIES. 

85  horticola 

86  fruticola 

87  arvicola 

88  regia 
S9farinosa 

90  squamosa 

91  argentea 

92  rupicola 

93  sibirica 

94  pulverulenta 
95fioralis 

96  marginata 

97  subspinosa 

98  atomaria 

99  crassipes 

100  spinipes 

101  podagrica 

102  dentipes 

1 03  gonagra 

104  arthritica 

105  abbreviata 

106  longipes 

107  capicola 

108  monticola 

109  semistriata 

110  varians 

111  castanea 

112  heemorrhoida- 

lis 

113  undata 

114  picipes 

115  cequinoctialis 

116  i</wea 

117  pagana 

1 18  4-punctata 

119  tibialis 

120  alpina 

121  12-punctata 


England 

Germany 

Siberia 

Algiers 

France 

Paris 

England 

C.  Good  Hope 

Siberia 

England 

Provence 

Guadaloupe 

Jamaica 

C.  Good  Hope 

Ditto 

Ditto 

Ditto  ? 

Ditto 

Ditto 

Ditto 

Ditto 

Ditto 

Ditto 

New  Holland 

Surinam 

C.  Good  Hope 

Surinam 

East  Indies  ? 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  AUTHORS. 

Anisoplia,  Megerle. 
Hoplia,  Illiger. 


Lepisia,  Serville. 
Hoplia,  Illiger. 


Hoplia  ? 

Macrodactylus ,Latreille 
Genus  novum. 
Pachynema,  Serville. 
Monochelus,  Illiger. 

Dichelus,  Serville. 

Monochelus,  Illiger. 
Lepitrix,  Serville. 
Dichelus,  Serville. 
Lepitrix,  Serville. 
Liparetra,  Kirby. 
Cyclocephala  ? 
Anomata  ? 
Cyclocephala. 
Mimela  ? 


Surinam  Rutela  ? 

Bengal  ?  Mimela  ? 

Hungary  Rhisotrogus,  Latreille. 

South  America  Bolax  ?  Fischer. 

Geneva  Rhisotrogus,  Latreille. 

Spain  Rhisotrogus  ?  Latreille. 

C.  Good  Hope  Lepitrix  P 

Geneva  Rhisotrogus,  Latreille. 

Siberia  Hoplia,  Illiger. 


Genus  5.  Melolontha. 


Sp.  2.  alba.  This  is  evidently  the  same  insect  as  Scaraba- 
us  Hololeucus  of  Pallas ;  as  the  latter  name  was  previ- 
ously used  by  that  author  it  ought  to  be  retained  I  con- 
sider it  as  belonging  to  Mr.  Kirby 's  genus  Lepidiota.  Le 
Comte  de  Castelneau,  however,  ranges  it  with  true  Melo- 
lontha. 

Sp.  3.  Commersonii.  This  insect  appears  to  be  the  same 
species  which  Fabricius  has  published  under  the  name  of 


20  OBSERVATIONS   ON 

Mel.  rorida,  to  which  he  has  given  Sumatra  as  the  native 
country.     Lepidiota  Commersonii  was  originally  brought 
from  the  Island  of  Madagascar,  by  the  celebrated  botanist 
Commerson.     Possessing  insects  from  both  of  the  above 
localities,  and  particularly  a  specimen  named  by  Fabricius 
as  Mel.  rorida,  I  should  have  doubted  their  being  identical 
had  I  not  carefully  examined  them.     It  may  be  remarked, 
that  Lepidiota,  as  a  genus,  is  common  to  Asia  and  Africa, 
as  well  as  some  of  the  islands  adjacent  to  the  two  continents. 
Sp.  4.  serrata.  Now  an  Holotrichia  of  Kirby.     For  the  ge- 
neric details  refer  to  Hope's  Coleopterist's  Manual,  page 
99.     The  species  seem  from  what  is  known  at  present,  to 
be  peculiar  to  Asia  ;  they  will  no  doubt  eventually  be  found 
in  tropical  Africa. 
Sp.  6.  villosa.  This  species,  according  to  M.  Laporte,  belongs 
to  his  genus  Anoxia.     Vid.  Hist.  Nat.  des  Anim.  (Articul.,) 
par  Laporte  de  Castelnau,  page  132 ;  where  the  details  are 
published.     The  following  species  belong  to  it,  viz. :  Mel. 
orientalis,  Ziegler  ;    Mel.  occidentalism  Jab  ;    and  matuti- 
nalis  and  africana  of  Laporte. 
Sp.  9.  alopex.  Now  a  Cephalotrichia  of  Kirby.     It  is  pro- 
bable that  Mel.brunnipennis  of  Castelneau  belongs  to  this 
genus.     The   Platyonix  of  Dr.  Reich  (since  changed  to 
the  name  of  Sibaris,  by  Laporte,)  seems  closely  allied  to 
Cephalotrichia,  differing  chiefly  in  the  form  of  the  clypeus. 
The  family  name  of  Sparmannia  has  been  suggested  by 
the  above  writer  to  be  given  to  these  Melolonthida. 
Sp.  10.  solstilialis.  Latreille  gave  this  species  as  the  type  of 
his  genus  Rhisotrogus ;  the  term  Amphimallon,  which  in- 
cluded under  it  all  the  species  having  nine  joints  to  the 
antenna,  he  afterwards  re-united  to  Rhisotrogus.     Laporte 
however,  still  retains  Amphimallon,  and  singularly  enough 
considers  solstitialis  one  of  the  species ;    while  he  gives 
Mel.  albus,  Jab.,  and  cestivus,  Olivier,  as  examples  of  Rhi- 
sotrogus.    Such  changing  of  types  creates  great  confusion, 
and   never  should  be  attempted.      The  Latreillian  name 
ought  to  be  adopted,  as  originally  used. 
Sp.  12.  pint.  Now  a  Microdonta  of  Kirby ;  Vid.  details  in 
Hope's  Coleopterist's  Manual,  part  1.,  p.  105.      Various 
European  species  belong  to  it. 
Sp.  14.  oblonga.  In  the  Manual  I  was  induced,  on  reference 
to   Illiger's   Magazine,   to   consider  the  Fabrician  insect 
named  oblonga,  as  an  Anomala.     Olivier's  oblonga  appears 
to   be   more   allied    to   Rhisotrogus.      The   reference   to 
Schrank's  Enum.  Insect.  Austrice,  No.  27,  and  to  Scopoli's 
Entom.  Carniol,  No.  19,  lead  to  that  conclusion 


THE  LAMELLICORNS  OF  OLIVIER.  21 

Sp.  15.  cornuta.  Latreille  makes  this  insect  the  type  of  his 
genus  Pacyphus ;  Geotrupes  excavatus,  Jab.,  is  the  same 
insect.  The  Baron  Dejean,  in  his  catalogue,  gives  it  the 
name  of  Calodera,  I  retain  however,  the  Latreillian  term, 
being  averse  to  changing  names  without  there  is  an  abso- 
lute necessity  for  so  doing. 

Sp.  16.  glauca.  This  is  now  a  Pelidnota,  and  is  the  Scar a- 
bmus  <eruginosus  of  the  "  Systema"  of  Linnaeus.  The  lat- 
ter specific  name  should  therefore  be  used  instead  of  the 
former. 

Sp.  19.  lutea.  This  insect  is  probably  a  Pelidnota.  No  lo- 
cality is  mentioned  by  Olivier. 

Sp.  20.  elongata.  Evidently  the  type  of  a  new  genus ;  appa- 
rently this  would  be  a  Philochlmnea  of  De  Jean.  As  that 
genus  is  not,  I  believe,  yet  published,  I  do  not  adopt  the 
name,  but  leave  it  for  a  future  describer. 

Sp.  23.  plebeia.  This  insect  according  to  the  French  cabinets 
is  an  Anomala,  and  I  think  most  probably  is  the  same  spe- 
cies as  Anom.  scutellaris  of  De  Jean. 

Sp.  27.  rustica.  It  is  impossible  to  say  to  what  genus  this 
species  is  allied  from  the  figure.  I  am  inclined  to  doubt 
the  locality  of  Guadaloupe. 

Sp.  31.  viridis.  Now  an  Euchlora  of  MacLeay  :  the  species 
are  more  numerous  than  in  the  allied  genus  Mimela.  Oli- 
vier gives  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  as  its  locality ;  it  is  an 
East  Indian  species. 

Sp.  32.  Leii.  A  Mimela  of  Kirby.  For  an  account  of  the 
species  see  my  monograph  in  the  first  volume  of  the  *  En- 
tomological Transactions,'  p.  116.  No  locality  is  given  by 
Olivier :  all  the  known  species  are  peculiar  to  the  East  In- 
dies. 

Sp.  33.  bicolor.  Olivier  gives  this  insect  as  from  the  Cape, 
which  is  erroneous,  as  all  the  true  Euchlorce  belong  to  Java 
and  the  East  Indian  continent. 

Sp.  34.  suturalis.  This  insect  I  make  the  type  of  the  genus 
Stethaspis ;  it  is  probably  the  Xylonichus  of  the  French 
cabinets. 

Sp.  35.  dubia.  Now  a  Chalepus  of  MacLeay :  the  same  in- 
sect is  named  geminatus  by  Fabricius. 

Sp.  36.  angulata.  No  locality  is  given  for  this  species  by 
Olivier.  It  is  evidently  a  Bolax  of  Comte  Fischer  de 
Waldeim,  (vide  '  Moscow  Transactions '  in  loco),  and  most 
likely  therefore  inhabits  Brazil. 

Sp.  37.  bimaculata.  This  insect  was  sent  to  me  by  Dr.  Es- 
choltz.  The  name  of  Trigonostoma  has  been  given  to  it 
by  the  Baron  Dejean;  as  that  term  is  only  found  in  the 


22  OBSERVATIONS  ON 

catalogues,  without  any  published  characters,  I  abandon  it 
and  adopt  Escholtz'  manuscript  name  of  Adoretus,  as  the 
characters  are  detailed  by  M.  Laporte  in  the  '  Suite  de  Buf- 
fon  (Articules),  vol.  ii.  p.  142. 

Sp.  41.  femoralis.  An  Adoretus  of  Escholtz,  and  the  type 
of  the  genus,  (according  to  a  manuscript  letter  which  I  re- 
ceived from  the  author  previous  to  his  death),  is  Melolon- 
tha  compressa  of  Weber.  The  species  allied  to  it  are  chiefly 
from  tropical  Africa,  Asia,  and  the  Polynesian  Isles.  It  has 
been  reported  in  England  and  France  that  Dr.  Escholtz 
died  of  cholera ;  this  is  erroneous,  as  he  died  of  a  bilious 
fever. 

Sp.  42.  ccerulea.  I  consider  this  insect  as  a  Popillia ;  it  oc- 
curs in  the  East  Indies,  and  not  in  Africa. 

Sp.  43.  caruleocephala.  Now  a  Popillia.  In  form  it  ap- 
proaches the  African  more  than  the  Asiatic  species,  its  lo- 
cality is  probably  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  reader  is 
referred  to  Mr.  Newman's  monograph  on  this  genus. l 

Sp.  44.  bipunctata.  The  type  of  the  genus  Popillia,  Leach. 
No  locality  is  mentioned  by  Olivier ;  it  is  from  the  Cape. 

Sp.  45.  maura.  This  insect  is  the  same  as  Melolontha  car- 
dui,  Fab.,  and  is  the  type  of  Latreille's  genus  Glaphyrus. 

Sp.  49.  globator.  This  insect  appears  to  afford  sufficient 
characters  for  constituting  a  sub -genus :  it  is  probably  a 
Schizonycha  of  Dejean ;  as,  however,  the  Baron  has  not 
published  its  generic  details,  I  cannot  adopt  it.  The  form 
is  not  confined  to  Africa  or  Asia,  it  occurs  alike  in  the  old 
and  new  world. 

Sp.  51.  rauca.  An  Apogonia  of  Kirby.  M.  Laporte  men- 
tions two  species  from  Africa,  namely,  Ap.  africana  and 
pusilla,  from  Senegal. 

Sp.  54.  rufa.  I  have  not  seen  this  insect  in  any  collection 
but  the  Banksian :  from  the  description  and  general  ap- 
pearance it  cannot  be  ranged  with  any  modern  genus. 

Sp.  58.  errans.  No  locality  is  mentioned  by  Olivier:  I  have 
received  it  from  M.  Leconte,  of  the  United  States. 

Sp.  59.  innuba.  This  insect  I  have  received  from  Rio  Ja- 
neiro :  its  country  is  not  mentioned  in  Olivier. 

Sp.  60.  nitidula.  Entomologists  must  be  careful  not  to  con- 
found Mel.  nitidula,  Fabr.,  (which  is  probably  an  Aniso- 
plia),  with  Mel.  nitidula  of  Olivier.  The  latter  insect  is 
probably  a  Bolax  of  Fischer. 

Sp.  64.  aulica.     Olivier  has  properly  changed  the  annexed 

1  The  Monograph  is  unpublished;  a  synopsis  of  the  new  species  is  given 
in  the  *  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.'  vol.  ii.  n.  s.  p.  336.— Ed. 


THE  LAMELLICORNS  OF  OLIVIER.  23 

name  in  his  work  to  aulica,  which  Fabricius  in  his  l  Sys- 
tema  Eleut.'  had  converted  into  aulicola. 

Sp.  67.  gibba.  Now  a  Trochala  of  Laporte.  Vide  three  new 
species  of  this  genus  described  in  the  '  Suite  de  Buffon, 
Hist.  Nat.  (Articules),  par  Laporte  de  Castelneau,  p.  149, 
vol.  ii. 

Sp.  68.  versicolor.  In  my  'Manual'  I  have  given  this  species 
as  a  Serica,  ML.;  it  may  however  belong  to  the  genus  Tro- 
chalas,  Laporte. 

Sp.  69.  variabilis.  The  localities  of  North  America  and  Ger- 
many are  given  to  this  insect :  probably  more  than  one 
species  is  included  under  the  name. 

Sp.  73.  Zebra.  This  insect  is  the  type  of  Strepsipher,  G.  P. 
No  locality  is  mentioned  by  Fabricius ;  Olivier  mentions 
South  America  as  its  country,  which  is  erroneous  :  I  have 
frequently  received  it  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Ceto- 
nia  vittata,  Fabr.,  is  the  Mel.  Zebra  of  Olivier. 

Sp.  74.  vittata.  Now  a  Glaphyrus  of  Latreille.  I  have  late- 
ly received  it  from  Persia. 

Sp.  75  &  76.  These  insects  are  the  different  sexes  of  the 
same  species ;  the  former  is  the  male  and  the  latter  the  fe- 
male of  Amphicoma  vulpes,  Fabr. 

Sp.  77.  crinita.  According  to  Olivier  Fabricius  cites  (Pallas 
'Ins.  Siber.'  tab.  a,  Jig.  17),  Scarabwus  bombyliformis,  as 
Mel.  crinita ;  the  former  author  thinks  that  the  insect  de- 
scribed by  Pallas  is  distinct. 

Sp.  81 .  proboscidea.  Olivier  states  that  this  species  occurs 
in  Asia  and  Africa ;  I  am  disposed  to  think  it  peculiar  to 
the  East  Indies. 

Sp.  82.  limbata.  No  locality  is  mentioned  in  Olivier,  it  is 
undoubtedly  frOm  the  Cape,  and  the  type  of  the  genus  Age- 
nius  of  Serville. 

Sp.  83.  praticola.  Olivier' s  figure  would  lead  one  to  believe 
that  praticola  was  an  Anisoplia,  according  to  Illiger  it  is 
an  Hoplia. 

Sp.  88.  regia.  This  species  was  named  regia  by  Fabricius  ; 
the  Linnaean  name  aulica  should  be  adopted,  as  previously 
used  by  that  author.  It  occurs  in  Spain  and  Barbary,  from 
whence  I  have  received  it. 

Sp.  96.  marginata.  I  am  totally  unacquainted  with  this  in- 
sect. I  give  it  as  an  Hoplia  ;  without  a  doubt  its  loca- 
lity, according  to  Badier,  is  Guadaloupe. 

Sp.  98.  atomaria.  M.  le  Baron  DeJean  in  his  catalogue, 
gives  the  generic  name  of  Gymnoloma  to  this  insect.  As  I 
am  not  aware  of  the  characters  being  published  I  purposely 
refrain  from  adopting  it.  Any  future  entomologist  who 
chooses  to  publish  the  details,  is  entitled  to  name  it.     Ma- 


24  DESCRIPTIONS  OF 

nuscript  names  published  in  catalogues  such  as  Dahl's,  Me- 
gerle's,  and  DeJean's,  &c.  &c.  &c,  cannot  stand. 

Sp.  99.  crass ipes.  In  my  Manual  I  considered  this  insect  as 
a  Monochelas  of  Illiger.  It  appears  to  be  a  Pachynema  of 
Serville,  according  to  M.  Laporte. 

Sp.  101.  Podagricus.  I  am  inclined  to  consider  this  insect 
as  a  Cape  species,  although  the  locality  given  by  Olivier 
and  Fabricius  is  that  of  Coromandel. 

Sp.  103.  gonayra.  In  the  same  Manual  I  gave  the  term  Mo- 
nochelus  to  the  above  species,  with  a  query,  and  as  I  sus- 
pected, it  turns  out  to  be  a  Dichelus  of  Serville. 

Sp.  106.  longipes.  Probably  a  Dichelus  ;  the  locality  is  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

Sp.  108.  monticola.  All  the  species  of  this  genus  are  pecu- 
liar to  the  Continent  of  Australia. 

Sp.  110.  varians.  I  know  not  under  what  modern  genus  I 
can  place  this  species ;  it  has  never  fallen  under  my  in- 
spection.    Can  it  be  a  gigantic  Anomala  ? 

Sp.  112.  hcemorrhoidalis.  No  locality  is  given  by  Olivier. 
From  the  figure  I  am  inclined  to  consider  it  a  Mimela,  and 
consequently  as  inhabiting  the  East  Indies. 

Sp.  114.  picipes.  I  have  added  the  name  of  Mimela  with  a 
doubt ;  the  country  is  not  mentioned. 

Sp.  116.  ignea.     Probably  a  Bolax  of  Dr.  Fischer. 

Sp.  121.  12-punctata.  This  species  is  evidently  the  same  as 
Sc.  aureolus  of  Pallas,  and  is  now  considered  to  be  an  Hop- 
Ha. 

(To  be  continued). 


Art.  IV. — Description  of  two  new  species  of  Beetles,  belonging   to 
the  Family  Cetoniidae  of  MacLeay.     By  Mr.  Adam  White. 

The  two  species  now  to  be  described  belong  to  a  family 
which  comprises  about  600  species,  and  is  peculiarly  tropical, 
not  more  than  seven  species  having  been  registered  as  British 
by  the  most  latitudinarian  entomologist.  By  Linnaeus  and 
old  authors  they  were  included  in  the  genus  Scarabans,  and 
even  after  the  division  of  that  overloaded  group  into  several 
genera,  some  of  the  Cetoniidce  were  placed  along  with  Melo- 
lontha.  Latreille,  MacLeay,  Kirby,  St.  Fargeau,  Serville, 
Gory  and  Percheron,  have  by  their  labours,  rendered  the 
study  of  them  a  work  of  comparative  ease. 

The  genus  Trichius  of  Fabricius,  distinguished  at  once 
from  Cetonia  of  the  same  author  by  many  characters,  among 
others  by  the  mentum  not  covering  the  maxilla,  and  by  the 
epimeron  (Audouin,)  {peice  axillaire  Latr.)  not  being  promi- 


TWO  NEW  SPECIES  OF  BEETLE.  25 

nent  between  the  thorax  and  elytra,  contains  several  remark- 
able forms  ;*  one  of  the  most  singular  of  these  is  a  very  flat 
African  genus  first  characterized  by  Mr.  MacLeay  in  the  ap- 
pendix to  his  celebrated  f  Horae  Entomological,'  part  I.  p.  151, 
and  there  named  Platygenia.  The  only  species  known  at  the 
time  of  the  establishment  of  the  genus  (PI.  zairica,)  seems  to 
be  the  insect  described  shortly  before  at  great  length  by  Af- 
zelius,  in  the  appendix  to  the  third  part  of  Schonherr's '  Syno- 
nymia  Insectorum,'  p.  38,  (Trichius  barbatus,)  an  insect  which 
Mr.  MacLeay  himself,  in  his  memoir  on  the  Cetoniidte  of 
Africa,  says  certainly  belongs  to  the  sub-genus. 

M.  M.  Gory  and  Percheron,in  their  monograph  of  the  family 
Cetoniidce,  have  figured  an  insect,  which,  from  the  emargination 
of  the  clypeus,  and  the  want  of  the  tufts  of  hair  on  the  inside 
of  the  intermediate  and  posterior  pair  of  legs,  may  possibly 
be  the  female  of  the  Platygenia  barbata,  though  it  is  impos- 
sible, from  the  rarity  of  specimens  in  collections,  to  determine 
this  point  by  the  mere  inspection  of  a  figure.  The  figure  in 
Guerin's  'Iconographie,'  (pi.  26,  fig.  6,)  seems  to  be  copied 
from  that  given  in  M.M.  Gory  and  Percheron's  beautiful  work. 
Mr.  Samouelle  found  two  specimens  of  a  new  species  in  a 
collection  brought  from  the  Gambia ;  he  has  named  it  after 
the  distinguished  author  of  the  genus,  whose  works  on  the 
Annulosa  have  done  so  much  to  promote  and  facilitate  the 
study  of  his  favourite  science.  Both  of  these  specimens  are 
in  the  collection  of  the  British  Museum,  and  seem  to  be  fe- 
males, both  wanting  the  strong  spine  at  the  base  of  the  claws. 
16 


Platygenia  MacLeaii,  Samouelle. 

Platygenia  MacLeaii,  Samouelle  MSS.,  {Fig.  16). 

P.  picea,  elytris  subferrugineis,  sutura  subelevata,  tibiis  sublaevibus,  an- 
ticis  externe  distincte  tridentatis.  Long.  lin.  13,  lat.  max.  elytr.  lin.  7. — 
Hob.  Gambia.     Mus.  Brit. 


1  Most  of  them  in  the  larva  state  are  found  in  rotten  wood,  upon  which 
Vol.  III.— No.  25.  n.  s.  c 


26  DESCRIPTIONS  OF 

Head  pitchy  brown  ;  clypeus  in  front  emarginate,  much  and 
coarsely  punctured,  the  spots  decreasing  in  number  in  front 
of  and  between  the  eyes ;  the  vertex  quite  smooth,  side  of 
clypeus  at  base  (canthus)  extended  like  an  arch  over  the  mid- 
dle of  the  eye,  and  fringed  with  ferruginous  hairs. 

Thorax  pitchy  brown,  lateral  margin  not  ciliated ;  the  sides 
are  coarsely  and  much  punctured,  the  dorsal  part  is  very  de- 
licately and  sparingly  punctured. 

Scutellum  distinct,  rounded  at  tip,  and  at  base  impressed 
transversely  close  to  the  slightly  produced  posterior  edge  of 
thorax,  the  impressed  part  in  front  punctured. 

Elytra  subferruginous,  throughout  wider  than  thorax ;  wi- 
dest in  the  middle,  towards  the  suture  slightly  raised ;  each 
elytron  with  eight  impressed  longitudinal  lines  somewhat  ar- 
ranged in  pairs,  none  of  them  reaching  either  the  anterior  or 
posterior  edge ;  the  three  inner  at  base  not  impressed,  formed  of 
an  interrupted  line  of  dots;  the  sides  of  the  lines  are  punctured, 
as  are  the  lateral  margins  of  elytra  and  the  tips,  especially  at 
the  end  of  suture,  which  part  is  also  clothed  with  short  ferru- 
ginous hairs  ;  segment  between  the  second  and  third  pair  of 
legs  without  hairs  in  the  middle.  Apical  segments  of  abdomen 
beneath  with  a  few  short  hairs  on  the  sides. 

Legs  and  under  side  pitchy  brown ;  femora  compressed 
and  punctured.  Tibia,  anterior  dilated  at  tip  and  furnished 
externally  with  three  distinct  teeth,  the  intermediate  the  strong- 
est ;  at  the  tip  internally  there  is  a  strong  tooth  ;  the  surface 
above  is  punctured,  some  of  the  dots  being  arranged  in  lines. 

Tarsi  and  tibia  of  intermediate  and  posterior  pair  of  legs 
with  spinous  short  hairs,  the  posterior  tibia  behind  the  mid- 
dle with  a  tuft  of  flattened  spine-like  hairs  arranged  trans- 
versely and  inserted  on  a  projecting  part. 

Lamarck  in  1801,  in  his  '  Systeme  des  Animaux  sans  Verte- 
bres,'  first  separated  certain  species  of  the  Fabrician  genus 
Cetonia,  characterized  by  having  short  antenna,  terminating 
in  a  trilamellar  knob — no  upper  lip  *  — membranaceous  man- 
dibles— and  a  straight  head,  with  a  projecting  forked  or  bifid 
clypeus  (Syst.  p.  209).  He  named  this  division  Goliathus, 
from  the  gigantic  size  of  the  typical  species,  first  figured  and 
described  by  Drury,  (Illustr.  I.  pi.  xxxi.)  in  1770,  and  in  the 


they  feed ;  in  the  perfect  state  they  generally  subsist  on  the  sap  of  trees,  at 
the  roots  of  which  several  species  are  found.  (Gory  &  Percheron,  'Monog.' 
p.  21  &c.  MacLeay,  *  Illustr.  Annul.  S.  Africa,'  p.  16.  Stephens,  *  Brit. 
Entom.  Mandib.'  iii.  p.  229). 

1  "  Point  de  levre  superieure."    In  the  '  Hist.  Nat.  des  Anim.  sans  Vert, 
i  v.  p.  580,  he  altered  this  erroneous  character  to  **  Labrum  occultatum" 


TWO  NEW  SPECIES  OF  BEETLE.  27 

following  year  named  by  Linnaeus,  Scarabceus  Goliatus. 
(Mantissa  Altera  p.  530).  Lamarck  included  in  his  genus 
six  species,  all  of  which  had  previously  been  described. 
These  are,  Gol.  Africanus,1  Cacicus,7-  Polyphemus,*  bifrons,4 
micans,b  and  marginalise 

Weber,  about  the  same  time  as  Lamarck,  after  his  descrip- 
tion of  the  Cetonia  Ynca,  remarks  (Obs.  Entomol.  p.  67,) 
"  Forte  Ynca,  Goliata,  Cacicus,  Polyphemus,  &c,  novum 
constituunt  genus ;"  and  Fabricius  immediately  after  ex- 
pressed the  same  opinion.      (Syst.  El.  II.  p.  136.) 

Many  other  species  have  been  added  to  this  fine  group  of 
beetles  by  subsequent  authors,  and  the  Cetonia  quadrimacu- 
lata  of  Oliv.,  (tab.  viii.  fig.  73,  p.  30,)  and  Scarabceus  tor- 
quatus  of  Drury,  (111.  pi.  44,  fig.  1.,)  have  been  since  ascer- 
tained to  be  females  of  species  of  the  genus.  The  male  of 
the  last  mentioned  has  been  lately  brought  from  Sierra  Leone 
by  Mr.  Strachan,  and  an  excellent  figure  and  description 
have  been  given  of  it  by  Mr.  Waterhouse,  in  the  last  number 
of  this  Magazine.  The  male  of  the  GoL  quadrimaculatus  is 
in  the  possession  of  Mr.  MacLeay. 

I  shall  now  confine  myself  to  that  section  of  Goliathus 
which  Mr.  MacLeay  has  called  Smithii,  in  his  lately  pub- 
lished elaborate  memoir.7  It  is  characterized  by  the  gene- 
rally metallic  colour  of  the  species  composing  it,  which  have 
"  the  elytra  wider  at  the  base,  the  body  very  depressed,  the 
thorax  nearly  truncated  behind,  or  at  least  only  slightly  emar- 
ginate  to  receive  the  scutellum.  The  males  have  almost  al- 
ways the  anterior  tibice  denticulated  on  the  inside."  (Mac- 
Leay.) 

In  one  division  the  males  have  the  anterior  tibice  externally 

1  Afterwards  changed  to  Gol.  giganteus  in  the  'Hist.  Nat.  des  Anim.  sansr 
Vert.'  iv.  p.  580.  Fabricius,  Olivier,  and  Latreille,  as  well  as  Lamarck,  re- 
garded the  insect  figured  by  Drury  in  1782,  ('  Illust.'  iii.  pl.xl.)  and  named 
in  his  index  Scar  abacus  Goliatus,  as  a  mere  variety. — Subsequent  authors 
are  of  opinion  that  it  is  distinct ;  and  Mr.  Westwood  has  named  it  Golia- 
thus Drurii  in  his  new  edition  of  Drury's  '  Illustrations.' 

2  Scarabceus  Cacicus  ingens,  Voet,  'Coleopt'  ord.  1,  gen.  1,  p.  34,  No.  151, 
tab.  22,  Jig.  151, — originally  regarded  as  a  native  of  the  New  World,  and 
named  accordingly,  but  since  ascertained  to  be  African. 

3  Scarabceus  Polyphemus,  Fabr.  '  Mantissa,'  i.  7,  53.  Cetonia  Polyphe- 
mus, Oliv.     Mecynorhina  Polyphemus,  Hope,  'Col.  Man.'  p.  119. 

4  Cetonia  bifrons,  Oliv.  'Coleopt.'  6,  pi.  6,  Jig.  117,  p.  82.  Inca  bifrons, 
Lep.  &  Serv.  '  Ency.  Meth.'  x.  p.  381. 

5  Scarabceus  micans,  Drury,  '  Illustr.'  ii.  pi.  xxxii.y^.  3.  Dicronorhina 
micans,  Hope,  'Col.  Man.' 

6  Cetonia  bifida,  Oliv.  p.  43,  pi.  ii.Jig-  9.     Schizorhina,  Kirby,  G.  &  P. 

7  On  the  Cetoniidce  of  S.  Africa,  in  '  Illustr.  of  the  Annulosa  of  S.  Africa,' 
forming  No.  3  of  Dr.  Smith's  African  Zoology. 


28 


DESCRIPTIONS  OF 


tridentate.  In  the  other  the  anterior  tibia  have  no  teeth  ex- 
ternally. To  this  division  the  Rev.  F.  Hope  has  applied  the 
name  Dicronorhina,  (Coleopt.  Man.  p.  119,)  giving  as  the 
type,  the  Scarabaus  micans  of  Drury,  Goliathus  micans  of 
Lamarck.  He  regards  the  "  Cetonia  quadrimaculata,  Oliv. 
which  is  evidently  the  same  as  Gol.  Daphnis  Buquet,  and 
also  Gol.  Grallii  of  the  same  author,"  as  belonging  to 
the  genus.  Mr.  MacLeay,  who  has  the  male  of  the  Cetonia 
quadrimaculata  in  his  collection,  regards  it  as  quite  distinct 
from  the  Daphnis.  He  has  lately  described  a  new  species, 
discovered  near  the  Tropic  of  Capricorn,  by  Dr.  Smith,  after 
whom  he  names  it,  ( Illustr.  Annul.  S.  Africa,  p.  34. 

The  species  about  to  be  described  comes  near  the  Golia- 
thus Grallii  of  Buquet,  (Ann.  de  la  Soc.  Ent.  de  France,  v. 
p.  201,  pi.  5.  B.  fig.  3,)  from  which  however  it  is  evidently 
quite  distinct.  The  shape  of  the  mentum,  the  nearly  equila- 
teral scutellum,  the  depressed  much  produced  clypeus,  and 
the  want  of  a  brush  of  hairs  on  the  last  joint  of  tarsus,  with 
other  characters,  at  once  indicate  that  it  belongs  to  a  section 
distinct  from  the  Goliathus  {Dicronorhina)  micans,  and  for 
which  I  would  suggest  the  name  of  Eudicella.  *  The  Gol. 
(Eu.)  Grallii,  Buquet,  Gol.  (Eu.)  Smithii,  MacL.,  Gol.  (Eu.) 
quadrimaculatus,  seem  to  me  to  belong  to  the  same  group. 


Goliathus  ( Eudicella)  Murgani. 

(b)  Thorax  and  head  viewed  from  the  side,      (c)  Antenna  magnified,      {d)  Part  of  tarsus  of 

anterior  right  leg. 

I  know  only  the  male  of  the  following  species,  which  may 
be  characterized  as  follows : — 


i  Eu  well,  diHEXXa,  a  fork. 


TWO  NEW  SPECIES  OF  BEETLE.  29 

Goliathm  (Eudicella)  Morgani. 

G.  {Eudicella).  Nitide  viridis,  thorace  subaeneo,  pedibus  aeneis. 

Mas  clypei  cornu  medio  valde  elongato,  depresso  porrecto-elevato,  paulo 
recurvo,  piceo-rufo,  supra  (basi  apiceque  exceptis)  lutescente.  Hab.  Sierra 
Leone.     Rev.  D.  F.Morgan.    Mus.  Brit. 

Head  green,  coarsely  punctured  ;  clypeus  very  much  pro- 
duced ;  porrecto-elevated  and  slightly  recurved,  flattened  and 
deeply  forked  at  the  tip,  the  prongs  nearly  straight  and  fur- 
nished on  the  posterior  side  at  the  tip  with  two  blunt,  slight 
tubercular  elevations  ;  on  one  of  the  prongs  in  the  specimen 
described  there  is  a  more  distinct  internal  tooth.  The  basal  part 
of  pedicel  ferruginous  brown,  the  fork  above  pale  yellowish 
brown,  beneath  reddish  brown,  the  tips  with  the  small  teeth, 
black;  base  of  clypeus  with  two  excavations,  the  sides  of  which 
are  produced  in  front  into  a  somewhat  acute  brown  tooth,  di- 
rected forwards  and  upwards. 

Antenna  dark  brown,  situated  close  in  front  of  the  eye, 
basal  joint  sub-globular,  largest,  distinctly  dotted,  third,  fourth 
and  fifth  with  irregular,  rather  deeply  impressed  dots  on  the 
basal  parts  ;  inner  joint  of  knob,  hairy  on  the  outside. 

Trophi  brown,  the  apical  lobe  of  maxilla  with  ferruginous 
hairs.  Mentum  bright  green,  dotted,  at  base  apparently 
rounded  and  rather  deeply  excavated,  in  front  notched,  densely 
hairy,  having  the  sides  towards  the  front  sinuated. 

Thorax  above  and  below  of  a  bright  shining  green  with 
coppery  reflections,  broad  behind,  in  front  narrowed  and  dis- 
tinctly sinuated  for  reception  of  head;  the  front  and  sides  dis- 
tinctly margined  ;  posteriorly  at  insertion  of  scutellum  there 
is  a  slight  somewhat  sinuated  lobe,  with  a  short  transverse 
impressed  line  in  front  of  the  angles.  The  surface  above  is 
most  delicately  punctured,  the  puncturing  most  distinct  in 
front,  the  raised  lateral  edges  being  free  from  dots.  Scutellum 
almost  equilateral,  bright  green. 

Elytra  of  the  same  shining  green  as  thorax,  but  with  little 
if  any  metallic  reflection  ;  the  shoulders  have  a  few  irregular 
ferruginous  marks ;  the  surface  most  delicately  punctured, 
and  having  about  twelve  longitudinal  lines  of  impressed  dots, 
the  line  on  each  side  of  suture  being  the  most  distinct ;  the 
sutural  part  of  elytra  at  base  depressed,  the  sides  of  suture 
towards  the  middle  raised,  and  at  the  tip  poduced  beyond 
the  plane  of  the  elytra,  lateral  margin  of  elytra  raised  ;  brown 
with  ferruginous  hairs. 

Body  beneath  green  with  coppery  reflections,  the  margins 
of  the  segments,  as  well  as  an  abbreviated  line  on  the  pro- 
ducedbasal  segment  of  abdomen,  ferruginous.  Apical  segment 
green. 


30  REMARKS  ON  THE  GREAT  EGRET. 

Legs  green,  and  in  some  parts  curiously  lineated  with  red. 
Tibia  internally,  as  well  as  the  terminating  spines  and  all 
the  joints  of  tarsi  pitchy  brown;  femora  of  anterior  pair  densely 
clothed  in  front  with  ferruginous  hairs,  before  insertion  with 
tibia  ferruginous ;  anterior  tibia  with  from  eight  to  ten  teeth 
on  the  inner  side,  the  two  terminal  the  largest.  The  tibia  with 
regard  to  dentation  not  symmetrical.  In  all  the  tarsi  there 
is  a  rather  strong  spine  between  the  claws,  but  no  brush  of 
hairs  on  the  terminal  joint. 

The  Rev.  D.  F.  Morgan  has  made  two  valuable  collections 
of  Insects  during  his  residence  at  Sierra  Leone,  both  of  which 
he  has  most  liberally  presented  to  the  British  Museum. — 
The  above  described  species  is  named  after  him. 


Art.  V. — Upon  the  claims  of  the  Ardea  alba — Great  Egret,  or 
White  Hearn,  to  be  considered  a  British  bird.  By  Arthur 
Strickland,  Esq. 

Doubts  have  by  late  authors  been  thrown  upon  the  propriety 
of  continuing  this  species  in  our  catalogue  of  additional  vi- 
sitors to  this  country.  Mr.  Jenyns,  in  his  valuable  work  on 
the  British  Vertebrata,  has  stated,  "  there  is  no  well  authen- 
ticated instance  of  its  having  been  met  with  in  this  country 
of  late  years,  or  any  British  specimen  in  existence."  Mr. 
Gould  in  his  beautifully  illustrated  work  on  European  birds, 
just  completed,  has  reiterated  these  sentiments.  I  am  happy 
however,  to  be  able  most  satisfactorily  to  refute  these  state- 
ments, and  to  remove  all  doubts  as  to  the  propriety  of  retain- 
ing this  fine  species  in  our  list  of  British  Birds,  as  an  occa- 
sional visitor  ;  indeed  upon  much  better  authority  than  many 
we  do  not  hesitate  to  retain  as  such. 

Twelve  or  thirteen  years  ago,  (but  the  exact  date  of  which 
I  cannot  now  satisfactorily  determine)  a  beautiful  specimen 
of  this  bird  appeared  at  and  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Horn- 
seamere,  in  the  East  Riding  of  York.  It  had  remained  about 
there  some  weeks,  and  several  attempts  had  been  made  to 
procure  it  by  different  members  of  the  family  of  the  proprie- 
tor of  that  fine  piece  of  water,  when  it  was  accidentally  seen 
by  a  friend  of  mine  one  morning,  in  his  way  to  meet  the 
hounds,  who  took  some  more  successful  mode  of  procuring 
it,  and  had  it  sent  to  him  a  few  days  afterwards  in  beautiful 
condition.  It  was  well  preserved  by  Mr.  Dunn,  who  still 
lives  at  Hull,  and  remained  some  years  in  the  possession  of 
the  gentleman  above  alluded  to,  when  it  was  kindly  added  to 


BEMARKS  ON  THE  GREAT  EGRET.  31 

my  collection,  where  it  is  at  this  time  in  perfect  preservation. 

This  bird  being  killed  in  winter,  is  without  the  scapular 
plumes,  and  in  that  state  which  was  formerly  called  the  great 
white  heron.  But  much  more  recently  another  specimen,  in 
all  the  beauty  of  summer  plumage,  has  been  killed,  not  many 
miles  from  the  place  that  produced  the  above  mentioned  spe- 
cimen. Three  years  ago  this  bird  was  seen  by  a  labourer, 
in  the  fields  of  James  Hall,  Esq.,  of  Scorbro,1  near  Beverley, 
in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  what  used  formerly  be  a 
decoy,  but  which  modern  draining  or  cultivation  has  rendered 
useless.  The  person  who  saw  it  procured  a  gun  and  killed 
it  while  sitting  upon  the  top  of  a  gate.  This  specimen  has 
been  beautifully  preserved  by  Mr.  Read  of  Doncaster,  and  is 
now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Hall,  who  duly  appreciates  its 
value. 

We  have  thus  two  instances  of  this  bird  being  recently 
killed  in  this  country,  all  the  circumstances  of  which  may 
still  be  satisfactorily  traced,  and  both  of  which  specimens  are 
in  perfect  preservation  at  this  time.  But  these  are  not  the 
only  facts  that  can  be  deduced  for  warranting  our  continuing 
this  bird  in  our  catalogue.  In  the  beautiful  collection  of 
British  birds  belonging  to  Mr.  Folgambe,  of  Asberton,  there 
is  a  specimen  of  this  bird,  with  a  label  attached  to  the  case, 
stating  it  was  killed  in  the  neighbourhood  of  that  place  ;  — 
as  the  country  not  far  from  Asberton  is  very  likely  to  attract 
such  a  bird,  and  as  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  that  label  was 
placed  there  by  the  late  proprietor  and  former  of  that  collec- 
tion, whose  accuracy  cannot  be  disputed,  there  is  no  reason 
to  doubt  but  that  this  is  another  well  authenticated  instance 
of  its  having  been  killed  in  this  country,  and  in  which  the 
specimen  itself  is  still  in  existence. 

Another  example  has  been  mentioned  to  me,  but  which  I 
am  sorry  to  say  I  cannot  enumerate  amongst  the  well  authen- 
ticated instances ;  indeed  so  little  reliance  is  to  be  placed  in 
these  matters  upon  the  statements  of  those  who  do  not  accu- 
rately know  the  facts,  or  do  not  carefully  discriminate  species, 
that  I  should  not  have  mentioned  it  were  it  not  in  the  hopes 
of  drawing  the  attention  of  some  one  who  may  have  an  op- 
portunity of  investigating  the  account  and  removing  our 
doubt  upon  the  subject.  The  statement  is,  that  a  bird  of  this 
species  was  a  few  years  ago  seen,  and  after  much  trouble 
procured,  in  the  south  east  part  of  Lincolnshire  ;  a  country 
I  may  observe,  very  productive  of  the  wading  and  water  birds 
— this  specimen  was  stated  to  have  been  preserved  and  pre- 

1  Not  Scarborough,  which  is  forty  miles  from  this  place. 


32  ON  THE  SYNONYMY  OF  THE  PERLITES. 

sented  to  one  of  the  collections  in  that  county,  but  in  which 
town  I  could  not  learn. 

As  my  only  object  at  present  is  to  rescue  this  interesting 
bird  from  being  unjustly  excluded  from  our  catalogue  of  vi- 
sitors to  this  country,  I  will  not  enlarge  upon  other  matters 
connected  with  it,  but  only  observe  that  an  attentive  exami- 
nation of  the  specimens  above  referred  to,  will,  I  have  no 
doubt  convince  any  one  of  the  propriety  of  separating  this 
European  species  from  the  Ardea  garetta,  the  great  Egrett 
or  large  white  heron  of  America,  a  bird  which  has  in  many 
instances  been  placed  in  our  collection  to  represent  this  bird ; 
but  which  is,  I  have  no  doubt  a  distinct  species. 

Burlington  Quay,  Dec.  10th  1838. 


Art.  VI. — On  the  Synonymy  of  the  Perlites,  together  with  brief 
Characters  of  the  old,  and  of  a  few  new  Species.  By  Edward 
Newman,  Esq.,  F.L.S. 

Class— JYEUROPTER A.     Natural  Order— PERU TES. 
Family  PERLIDffi. 

The  family  Perlidai  I  now  use  in  a  restricted  sense,  includ- 
ing only  those  genera  which  are  furnished  with  caudal  setae  : 
Leach  and  Stephens  incorporate  with  them  the  ecaudate  Ne- 
mourae. 

Economy. — Larva  and  pupa  active,  carnivorous,  aquatic  : 
imago  winged,  reposes  by  day  in  the  crevices  of  the  bark  of 
trees,  &c,  flies  by  night. 

Geographical  distribution. — Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  North 
America,  New  Holland,  Van  Dieman's  Land. 

Authorities. — Linneus,Fabricius,Fourcroy,  Latreille,  Geof- 
froy,  Panzer,  Pictet,  Curtis,  Stephens,  Westwood,  Newman. 

Genera. — Eusthenia,  Pteronarcys,  Perla,  Isogenus,  Chlo- 
roperla,  Leptoperla. 

Genus  I. — Eusthenia,  Westwood. 

I  find  this  genus  proposed  in  the  English  translation  of 
Cuvier's  ' Regne  Animal '  by  Griffith  and  others  :  the  follow- 
ing quotation  is  all  that  appears  on  the  subject. — "  Mr.  West- 
wood  has  established  this  genus  on  account  of  the  jaw  being 
horny,  and  very  much  dentated."  As  I  trust  Mr.  Westwood 
will  give  us  a  more  detailed  description  on  some  future  occa- 


ON  THE  SYNONYMY  OF  THE  PERLITES.  33 

sion,  I  shall  at  present  merely  employ  the  name.  Neither  of 
the  species  has  ever  been  described  under  any  other  generic 
appellation. 

Sp.  1.  Eust.  Thalia.  Subnigra;  alae  opaeae,  fuscae,  macula  subrotunda 
pone  medium  albida ;  pedes  nigri,  femora  basi  testacea,  tibiae  prope 
basin  testaceo  annulatae.  (Corp.  long.  .5  unc.  ant.  .5,  set.  caud.  .05, 
alar,  dilat.  1  425  unc.) 

The  apical  portion  of  the  forewings  is  completely  reticulated,  and  the 
costal  cell  interrupted  by  very  numerous  transverse  nervures,  the  hind  wings 
possess  similar  characters ;  the  wings  of  the  female  are  abbreviated  occa- 
sionally (but  not  invariably)  in  the  same  manner  as  those  of  the  male  in  the 
British  species  of  the  restricted  genus  Perla;  the  antenna  have  a  large  ba- 
sal joint,  and  are  somewhat  longer  than  the  body;  the  caudal  setce  are  ex- 
tremely short,  scarcely  equalling  in  length  the  diameter  of  the  abdomen ; 
they  are  curved,  of  uniform  thickness,  and  are  composed  of  few  joints:  in 
colour  this  insect  is  nearly  black,  the  forewings  are  opaque  and  dark  brown, 
with  a  nearly  round  white  spot  situated  rather  beyond  the  centre;  the  hind 
wings  are  brown  without  the  spot;  a  series  of  testaceous  spots  extends  along 
the  costal  margin  of  all  the  wings,  and  round  the  extreme  tips ;  the  legs 
are  nearly  black,  the  basal  portion  of  the  femora,  and  a  ring  round  each  of 
the  tibia  being  bright  testaceous. 

Inhabits  Van  Dieman's  Land.  There  are  four  of  this  spe- 
cies in  the  cabinet  of  the  Rev.  F.  W.  Hope,  to  whom  I  am 
indebted  for  the  loan  of  specimens.  The  extreme  difference 
between  this  and  the  cognate  species,  as  regards  the  caudal 
setae,  would  have  induced  me  to  raise  it  to  the  rank  of  a  ge- 
nus, had  not  Mr.  Westwood,  on  examination,  considered  it  to 
belong  to  his  genus  Eusthenia. 

Sp.  2.  Eust.  spectabilis.     (Corp.  long.  1  unc.  alar,  dilat.  2  unc.) 

„  „  Westwood;    Translation  of  Cuvier's  'Regne 

Animal '  by  Griffith  and  others.   Part  Insects,  vol.  ii.  p.  348,  tab. 
lxxii.  fig,  4. 

Body,  including  the  antenna  and  caudal  setce  of  a  very  dark  brown,  near- 
ly black  ;  the  upper  wings  are  opaque  and  brown,  with  an  elongate  red  spot 
near  the  costal  margin,  and  rather  nearer  the  base  than  the  apex  of  the 
wing,  beyond  and  below  this  is  a  large  blotch  of  dirty  white ;  the  hind  wings 
are  red  at  the  base  and  black  externally. 

Inhabits  Van  Dieman's  Land.  In  the  cabinets  of  the  En- 
tomological Club  (donor  J.  O.  Westwood),  Rev.  F.  W.  Hope 
and  Mr.  Westwood.  The  very  ample  and  reticulated  wings 
of  this  beautiful  insect,  together  with  its  straight  caudal  setce, 
and  general  habit,  lead  us  to  the  giants  of  this  group  compos- 
ing the  genus  Pteronarci/s.  It  is  on  this  account  that  I  have 
placed  the  described  typical  species  subsequently  to  the  new 
and  aberrant  one. 

Vol.  III.— No.  25.  n.  s.  d 


34  Oft  THE  SYNONYMY  OF  THE  TERLITES. 


Genus  II. — Pteronarcys,  Newman. 

The  genus  is  founded  on  the  reticulation  of  the  wings, 
which  is  nearly  as  complicated  as  in  the  genus  Libellula.  It 
was  first  characterised  in  the  'Entomological  Magazine,' 
where  a  detailed  description  is  given.  Neither  of  the  species 
has  ever  been  described  under  any  other  generic  appellation. 

Sp.  1.  Pter.  regalis.    (Corp.  long-.  1  unc.  alar,  dilat.  3.35  unc.) 

„  „       Newman;  'Entomological  Magazine,' vol. v. p.  176. 

The  body  is  dark  brown ;  the  head,  pro-  meso-  and  meta-thorax  are  mark- 
ed by  a  longitudinal  yellow  line  common  to  them  all ;  each  segment  of  the 
abdomen  has  its  posterior  margin  yellow  ;  the  wings  are  hyaline,  but  have 
throughout  a  dingy  tinge  of  brown,  which  tinge  is  darker  along  the  sub- 
costal nervure  of  the  forewings,  and  terminates  in  a  still  darker  spot  beyond 
the  middle.     The  legs  are  brown,  the  knees  concolorous. 

Inhabits  Canada.  A  single  specimen  is  in  the  cabinet  of 
the  British  Museum ;  a  second,  purchased  at  the  sale  of  Mr. 
Lee's  insects,  in  that  of  the  Entomological  Club. 

Sp.  2.  Pter.  biloba.     (Corp.  long.  .9  unc.  alar  dilat.  2.75  unc). 

„  „    Newman;  *  Entomological  Magazine,'  vol.  v.  p.  176. 

The  body  is  dark  brown,  the  head  has  no  yellow  markings,  the  prothorax 
has  various  impressed  lines,  and  also  a  faint  yellow  spot  on  the  anterior  and 
posterior  margins ;  these  are  connected  by  a  still  fainter  line ;  the  mesotho- 
rax  is  shining  and  without  markings,  the  metathorax  is  also  shining,  and 
has  a  longitudinal  yellow  line.  The  abdomen  is  brown,  the  eleventh  seg- 
ment beneath  being  furnished  with  two  flat  obtuse  processes,  which  are  pa- 
rallel with  the  abdomen,  and  point  towards  its  extremity.  The  forewings 
have  three  very  conspicuous  subcostal  brown  spots,  and  the  hind  wings  one. 
The  legs  are  brown  and  the  knees  concolorous. 

Inhabits  North  America.  A  single  specimen  (donor  R. 
Foster)  is  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Entomological  Club. 

Sp.  3.  Pter.  Proteus.     (Corp.  long.  .85  unc.  alar,  dilat.  2.75  unc,) 

.,  „        Newman ;  ■  Entomological  Magazine,'  vol.  v.  p. 

177. 

The  body  is  dark  brown,  the  head,  prothorax  and  metathorax  having  an 
interrupted  longitudinal  yellow  line.  The  abdomen  is  brown,  without  the 
appendages  noticed  in  the  last  species.  The  wings  are  deeply  and  distinct- 
ly variegated  with  brown.     The  legs  are  brown  and  the  knees  yellow. 

Inhabits  North  America.  Three  specimens  (donors  E. 
Doubleday  and  R.  Foster)  are  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Entomo- 
logical Club. 


ON  THE  SYNONYMY  OF  THE  PERLITES.  35 

Genus  III. — Perla,  Geoffroy. 
Phryganea,  Linneus ;  Semblis,  Fabricius,  &c. 

The  wings  are  abbreviated  in  the  male,  in  the  female  they 
are  fully  developed ;  the  longitudinal  nervures  towards  the 
tips  of  the  wings  are  uninterrupted  (or  nearly  so)  by  trans- 
verse nervures. 

*  Species  aberrans. 

Sp.  1.  Perla  abnormis.    (Corp.  long.  .9  unc.  alar,  dilat.  2.5  unc.) 

„  „        Newman,  '  Entomological  Magazine,'  vol.  v.  p. 

177. 

Testaceous  brown,  with  scarcely  any  shade  of  different  colour,  the  eyes 
and  ocelli  alone  being  obviously  darker.  Wings  tinged  with  brown,  the 
upper  portion  of  the  tips  of  both  fore  and  hind  wings  have  various  trans- 
verse nervures,  forming  a  decided  although  small  portion  of  the  wing  com- 
pletely reticulated. 

Inhabits  North  America.  Several  specimens  of  this  insect 
are  in  the  cabinet  of  the  British  Museum,  also  in  that  of  the 
Rev.  F.  W.  Hope ;  and  one,  much  injured  and  discoloured, 
owing  to  which  circumstance  it  was  originally  characterised 
as  "  fuscous, "  in  that  of  the  Entomological  Club,  (donor  R. 
Foster.)  The  aberrant  species  is  here  again  placed  before  the 
normal  ones,  because  it  serves  to  connect  the  latter  with  the 
species  of  Pteronarcys. 

**  Species  normales. 

Sp.  2.  Perla  Lycorias.  Caput  prothorace  manifeste  latius,  testaceum; 
oculis  ocellisque  fuscis:  prothorax  testaceus  linea  longitudinali  nigra, 
alarum  apices  haud  reticulati.  (Corp.  long.  .8  unc.  alar,  dilat.  l.S 
unc.) 

Head  considerably  broader  than  the  prothorax,  and  scarcely  at  all  im- 
mersed therein,  testaceous,  with  the  eyes  and  ocelli  fuscous,  and  in  some 
specimens  the  ocelli  are  enclosed  in  a  somewhat  quadrate  fuscous  spot. — 
The  prothorax  is  testaceous  with  a  black  longitudinal  line.  The  meso-  and 
metathorax  are  shining  and  pale  brown,  scarcely  testaceous.  The  abdomen 
is  brown.  The  nervures  of  the  wings  are  testaceous,  the  tips  of  the  wings 
have  only  the  longitudinal  nervures.     The  legs  are  testaceous. 

Inhabits  Canada.  In  the  cabinets  of  the  British  Museum 
and  the  Rev.  F.  W.  Hope. 

Sp.  3.  Perla  Xanthenes.     (Corp.  long.  .75  unc.  alar,  dilat.  1.75  unc.) 

„  „  Newman, '  Entomological  Magazine,'  vol.  v.  p. 

178. 

Pale  yellow,  the  nervures  of  the  wings,  the  antenna,  and  legs  of  the  same 
colour:  the  eyes  and  ocelli  alone  are  black.  The  prothorax  is  quadrate  but 
much  narrower  posteriorly. 


36  ON  THE  SYNONYMY  OF  THE  PERLITES. 

Inhabits -.     Two   specimens  in  the  cabinet  of  the 

British  Museum. 

Sp.  4.  Perla  bicaudata.     (Corp.  long.  .7  unc.  alarum  dilat.  2  vmc.fem.) 
„      Jlavipes,  Fourcroy ;  '  Entomologia  Parisiensis,'  p.  349. 
„      a  pattes  jaunes,  Geoffroy ;  '  Histoire  abrege  des  Insectes, 
vol,  ii.  p.  231. 

„      Jlavipes,  Latreille;  'Hist.  Nat.  Crust.  &c.'  vol.  xiii.  p.  49. 
„      bipunctata,  Pictet;  'Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles,'  vol. 
xxviii.  p.  55,  tab.  y.fig.  12 — 14. 
„       marginata,  Stephens;  'Illustrations  of  British  Entomology' 
Mand.  vol.  vi.  p.  135. 
Phryganea  bicaudata,  Linneus ;    '  Fauna  Suec.,'  p.  379,  No.  1489. 
„  „  „  'Syst.  Naturae,' vol.  i.  908,  No.  1 

„  maxima,  Scopoli ;  '  Entomologia  Carniolica,'  p.  269. 

Head  fulvous,  with  two  brown  spots  including  the  ocelli,  and  often  pro- 
longed to  the  base  of  the  antenna,  which  are  nearly  black,  with  the  basal 
joint  generally  yellow :  in  front  of  these  spots  is  a  third,  somewhat  triangu- 
lar, and  situated  nearer  to  the  clypeus.  The  prothorax  is  fulvous,  with  the 
margins  and  a  median  longitudinal  line  dark  brown  or  nearly  black,  and  on 
each  side  of  this  median  line  is  a  black  spot  in  the  living  insect,  but  this 
frequently  nearly  disappears  after  death,  and  in  some  specimens  becomes 
quite  obliterated,  and  the  entire  disk  of  the  prothorax  appears  brown.  The 
meso-  and  metathorax  are  bordered  with  yellow :  the  legs  are  yellow,  with 
the  joints  fuscous:  the  wings  are  less  transparent  than  in  the  following 
species,  and  the  abdomen  is  of  a  more  dusky  hue. 

Inhabits  Europe  and  England.  In  the  cabinet  of  the  En- 
tomological Club.  That  Fabricius  and  all  subsequent  authors 
have  entirely  mistaken  the  Phryganea  bicaudata  of  Linneus 
will  be  perfectly  evident  to  any  entomologist  who  will  take 
the  trouble  to  examine  the  Linnean  specimen  now  in  posses- 
sion of  the  Linnean  Society.  As  to  the  real  distinctness  of 
the  following  species  from  the  present,  I  am  unable  to  decide. 
I  had  considerable  doubts  on  the  matter,  against  which  M. 
Pictet's  detailed  characters  of  the  species  in  their  larva  and 
imago  states,  have  so  far  prevailed  as  to  induce  me  to  keep 
them  separate  for  the  present. 

Sp.  5.  Perla  marginata.     (Corp.  long.  .7  unc.  alar,  dilat.  2  unc.) 
„  „  Panzer  ;  '  Fauna.'  \xxi.Jig.  3. 

„  „  Pictet ;  '  Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles,'  vol. 

xxviii.  p.  53,  tab.  5,ff.  1 — 11. 
Semblis  marginata,  Fabricius ;  '  Entomologia  Systematica,'  vol. 
ii.  p*  73,  No.  7. 

Phryganea  bicaudata,} ^Rcemer'  'Genera'' tab'  xxiv'  J*  8' 
„  maxima,  Scopoli ;  '  Entom.  Carniol.'  p.  269. 

The  head  is  yellow,  margined  with  brown.  The  ocelli  are  black,  with  a 
triangular  space  between  them  brown ;  the  antenna  are  entirely  black,  -the 
prothorax  is  brown,  with  a  median  longitudinal  furrow  and  various  irregu- 


ON  THE  SYNONYMY  OF  THE  PERLITES.  37 

lar  yellow  markings,  which  usually  disappear  on  the  death  of  the  insect : 
the  mesothorax  is  brown,  with  a  yellow  margin ;  the  metathorax  is  entirely 
Drown  :  the  legs  are  brown,  the  tibice  rather  paler :  the  wings  are  hyaline, 
slightly  tinged  with  yellow ;  the  abdomen  is  yellowish,  with  dusky  sides. 

Inhabits  Europe  and  England.  In  the  cabinet  of  the  En- 
tomological Club. 

Sp.  6.  Perla  cephalotes.    (Corp.  long.  .65  unc.  alar,  dilat.  1.75  unc.  fern) 
„  „  Curtis;  '  British  Entomology,'  pi.  190. 

„  „  Pictet ;  *  Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles, '  vol. 

xxviii.  p.  56,  tab.  vi.ff.  1 — 3. 
„  „  Stephens ;  '  Illustrations  of  British  Entomology' 

Mand.,  vol.  vi.  p.  136. 

Head  variegated  with  black,  brown,  and  yellow ;  prothorax  brown,  very 
rugose,  traversed  longitudinally  by  a  furrowed  yellow  line.  Meso-  and  me- 
tathorax nearly  black,  each  with  a  brown  or  paler  spot  posteriorly.  Abdo- 
men yellow  throughout  in  the  female,  at  the  extremity  only  in  the  male. 

Inhabits  Europe  and  England.  In  nearly  all  collections  of 
British  insects.  I  see  that  M.  Pictet  complains  of  an  incor- 
rectness in  Mr.  Curtis's  figure,  as  regards  the  neuration  of 
the  wings  in  this  species.  In  this  I  think  he  is  wrong,  the 
nervures  being  so  exceedingly  variable  as  often  to  differ  in 
the  opposite  wings  of  the  same  insect.  I  could  wish  the  con- 
tinental figures  were  always  as  accurate  as  those  in  '  British 
Entomology.1 

Sp.  4.  Perla  Cymodoce.     Nigricans,  vitta  communi  longitudinali  flava 
capitis  prothoracisque.    (Corp.  long.  .65  unc.  alar,  dilat.  1.75  unc.  fern.) 
„       bicaudata  ?  Fourcroy  ;  *  Entomologia  Parisiensis,'  p.  349. 
„       bicaudata,  Stephens ; '  Illustrations  of  British  Entomology,' 
Mand.  vol.  vi.  p.  136. 
Semblis  bicaudata,  Fabricius ;  '  Ent.  Syst.'  vol.  ii.  p.  73,  No.  8. 

Nearly  black,  the  head  and  prothorax  marked  by  a  longitudinal  yellow 
line,  the  prothorax  is  rugose,  and  has  a  median  longitudinal  furrow  in 
which  occurs  the  yellow  line :  the  wings  are  dusky ;  the  abdomen  beneath 
yellowish. 

Inhabits  Europe  and  England.  In  nearly  all  cabinets  of 
British  insects ;  always  labelled  as  the  Perla  bicaudata. 

(To  be  continued.) 


88  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  THE 


REVIEWS. 


Art.  I. — Illustrations  of  the  Zoology  of  South  Africa.  By  An- 
drew Smith,  M.D.  No.  3,  Annulosa ;  by  W.  S.  MacLeay, 
Esq.,  M.A.,  F.L.S.     London :   1838.     4to.,  75  pp.  4  col.  plates. 

As  the  contents  of  the  present  and  preceding  numbers  of  the 
*  Magazine  of  Natural  History1  place  before  our  readers 
some  valuable  additions  to  our  knowledge  of  the  Cetoniida, 
it  appears  to  us  a  desirable  opportunity  for  noticing  the  work 
at  the  head  of  this  article,  or  rather  that  portion  of  it  in  which 
attention  is  so  prominently  directed  to  this  group  of  insects. 
The  plan  of  this  part  is  not  in  accordance  with  that  of  the 
two  which  have  preceded  it,  and  to  which  we  shall  on  a  future 
occasion  advert.  The  Annulosa  have  been  placed  in  the 
hands  of  Mr.  MacLeay,  who  has  here  given  us,  not  a  se- 
ries of  isolated  descriptions,  but  illustrations  of  particular 
groups  worked  out  upon  the  quinarian  principle. 

Acquainted  with  Mr.  MacLeay's  great  opportunities  for 
investigation  whilst  at  the  Havannah,  naturalists  were  anx- 
ious to  learn  whether  his  views,  as  developed  in  the  '  Horae 
Entomological,'  remained  unchanged,  or  whether  the  recent  at- 
tempts which  have  been  made  to  uphold  a  trinarian,  quater- 
nian,  or  septenary  system,  had  materially  altered  them.  That 
Dr.  Smith's  work  should  have  been  chosen  for  the  solution  of 
these  enquiries,  we  cannot  but  regret,  as  it  gives  to  the  work 
the  appearance  of  a  want  of  unity  in  the  plan ;  and  we  fear 
that  there  are  many  readers  who  would  have  preferred  de- 
scriptions and  figures  of  a  greater  number  of  species,  rather 
than  the  endless  and  unsatisfactory  observations  intended  to 
support  the  favorite  views  of  the  author. 

The  number  contains  three  memoirs,  which  we  will  proceed 
shortly  to  notice.  The  first  is  entitled  "  On  the  Cetonia?  of 
South  Africa,"  but  it  is  rather  a  memoir  on  the  quinary  distri- 
bution of  the  Cetoniidce,  with  descriptions  of  the  new  South 
African  species,  twenty-one  in  number.  It  would  lead  us  too 
far  to  analyse  the  introductory  remarks  ;  but  it  is  worthy  of 
notice  that  Mr.  MacLeay  deems  the  following  as  the  uniform 
gradational  series  in  the  Animal  Kingdom;  1,  Sub-kingdom  ; 
2,  Class ;  3,  Order ;  4,  Tribe ;  5,  Stirps  ;  6,  Family :  7,  Ge- 
nus ;  8,  Sub-genus ;  9,  Section ;  10,  Sub-section ;  11,  Species  : 
each  of  these  groups  except  the  last,  being  divisible  into  five 
minor  groups,  and  forming  a  circle.  But  Mr.  MacLeay  him- 
self, in  the  outset,  shows  the  inconvenience  of  supporting  such 
a  series,  by  introducing  another  division  without  a  name,  be- 
tween the  stirps  and  family ;  namely, — "  5,  Stirps,  Petaloce- 


ZOOLOGY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA.  39 

ra,  TJtalerophaga,  6,  Family,  Cetoniidae."  Again,  the  mode 
in  which  the  genera,  sub-genera,  sections,  and  sub-sections 
are  treated,  appears  to  us  sufficient  to  prove  the  necessity  for 
the  adoption  of  some  other  plan  than  that  now  proposed  by 
Mr.  MacLeay.  For  instance,  after  characterising  the  family, 
and  asserting  that  it  contains  more  than  600  species, — having 
previously  remarked  that  with  the  exception  perhaps  of  Cen- 
tral Africa,  the  world  contains  of  Cetoniidce  few  species  un- 
known, at  least  in  comparison  with  those  which  are  known, 
— we  are  favored  with  an  account  of  the  five  genera,  and  of 
the  sub-genera,  sections,  and  sub-sections  known  to  the  writ- 
er. As  there  are  five  sub-genera  in  each  genus,  and  so  on, 
the  family  will,  according  to  Mr.  MacLeay's  views,  naturally 
comprise  25  subgenera,  "  125  sections,  and  625  subsections." 
(p.  51) :  but  although  the  group  is  so  well  marked,  the  insects 
of  such  large  and  conspicuous  size,  and  the  number  so  great 
as  to  lead  to  the  idea  that  the  greater  part  are  known; — Mr. 
MacLeay  has  only  been  able  to  make  out  47  sub-sections  out 
of  the  625,  exclusive  of  the  sections  which  are  not  cut  up  in- 
to sub-sections ;  and  even  of  the  sections,  of  which  there 
ought  to  be  125,  he  has  only  filled  up  40,  exclusive  of  those 
sub-genera  which  are  not  cut  up  into  sections. 

A  plan  is  here  also  adopted  which  appears  to  us  to  set  the 
rules  of  zoological  nomenclature  entirely  at  defiance.  All  ge- 
neric names  are  made  to  terminate  in  inus;  and  thus  we  have 
Trichinus,  Cetoninus,  &c,  instead  of  Trichius,  Cetonia,  &c. 
This  may  or  may  not  be  an  improvement,  according  to  the 
views  of  different  readers ;  but  when  we  find  the  name  of 
Fabricius  tacked  to  Trichinus,  or  that  of  Kirby  to  Gymneti- 
nus,  we  cannot  but  object  to  the  innovation.  The  five  gene- 
ra into  which  Mr.  MacLeay  divides  the  family  are  Trichinus, 
Cetoninus,  Gymnetinus,  Macrominus,  and  Cryptodinus. — 
But  it  is  evident,  on  a  very  slight  examination  of  an  exten- 
sive series  of  these  insects,  that  these  five  groups  are  not 
of  equal  rank ;  for  instance,  Cetoninus  and  Macrominus 
have  characters  much  weaker  than  those  of  Trichinus  or 
Cryptodinus.  Again,  whilst  we  doubt  the  propriety  of  re- 
garding Cryptodus  as  belonging  to  the  family,  we  are  asto- 
nished to  find  it  sunk  into  a  sub-genus,  and  regarded  as  only 
of  equal  rank  with  each  of  the  four  subgenera  of  Cremasto- 
cheilus.  Platygenia  in  like  manner  is  of  far  higher  rank  than 
Osmoderma,  although  regarded  only  as  a  sub-genus  of  Tri- 
chinus; whilst  the  giant  Goliathi  are  sunk  into  a  sub-genus 
of  Cetonia. 

We  may  be  told  that  by  considering  them  in  the  light  in 
which  they  are  exhibited  to  us  by  Mr.  MacLeay,  they  clearly 


40  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  THE 

prove  the  circular  and  quinarian  arrangement ;  but  we  main- 
tain that  nature  is,  in  this  work  of  Mr.  MacLeay,  repeatedly 
violated.  Any  one,  for  instance,  unprejudiced  by  system, 
would  at  once  see  that  Platygenia  is  of  far  higher  rank  than 
Valgus, — that  in  fact  it  is  equal,  in  its  characters,  to  the  four 
united  sub-genera  Osmoderma,  Valgus,  Trichius,  and  Cam- 
pulipus.  Hence  we  consider  that  three  additional  genera  at 
least  ought  to  be  added  to  the  family  as  extended  by  Mr. 
MacLeay,  namely,  Platygenia,  Cryptodus,  and  Goliathus. — 
With  respect  to  the  sections  and  sub-sections  of  the  sub- ge- 
nera we  have  a  similar  remark  to  make.  If  we  take  the  low- 
est of  these  groups,  we  find  for  instance,  two  well-marked 
groups,  Trigonophora  and  Jumnos,  regarded  as  sub-sections. 
Now  the  character  of  these  two  sub-sections  of  sections  of 
sub-genera,  as  they  are  tenned  by  Mr.  MacLeay,  have  been 
given  by  Mr.  Hope,  in  his  recently-published  *  Coleopterists' 
Manual,'  and  are  as  strong  even  as  those  of  the  sub-genera 
themselves  separated  by  Mr.  MacLeay  from  the  genus  Ma- 
crominus.  It  is  not  difficult  to  prove  that  an  equality  of  rank 
is  not  maintained  in  the  sub-genera,  sections,  and  sub-sections 
throughout.  In  the  genus  Cetoninus  the  sub-sections  of  the 
sections  of  the  sub-genus  Cetonia  are  of  very  varied  charac- 
ter ;  for  instance,  the  sub-sections  of  the  section  Typicce  are 
so  closely  allied  that  they  are  only  distinguished  by  colour, 
C.  aurata  andfastuosa  being  types  of  two  of  these  sub-sec- 
tions, between  which  the  relation  is  as  close  as  possible.  In 
the  Trichioidece  we  have  the  sub-sections  characterised  from 
their  geographical  range,  and  thus  the  two  equally  allied  spe- 
cies C.  capensis  and  stictica  are  placed  in  different  sub-sec- 
tions. The  sub-sections  however  of  the  Cremastocheilideous 
and  Polybapheous  sections  of  the  sub-genus  Cetonia  are  cha- 
racterised by  structural  peculiarities,  they  must  therefore  be 
evidently  of  higher  rank  than  those  distinguished  merely  by 
colour. 

Mr.  MacLeay  will  perhaps  assert  that  he  is  correct  in  his 
views,  because  Cetonia  being  the  most  complete  in  the  num- 
ber of  its  species,  he  is  in  that  sub-genus  best  able  to  seize  the 
plan  of  the  natural  system ;  but  this  will  apply  equally  in  con- 
demnation of  the  application  of  his  principles  in  other  groups, 
and  even  in  working  out  this  very  sub-genus  :  thus  if  the  spe- 
cies composing  "  CETONINUS ;  Cetonia,  Typica?  be  so 
close  that  no  better  character  than  colour  can  be  found  to 
separate  them  into  a  required  number  of  sub-sections,  we 
ought  to  consider  that  the  same  proximity  would  also  exist 
in  every  other  group,  if  we  knew  all  its  species  as  fully  as 
those  of  the  Typicce  are  known ;  and  hence,  for  want  of  a 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA.  41 

knowledge  of  all  the  species  existing  in  nature,  groups  hav- 
ing good  structural  characters  equivalent  to  sub-genera,  have 
been  sunk  to  the  level  of  sub-sections  of  sections  of  sub-ge- 
nera. We  are  disposed  to  agree  with  Mr.  MacLeay  in  advoca- 
ting uniformity  in  the  rank  of  the  gradational  series  of  nature ; 
but  we  contend  that  Mr.  MacLeay  has  acted  in  violation  of  his 
own  principles  in  every  page  of  his  work.  As  to  the  disad- 
vantages resulting  from  giving  names  resembling  those  of  ge- 
nera to  so  many  groups  of  sectional  character,  we  have  only 
to  cast  our  eyes  over  the  work  to  be  convinced  of  the  difficulty 
of  following  the  author.  There  is  no  general  synopsis  given  of 
the  sections  and  sub-sections,  (which  we  have  been  compell- 
ed to  construct,  in  order  to  gain  a  clearer  notion  of  the  author's 
meaning),  and  as  we  have  the  specific  name  used  indiscrimi- 
nately in  conjunction  with  its  generic,  sub-generic,  sectional, 
or  sub-sectional  name,  the  confusion  of  ideas  thereby  origi- 
nating is  completely  unavoidable  and  most  perplexing.  Thus 
the  Agenius  Horsfieldii  (p.  14)  is  called  Trichinus  Horsfieldii 
in  the  plate,  and  [Trichinus]  Campulipus  Horsfieldii  in  the 
text :  and  throughout  the  figures  we  have  either  the  generic 
or  sub-generic  name  alone  used.  And  thus  in  speaking  of 
the  Jumnos  Ruckeri  we  may  call  it  Cetoninus  Ruckeri,  Co- 
ryphe  Ruckeri,  Rhomborhina  Ruckeri,  or  Jumnos  Ruckeri, 
its  legitimate  name  being  Cetoninus  Coryphe  Rhomborhina 
Jumnos  Ruckeri.  Surely  this  kind  of  nomenclature  cannot 
be  adopted. 

Of  the  species  we  have  but  little  space  to  remark  further 
that  Mr.  MacLeay  is  not  sufficiently  acquainted  with  what 
has  already  been  done.  This  will  be  evident  when  we  state 
that  four  at  least  out  of  the  six  species  figured  as  novelties 
have  been  previously  described.  Trichius  Horsfieldii  is  Age- 
nia  Jlavipennis,  Gory ;  Cetonia  leonina  is  scarcely  a  variety 
of  Get.  compressa,  Goldfuss  ;  Ischnostoma  pica  is  Cet.  albo- 
marginata,  Herbst :  Macrominus  spinitarsis  is  Cet.  variabi- 
lis, Gory  ;  and  Ischnostoma  spatulipes  is  probably  the  male 
of  Cet.  pimeloides,  Hope :  the  specimen  of  the  last-named 
insect,  which  we  have  under  examination,  thus  labelled  by 
M.  Gory  himself,  (as  indeed  are  the  majority  of  the  Cetonia 
above  mentioned,  which  have  enabled  us  to  give  these  cor- 
rections), having  one  of  the  posterior  calcaria  spatulate,  but 
with  the  clypeus  truncate. 

We  have  given  a  greater  extent  to  our  notice  of  this  me- 
moir, not  only  because  it  occupies  more  than  two-thirds  of 
the  part  before  us,  but  also  because  it  will  render  it  unneces- 
sary to  enter  into  any  farther  notice  of  the  principles  adopted 
by  Mr.  MacLeay  in  the  other  parts  of  his  work. 

Vol.  III.— No.  25.  n.  s.  e 


4*2      ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  SOUTH  AFRICAN  ZOOLOGY. 

The  second  memoir  is  "  On  the  Brachyurous  Decapod 
Crustacea  brought  from  the  Cape  by  Dr.  Smith,"  and  con- 
tains descriptions  of  twenty-three  new  species.  Instead  how- 
ever of  giving  us  a  sketch  of  the  primary  distribution  of  the 
Crustacea,  we  have  the  debateable  question  of  the  metamor- 
phoses of  these  animals  introduced,  apparently  for  the  pur- 
pose of  telling  us  that  Mr.  J.  V.  Thompson  has  merited  well 
of  science  for  his  researches,  "  which  is  more  than  can  be  said 
of  any  of  those  persons  who,  by  crude  inferences,  but  never 
by  direct  observation,  ventured  to  attack  him."  Can  Mr. 
MacLeay  be  ignorant  that  Rathke  has  most  elaborately  traced 
the  developement  of  the  embryo  cray-fish  ? — That  Westwood 
has  dissected  the  ova  of  the  land  crab  of  the  West  Indies  ? — • 
And  that  Rathke  has  recently  asserted  that  "as  to  the 
Decapods,  so  far  as  I  have  examined  their  developement,  I 
must  deny  the  assertion  of  Thompson  :  and  of  them  I  can  say 
nothing  less  than  that  at  the  end  of  their  existence  in  the  egg 
they  have  exactly  the  same  aspect,  and  are  as  fully  develop- 
ed, as  the  full  grown  individuals." — (Annals  Nat.  Hist.  1837). 
If  these  be  not  direct  observations, — or  if  they  merit  the  term 
of  "crude  inferences,"  we  would  ask  what  kind  of  observa- 
tions Mr.  MacLeay  would  require  ? 

Mr.  MacLeay  divides  the  Decapods  into  five  tribes, — Te- 
tragonostoma  and  Trigone-stoma  (forming  the  Brachyura),  and 
Anomura,  M.E.,  Sarobranchia,  and  Caridea,  Latr.,  (forming 
the  Macroura.  Each  of  the  tribes  Tetragonostoma  and  Tri- 
gonostoma  is  divided  into  five  stirpes,  which  are  placed  op- 
posite to  each  other  from  analogy  ;  but  nothing  appears  more 
arbitrary  than  the  adoption  of  their  analogous  characters,  for 
instance,  Pinnotheres  and  Droniia,  or  Cancer  and  Corystes, 
are  as  unlike  as  can  well  be  conceived,  and  yet  they  are  op- 
posed to  each  other.  As  to  the  genera  and  other  subordinate 
divisions,  the  author  constantly  expresses  his  inability  to  de- 
cide upon  them,  from  not  being  acquainted  with  a  sufficient 
number  of  species. 

The  third  memoir  is  "On  a  new  species  of  Cerapterus" 
but  it  contains  a  monograph  of  the  genus,  so  far  as  Mr.  Mac- 
Leay was  acquainted  with  the  species ;  and  also  observations 
on  the  family  (Paussida)  to  which  it  belongs.  To  these  Mr. 
Westwood  has  published  a  reply  in  the  last  number  of  the 
*  Entomological  Magazine,'  in  which  he  has  described  a  fifth 
species,  not  contained  in  Mr.  MacLeay's  monograph. 

We  cannot  conclude  without  alluding  to  the  beautiful  ex- 
ecution of  the  four  plates  with  which  this  part  is  embellished 
from  the  pencil  of  Mr.  C.  Curtis,  although  they  are  destitute 
of  those  structural  details  of  the  parts  of  the  mouth,   which 


FOOTMARKS  IN  STOURTON  QUARRY.  43 

Mr.  MacLeay  has  shown  to  be  so  necessary: — nor  without 
expressing  our  regret  that  the  author  should  have  thought  it 
necessary  to  speak  in  such  harsh  terms  of  so  many  of  his  fel- 
low-labourers. 


SCIENTIFIC  INTELLIGENCE. 

The  determination  of  the  zoological  relations  of  the  fossil  jaws  from 
the  Stonesfield  strata,  and  also  those  of  the  animals  whose  footmarks 
have  been  left  in  rocks  of  still  higher  antiquity,  are  two  subjects  now 
before  the  scientific  world.  As  regards  the  first  of  these,  our  readers 
are  already  in  possession  of  much  interesting  matter  that  has  been  ad- 
vanced by  two  distinguished  continental  naturalists,  who  entertain  very 
opposite  opinions.  With  respect  to  the  sandstone  impressions,  this  sub- 
ject is  so  nearly  related  to  that  of  the  "  supposed  fossil  didelphs,"  that 
we  are  induced  (knowing  the  report  to  be  a  correct  one)  to  quote  the 
following  article  from  the  columns  of  the  '  Liverpool  Mercury, '  of  the 
24th  of  August,  1838.  It  contains  the  substance  of  a  lecture  deliver- 
ed by  Prof.  Grant,  at  the  Liverpool  Mechanics'  Institution ;  and  the 
portions  we  extract  refer  to  the  numerous  footmarks  lately  noticed  in 
Stourton  stone-quarries. 

In  the  oldest  fossiliferous  beds  of  transition  rocks  the  organic 
remains  are  chiefly  of  invertebrated  animals,  with  obscure 
traces  of  fishes  belonging  to  forms  altogether  extinct ;  and  al- 
though in  the  secondary  mountain  limestone,  immediately  be- 
low the  coal,  diversified  forms  of  fishes  abound,  no  trace  of 
reptiles  or  of  warm-blooded  animals  has  yet  been  perceived 
in  rocks  of  that  antiquity.  In  the  new  red  sandstone  before 
us,  however,  the  densest  parts, — the  teeth,  and  distinct  impres- 
sions of  the  feet  of  reptiles,  begin  to  make  their  appearance, 
and  most  colossal  forms  of  the  animals  of  this  class  abound 
through  all  the  lias  formations,  extending  almost  from  this 
sandstone  rock  to  the  oolites.  The  numerous  large  footmarks 
on  this  block  of  sandstone  are  most  quadruped-like  in  their 
forms,  but  as  no  fragment  or  trace  belonging  to  that  elevated 
class  of  animals  has  ever  been  observed  in  formations  below 
the  oolites,  which  oolites  approach  to  the  newest  of  the  se- 
condary rocks,  it  behoves  us  not  only  to  compare  these  im- 
pressions cautiously  with  the  feet  of  different  classes  of  verte- 
brated  animals,  but  also  to  suspend  our  judgment,  if  they  are 
not  capable  of  affording  satisfactory  evidence  regarding  the 
nature  of  the  animal  which  has  left  them.  In  attempting  to 
draw  determinate  conclusions  from  imperfect  relics  of  this 
kind,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  Scheuchzer  described,  as 
the  remains  of  our  species,  as  a  homo  diluvii  testis,  what  is 


44  FOOTMARKS  OF  CHIROTHERIUM 

now  acknowledged  by  every  one  to  be  the  skeleton  of  a  sala- 
mander, and  that  Spallanzani  described  as  the  relics  of  ante- 
diluvian giants,  what  were  afterwards  found  to  be  bones  of 
extinct  elephants.  An  imperfect  relic  from  the  new  red  sand- 
stone of  Burdiehouse,  lately  pronounced  by  an  English  ana- 
tomist to  be  the  tusk  of  a  wolf,  has  been  subsequently  ascer- 
tained to  be  the  tooth  of  a  sauroid  fish,  common  in  that  for- 
mation. Although  no  remnant  of  our  race  was  ever  found 
but  in  alluvial  deposits,  impressions  of  this  kind  found  in  the 
sandstones  of  America  have  been  confidently  referred  to  the 
human  species :  and  impressions  identical  in  every  respect 
with  those  now  before  you,  and  which  were  found  in  the  new 
red  sandstone  of  Germany,  have  been  pronounced,  by  a  dis- 
tinguished naturalist  of  that  country,  to  belong  to  an  animal 
of  the  class  Mammalia,  and  of  the  order  Marsupialla.  The 
free  condition  of  the  supposed  thumb  both  on  the  large  hind 
feet  and  on  the  small  anterior  extremities  in  the  specimen 
before  you,  as  in  those  of  Germany,  might  as  well  entitle  this 
animal  to  a  place  among  the  Quadrumana,  next  to  man,  but 
the  geologists  are  more  attached  to  the  heterogeneous  order 
of  marsupial  quadrupeds,  from  a  belief  that  certain  bones 
found  in  the  oolites  of  Stonesfield,  have  been  determined  to 
belong  to  Mammalia  of  this  order.  Impressions  of  the  feet 
of  tortoises  were  observed  several  years  since  in  quarries  of 
this  new  red  sandstone  in  Dumfriesshire,  and  in  other  locali- 
ties, and  they  abound  in  this  sandstone  from  the  Stourton 
quarry,  along  with  numerous  impressions  of  the  webbed  feet 
of  Emydes,  of  jointed  reeds,  and  of  the  slender  feet  and  claws 
of  lacertine  reptiles.  But,  as  might  be  expected,  these  foot- 
marks of  tortoises  were  at  first  referred  to  Mammalia,  to  dogs 
or  similar  quadrupeds  walking  up  an  inclined  plane  of  yield- 
ing sand,  which  had  subsequently  consolidated,  to  form  the 
dense  rocks  of  the  quarry. 

The  rock  at  Stourton  from  which  these  specimens  have  been 
obtained,  is  extremely  soft,  loose,  and  everywhere  percolated 
by  water,  so  that  but  little  of  it  is  capable  of  being  used  as  a 
building  material.  It  dips  about  fifteen  degrees  to  the  east, 
like  the  present  acclivity  of  Stourton  hill,  and  it  appears  to 
have  done  so  when  the  foot-marks  were  impressed  and  the 
reeds  grew  on  its  surface.  It  forms  the  surface  rock  of  all 
this  part  of  England  on  the  shores  of  the  Mersey,  and  appears 
to  have  been  very  little  disturbed  in  its  primitive  horizontal 
position  by  voltaic  agency,  so  that  its  rapidly  decomposing 
surface  forms  the  loose  sandy  soil  around  this  city,  and  we 
have  to  wade  for  a  mile  through  deep  sand,  in  ascending 
Stourton  hill  to  the  quarry.     But  the  same  new  red  sandstone 


AT  STOURTON    HILL.  45 

acquires  very  different  properties  where  it  has  been  subjected 
to  pressure  from  superincumbent  strata,  and  to  greater  heat 
from  volcanic  action;  as  around  Edinburgh,  where  it  has  been 
consolidated  by  the  volcanic  agency,  which  has  thrown  up 
Arthur's  seat,  Salisbury  Crag,  the  Calton-hill,  Castle-hill, 
Inchkeith,  and  other  masses  of  trap  rocks, — and  where  this 
sandstone  forms  the  beautiful  material  of  which  that  city  is 
built.  In  Stourton  quarry  there  are  two  distinct  strata  of 
these  footmarks,  about  two  feet  vertically  separated  from  each 
other,  and  the  workmen  believe  that  there  is  a  third  stratum 
of  the  same  impressions  a  very  little  lower  in  the  rock ;  but  I 
have  been  able  to  examine  only  the  two  upper  strata  of  these 
remarkable  impressions.  This  specimen,  and  the  others  in 
Liverpool,  were  obtained  from  the  upper  stratum  of  markings, 
which  occurs  at  a  vertical  depth  of  37  ft.  from  the  actual  sur- 
face of  the  rock.  The  lower  stratum  of  footmarks  is  39  feet 
from  the  surface  of  the  rock,  and  the  sandstone  in  this  quarry 
has  been  worked  in  some  places  to  a  depth  of  nearly  100  ft. 
and  has  been  pierced  for  a  well  to  a  further  extent  of  40  ft. 
without  reaching  the  lower  limit  of  this  bed  of  new  red  sand- 
stone. The  continuity  of  this  bed  of  sandstone  is  only  inter- 
rupted by  occasional  very  thin  conformable  layers  of  soft  clay, 
which  vary  from  one  line  to  two  inches  in  thickness.  The 
prints  of  the  feet  have  always  been  first  made  on  the  upper 
surface  of  these  thin  layers  of  clay,  which  have  but  imper- 
fectly communicated  them  to  the  surface  of  the  rock  below, 
but  have  given  most  perfect  casts  of  these  impressions  to  the 
under  surface  of  the  superincumbent  rock.  The  specimen 
before  you,  therefore,  and  all  the  others  which  have  been  ob- 
tained, do  not  represent  the  prints  left  by  the  animal  on  the 
soft  substance  on  which  it  once  trod,  but  are  perfect  casts  of 
these  prints  taken  by  the  under  surface  of  the  rock  immedi- 
ately above.  The  same  is  the  case  with  the  foot  impressions 
met  with  in  Scotland,  Germany,  America,  and  everywhere 
else,  indeed,  the  impressions  could  not  have  been  preserved 
but  by  the  intervention  of  this  clay,  which,  by  interrupting 
the  continuity  of  the  sand-deposits,  has  prevented  these  prints 
from  becoming  obliterated.  There  are  also  innumerable 
small  isolated  pieces  of  soft  clay  spread  through  the  texture 
of  the  sandstone,  and  the  superincumbent  soft  clay  is  much 
used  in  this  neighbourhood  in  brick-making  for  building. — 
A  large  portion  of  the  present  floor  of  Stourton  quarry  exhi- 
bits the  inferior  stratum  of  foot  impressions,  at  the  depth  of 
39  ft.  from  the  surface  of  the  rock  ;  but  as  the  clay  which  re- 
ceived the  prints  adheres  tenaciously  to  the  under  surface  of 
the  superincumbent  rock,  which  has  been  there  removed,  the 


46  FOOTMARKS  OF  CHIROTHERIUM 

exposed  prints  seen  at  present  on  the  floor  of  the  quarry,  are 
far  from  being  so  distinct  as  in  the  block  before  you.  The 
workmen  have  traced  these  large  footmarks  in  a  continuous 
single  line,  produced  by  the  walking  of  one  animal,  for  20  or 
30  feet  over  the  surface  of  the  rock,  and  they  occur  everywhere 
at  this  level  in  the  quarry.  Sometimes  the  impressions  are 
crowded  together  in  great  numbers  in  a  small  space,  as  in  the 
specimen  before  you,  where  there  are  about  twenty  marks  of 
the  large  hind  foot  alone  in  a  surface  of  about  5  ft.  by  4  ft.  ; 
in  other  places  the  rock  is  marked  only  by  the  pacing  of  a  sin- 
gle animal  across  the  surface.  Towards  the  upper  part  of 
this  block  you  observe  four  large  footmarks  passing  in  a  curv- 
ed direction  to  the  right  side,  and  below  them  three  similar 
large  footmarks  directed  to  the  left  side ;  but  both  above  and 
below  these  two  lines,  nearer  the  margins  of  the  block,  you 
perceive  numerous  other  large  footmarks  of  the  same  kind. — 
These  large  impressions  of  the  hind  feet,  which  are  about  9 
inches  long,  4  inches  broad,  and  pentadactylous,  are  always 
accompanied,  as  in  the  German  specimen  preserved  in  the 
British  Museum  and  figured  in  Dr.  Buckland's  late  Treatise, 
by  small  anterior  feet,  about  4  inches  in  length  and  breadth, 
also  pentadactylous,  and  with  an  opposable  or  free  toe,  like  the 
hind  feet.  From  the  point  of  the  right  or  left  foot  to  the  point 
of  the  same  foot  in  advance,  I  have  commonly  measured  a 
clear  pace  of  about  3  ft.  8  inches,  but  the  feet  of  the  opposite 
side  of  the  body  are  here  interposed,  and  nearly  in  the  same 
straight  line.  The  similai4  feet  of  this  animal  must  therefore 
have  moved  alternately,  as  in  saurian  and  chelonian  reptiles, 
and  not  in  pairs,  like  those  of  kangaroos,  rodents,  and  other 
leaping  quadrupeds,  which  have  this  great  disparity  between 
the  anterior  and  posterior  members.  The  impressions  indi- 
cate a  free  toe  or  thumb  both  on  the  anterior  and  hinder  feet 
of  this  animal,  and  the  creature  thus  apparently  endowed  with 
prehensile  members  has  been  called  Chirotherium,  or  handed 
beast ;  but  this  quadrumanous  character  is  not  seen  in  the 
order  of  marsupial  quadrupeds,  to  which  Kaup  supposed  the 
unknown  animal  to  belong. 

Associated  with  these  anomalous  markings  of  the  Chiro- 
therium, are  numerous  short  club  feet,  with  large  broad  claws 
of  tortoises ;  some  feet  with  the  toes  and  claws  more  elonga- 
ted and  webbed,  of  Emydes,  or  wading  Chelonia  ;  many  with 
the  long  free  toes  and  slender  claws  of  lizards  ;  some  ap- 
proaching in  form  and  gait  to  ornithichnites,  but  without  the 
hind  toe,  and  with  the  anterior  toes  approximated  and  col- 
lapsed; and  some  resembling  the  long  tapering  feet  of  frogs, 
advancing  by  alternate  motions  of  their  hinder  webbed  feet 


AT   STOURTON  HILL.  47 

alone ; — but  all  agreeing  with  the  impressions  of  the  reeds 
and  branches  of  trees,  in  indicating  a  great  river  or  estuary 
opening  remotely  into  the  sea,  and  that  the  Chirotherium  it- 
self may  have  been  also  semi-aquatic,  like  the  crocodiles  and 
Emydes  of  existing  shores. 

In  the  crocodilian  reptiles,  of  which  numerous  gigantic  re- 
mains abound  in  the  lias  deposits,  nearly  as  ancient  as  this 
rock ;  the  hands  are  proportionately  very  short  and  broad, 
and  pentadactylous,  as  in  this  Chirotherium,  and  the  outer 
finger  projects,  short  and  free,  as  the  supposed  inner  finger 
or  thumb  in  the  animal  before  you.  In  these  reptiles,  also, 
it  is  the  outer,  and  not  the  inner  toe,  of  the  proportionately 
large  hind  feet,  which  is  short  and  rudimentary ;  and  there 
may  have  been  great  diversities  in  the  extent  or  freedom  of 
this  outer  rudimentary  hind  toe  in  the  various  Teleosauri, 
Steneosauri,  and  other  semi-aquatic  forms  of  reptiles  which 
have  long  become  extinct  like  the  Ichthyosauri  and  Plesio- 
sauri  which  swarmed  at  the  same  period  in  the  ocean.  If 
we  suppose  the  free  projecting  toes  of  the  Chirotherium  to 
have  been  inner  toes  or  prehensile  thumbs,  this  animal  must 
have  crossed  the  line  of  gravity  of  its  body  with  its  feet,  at 
every  pace,  in  bringing  them  to  the  ground,  as  may  easily  be 
perceived  by  carrying  the  eye  along  the  line  of  footmarks. — 
Although  this  supposition  agrees  with  the  developement,  if 
muscular  and  not  osseous,  at  the  base  of  the  thumb,  it  forces 
us  to  believe  that  this  animal  crossed  the  right  foot  to  the 
left  side  of  the  line  of  gravity  of  the  body,  by  the  entire 
breadth  of  that  foot,  before  it  reposed  it  upon  the  ground,  and 
that  the  left  foot,  to  the  same  extent,  crossed  over  to  the  right 
side  before  it  rested  to  support  the  trunk.  But,  if  the  sup- 
posed thumbs,  which  here  curve  backwards  in  a  manner  ex- 
traordinary for  such  members,  be  only  forms  of  the  short  out- 
er toes  of  the  large  hind  feet  of  crocodiles,  gavials,  and  alli- 
gators, the  feet  no  longer  cross  the  median  line  of  the  body, 
but  assume  the  positions  seen  in  the  walking  of  most  other 
reptiles.  Although  I  have  not  been  able  *to  find  any  shells, 
bones,  or  other  organic  relics  in  these  rocks,  nor  have  heard 
of  any  having  been  observed  by  others,  the  ordinary  ripples 
seen  on  the  sands  of  the  seashore,  and  on  the  banks  of  lakes, 
are  every  where  common  and  distinct  in  the  sandstone  of  this 
quarry.  In  the  upper  stratum  of  the  footmarks  there  is  a  re- 
markable pitted  appearance  over  the  surface  of  the  impressed 
clay,  as  if  produced  by  drops  of  rain,  or  by  the  unequal  shrink- 
ing of  the  clay  in  drying,  and  this  often  produces  a  warty  ap- 
pearance in  the  casts  of  the  footmarks.  In  some  of  the  spe- 
cimens preserved  I  perceive  smooth,  rounded,  broad  markings, 


48  NEW  WORKS  IN  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

with  transverse  slight  corrugations,  as  if  the  animal,  between 
the  efforts  of  progression,  had  rested  its  belly  on  the  ground, 
a  constant  character  with  reptiles,  but  not  with  mammals. — 
The  long,  recurved,  angular  claw  seen  distinctly  on  the  sup- 
posed posterior  thumb,  as  on  the  other  hind  toes  of  the  Chi- 
rotherium,  is  crocodilian,  and  not  mammiferous ;  it  is  obvious 
on  the  rudimentary  outer  toe  of  alligators,  but  was  never  seen 
on  the  opposable  hind  thumb  of  an  opossum.  In  the  foot- 
marks you  perceive  that  the  heel  of  the  hind  foot  has  pressed 
heavily  on  the  ground,  and  raised  much  of  the  sand  around 
it,  as  in  the  heavy-bodied  and  feeble-footed  reptiles,  and  that 
it  was  not  able  to  raise  itself  on  tip-toe,  and  sink  its  claws 
into  the  ground,  like  the  more  active  and  vigorous  unguicu- 
lated  quadrupeds.  The  terminal  tapering  of  the  hind  toes  of 
this  animal  into  the  large,  broad,  conical  claws,  is  crocodilian 
in  its  character,  and  most  unlike  the  sudden  setting-on  of 
these  parts  on  the  rounded  toes  of  quadrupeds ;  so  that,  al- 
though these  relics,  of  vast  antiquity  in  the  histoiy  of  our 
globe,  are  full  of  scientific  interest,  and  may  long  exercise  the 
acumen  of  naturalists,  they  do  not  appear  to  me  to  have  yet 
satisfactorily  established  the  existence  of  hot-blooded  mam- 
miferous quadrupeds  at  the  remote  period  assigned  to  the  de- 
position of  this  new  red  sandstone.  They  show  that  notwith- 
standing the  extremely  perishable  character  of  all  organic  de- 
posits committed  to  those  porous  siliceous  beds,  percolated 
incessantly  by  water,  they  are  capable  of  preserving,  for  an 
indefinite  period,  impressions  thus  mechanically  made  upon 
their  surface,  and  of  transmitting  entire,  to  the  remotest  pos- 
terity, the  most  delicate  footmarks  of  animals,  every  other 
trace  of  whose  existence  has  long  been  effaced  from  our 
globe. 

Among  the  promised  forthcoming  Works  on  Natural  His- 
toiy or  general  science,  w^e  may  mention  '  A  History  of  the 
Fishes  of  Madeira,7  by  the  Rev.  R.  T.  Lowe ;  in  which  the 
author  will  have  the  able  assistance  of  Miss  M.  Young,  in  de- 
lineating the  species.  The  admirable  sketches  made  by  this 
lady  which  illustrate  Mr.  Lowe's  already  published  ichthyolo- 
gical  memoirs  in  the  '  Transactions  of  the  Zoological  Society,' 
lead  us  eagerly  to  anticipate  the  appearance  of  this  more  ex- 
tensive undertaking. 

Mr.  Edward  Newman  announces  an  illustrated  '  History 
of  British  Ferns':  and  the  editor  of  the 'Arcana  of  Science'  a 
scientific  annual,  entitled  '  The  Year-Book  of  Facts.' 


THE  MAGAZINE 

OF 

NATURAL    HISTORY, 


FEBRUARY,  1839. 


Art  I. — New  Doubts  relating  to  the  supposed  Didelphis  of  Stones- 
field.1    By  M.  De  Blainville. 

[M.  De  Blainville  introduces  the  present  memoir  with  some  general  ob- 
servations explanatory  of  the  reasons  which  have  led  him  to  enter  so  fully 
into  details,  in  laying  before  the  Academy  his  opinions  upon  the  subject 
under  discussion]. 


It  was  under  the  influence  of  these  sentiments  that  I  had  the 
honour  of  reading  before  the  Academy  on  the  20th  of  August 
last,  some  doubts  and  observations  relating  to  the  supposed 
fossil  Didelphis  found  at  Stonesfield ;  in  which  observations 
my  object  was  rather  to  draw  the  attention  of  English  na- 
turalists to  a  matter  of  such  great  importance  in  palaeontology, 
and  to  show  how  questions  of  this  nature  ought  to  be  treated, 
than  really  to  solve  the  problem,  deprived  as  I  was  of  the  ne- 
cessary elements  for  so  doing.  After  having  indeed  set  forth 
and  compared  the  data  that  I  was  able  to  advance  as  premi- 
ses in  the  question,  and  which  data  necessarily  became  the 
special  subject  of  the  discussion,  I  arrived  at  the  conclusion 
that  the  fossil  jaws  from  the  oolitic  schist  of  Stonesfield  had 
certainly  not  belonged  to  an  animal  of  the  marsupial  subclass, 
nor  even  to  the  family  of  the  Insectivora  of  the  placental  sub- 
class; and  that  hence  it  became  probable  that  it  was 
not  even  a  mammal,  but  rather  an  oviparous  animal  of 
the  family  of  the  saurians,  in  the  class  Reptilia.  But  before 
giving  a  definite  character  to  these  conclusions,  I  was  very 
careful  to  mention  to  you  that  I  had  not  examined  any  one 

1 '  Nouveaux  Doutes  sur  le  pretendu  Didelphe  de  Stonesfield ;  (Comptes 
Rendus,'  October  6th,  1838,  p.  727) 
Vol.  III.— No.  26,  n.  s.  r 


50  NEW  DOUBTS  RESPECTING 

of  the  original  fragments  upon  which  I  raised  these  doubts, 
having  only  seen  the  figures  and  descriptions  of  them  which 
had  been  published  by  M.  Constant  Prevost,  Mr.  Broderip, 
and  Dr.  Buckland.  I  therefore  concluded  my  memoir  by  in- 
voking the  aid  of  those  skilful  observers  who  had  the  fossil 
remains  in  their  possession,  or  at  their  disposal,  to  assist  in 
the  farther  examination  of  the  question. 

The  result  of  my  appeal  has  not,  I  am  happy  to  say,  been 
long  delayed.  Professor  Buckland,  who  has  two  of  these 
fragments  under  his  care  in  the  Ashmolean  Museum,  at  Ox- 
ford, being  about  to  visit  Paris,  Dr.  Roberton,  at  the  sugges- 
tion of  M.  Laurillard,  happily  thought  of  requesting  him  to 
bring  them  with  him,  which  he  did  ;  but  unfortunately  for  me, 
and  perhaps  for  the  question,  the  day  on  which  Dr.  Roberton 
wished  me  to  pass  an  evening  at  his  house  with  Dr.  Buck- 
land,  I  had  set  out  for  the  country,  and  thus  lost  the  oppor- 
tunity of  clearing  up  my  doubts,  and  of  correcting  any  errors 
I  might  have  committed.  Nevertheless  this  courteous  and  li- 
beral attention  of  Professor  Buckland  has  not  been  without 
advantageous  results,  since,  during  my  absence,  four  persons, 
— M.  Agassiz,  M.  Valenciennes,  and  two  of  our  fellow-mem- 
bers, M.  E.  GeofTroy  and  M.  Dumeril,  have  made  known  to 
the  Academy  their  observations  on  the  same  subject;  and 
thus  the  inquiry  is  seriously  taken  up. 

The  first  of  these  observations  in  point  of  date  is  due  to  M. 
Agassiz,  who,  in  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Academy  on  the  3rd 
of  September,  and  inserted  in  the  'Connotes  Rendus,'  (p.  537, 
2nd.  sem.,  1838),  claims  priority  in  the  view  which  I  had  ad- 
duced, by  saying  that  since  the  year  1835  he  had  offered  an 
opinion  concerning  the  supposed  Didelphis  from  Stonesfield, 
perfectly  in  accordance  with  mine.  Although  I  certainly  had 
no  knowledge  of  the  fact,  it  would  have  been  very  unskilful 
of  me  not  to  have  supported  my  opinion  by  those  of  observers 
like  Prof.  Grant,  M.  Agassiz,  and  M.  Meyer ;  I  therefore  did 
so,  and  I  thought  I  should  secure  myself  against  all  reproach 
on  this  subject,  by  quoting  M.  Agassiz  as  having  at  first  en- 
tertained the  same  views  as  myself,  but  as  having  afterwards 
apparently  abandoned  them.  As  to  the  rest,  I  am  far  from  re- 
fusing myself  the  credit,  which  I  may  claim  as  a  matter  of 
justice,  of  having  added  some  fresh  details  upon  this  subject. 
M.  Agassiz  appears  to  have  mentioned  these  fossils  for  the 
first  time  in  1835,  in  a  very  short  note  inserted  in  the  German 
Journal  of  MM.  Leonhard  and  Bronn,  p.  186 ;  and,  according 
to  M.  Valenciennes,  the  object  of  this  note  is  to  establish,  in 
a  definite  manner,  the  opinion  that  the  Stonesfield  ani- 
mals are  undoubtedly  mammals,  but  that  their  affinity  with 


THE  SUPPOSED  FOSSIL  DIDELPIIIS.  51 

the  marsupials  does  not  appear  to  him  so  evident ;  that  the 
teeth  are  more  like  those  of  the  Insectivora,  and  that  they  also 
bear  some  resemblance  to  those  of  the  seals.  From  this  then 
it  appears  that  the  claim  of  M.  Agassiz  can  relate  only  to  the 
erroneously  supposed  relation  of  these  fossil  remains  to  the 
opossums,  and  to  a  certain  resemblance  of  the  posterior  molars 
to  those  of  many  species  of  seal.  I  therefore  very  willingly 
repeat  what  I  said  in  my  first  "  Doubts,"  and  which  I  learned 
from  M.  de  Roissy,  that  M.  Agassiz  had  told  him  that  he  had 
printed  in  a  note  added  to  the  German  translation  of  Prof. 
Buckland's  work  on  Geology  and  Mineralogy,  that  the  fossil 
bones  of  Stonesfield  did  not  belong  to  a  mammiferous  animal. 
To  this  M.  de  Roissy  added  that  he  knew  from  another  source, 
and  not  from  M.  Agassiz,  as  I  erroneously  remarked  in  my 
first  "doutes,"  that  Dr.  Grant,  the  Professor  of  Comparative 
Anatomy  at  the  London  University,  had  advanced  the  same 
opinion  in  his  course  of  Lectures  this  year,  at  the  same  time 
assigning  his  reasons  for  it. 

But  as  I  have  been  able  myself  to  consult  the  first  article 
quoted  above,  in  M.  Leonhard's  Journal,  and  the  second  in 
the  German  translation  of  Dr.  Buckland's  work,  of  which, 
however,  a  part  only  has  recently  arrived  in  Paris ; — I  think 
it  requisite  for  me  to  give  my  own  literal  translation  of  it,  in 
order  that  I  may  be  able  to  notice  some  inaccuracies  which 
have  escaped  M.  Valenciennes. 

In  the  first  place  let  us  consider  the  first  note. 

"As  to  the  enigmatical  species  of  Didelphis  from  Stones- 
field,"  says  M.  Agassiz,  "  I  now  know  that  it  is  not  a  fish. — 
I  have  seen  all  the  specimens  which  are  in  the  English  col- 
lections,— five  lower  half  jaws  belonging  to  two  species, — but 
nowhere  any  trace  of  vertebra,  or  of  bones  of  the  extremities. 
The  trenchant  crown  of  the  largest  molars,  laterally  com- 
pressed, always  has  two  small  notches  on  each  side,  and  con- 
sequently five  pointed  tubercles.  The  smaller  ones  have  but 
three ;  they  are  certainly  those  of  mammals ;  but  that  they 
may  be  compared  with  the  teeth  of  the  marsupials,  is  not  the 
case.  The  dental  system  indeed  has  also  much  resemblance 
to  that  of  the  Insectivora,  and  each  separate  tooth  resembles 
even  the  greater  part  of  those  of  the  seals,  near  which  group 
the  animal  to  which  these  jaws  belonged  should  form  a  dis- 
tinct genus.  In  fact  the  aspect  of  these  fossil  fragments  is  so 
peculiar,  that  it  draws  our  attention  towards  aquatic  animals 
rather  than  away  from  them." — *  (Neue  Jahrbuch  Mineral,  und 
Geolog.  von  Leonhard  und  Bronn,  1835;  torn,  iii.,  p.  185; 
in  a  letter  written  from  Neufchatel,  Switzerland,  June  20th, 
1835.) 


52  NEW  DOUBTS  RESPECTING 

M.  de  Blainville  also  quotes  the  second  note  of  M.  Agassiz,  which, 
though  longer,  adds  scarcely  anything  to  the  contents  of  the  first;  ex- 
cept that  M.  Agassiz  very  justly  remarks  that  M.  Cuvier,  in  speaking 
of  these  fossils,  never  positively  affirmed  that  they  ought  to  rank  in  the 
genus  Didelphis  ;  and  he  [M.  Agassiz]  proposes  to  designate  the  ge- 
nus by  the  name  of  Amphigonus, 

From  these  two  passages  we  may  infer,  that  prior  to  his 
having  actually  seen  these  fossils,  M.  Agassiz  had  supposed 
that  they  might  belong  to  a  fish ;  an  opinion  which  he  has 
abandoned  to  refer  them  decidedly  to  the  class  Mammalia. 

Thus,  as  M.  Valenciennes  properly  observes,  it  would  be 
unjust  in  M.  Agassiz  to  lay  claim  to  the  opposite  opinion ; 
although  in  fact  neither  of  these  articles  has  for  its  object  the 
establishing,  in  a  direct  manner,  that  these  remains  from 
Stonesfield  are  those  of  mammals;  as  M.  Valenciennes  ne- 
vertheless observes.  We  may,  on  the  contrary,  find  there  the 
assertion,  though  destitute  of  proofs,  that  the  dental  system 
of  the  supposed  Didelphis  of  Stonesfield  is  too  far  removed 
from  that  of  the  marsupials  to  allow  of  our  placing  it  in  that 
sub-class  ;  and  that  if,  regarded  in  its  totality,  it  bears  a  cer- 
tain resemblance  to  what  we  find  in  the  Insectivora,  the  pos- 
terior teeth  in  particular  may  also  be  compared  to  those  of 
certain  seals.  He  thus  leans  towards  the  opinion  that  it  is 
rather  an  aquatic  than  a  terrestrial  animal,  considering  it  as 
approaching  to  the  seals.  We  there  also  find  that  M.  Agas- 
siz was  of  opinion  that  these  fossils  ought  to  form  a  distinct 
genus  ;  but  that  he  did  not  propose  for  this  genus  the  name 
Amphigonus  until  his  second  note  ;  of  this,  indeed  I,  was  ig- 
norant, as  M.  Valenciennes  very  correctly  observes,  nor  could 
I  possibly  have  known  it,  since  this  note,  if  it  were  printed 
at  the  time  my  memoir  was  read,  was  certainly  not  published. 

Finally,  I  ought  to  notice  a  very  just  observation  of  M. 
Agassiz,  which  is,  that  M.  G.  Cuvier,  in  speaking  of  these 
fossils,  always  retained  a  doubtful  form  of  expression,  or  at 
least  very  slightly  affirmative,  and  such  as  would  follow  from 
a  very  rapid  and  consequently  slight  examination. 

But  of  the  four  communications  made  to  the  Academy  re- 
lating to  the  supposed  Didelphis  from  Stonesfield,  that  of  M. 
Valenciennes  must  necessarily  occupy  the  first  place,  as  be- 
ing the  longest.  In  fact,  Dr.  Buckland,  who  from  the  first 
intrusted  these  fossils  to  M.  Laurillard,  that  is  to  say,  not 
only  the  specimen  upon  which  rests  the  Did.  Prevostii  of  M. 
Cuvier,  but  also  another,  in  some  respects  more  complete,  and 
of  which  no  one  had  previously  spoken  ; — at  the  particular 
request  of  M.  Valenciennes,  very  obligingly  allowed  him  to 
make  them  the  subject  of  his  observations,  and  even  to  take 


THE  SUPPOSED  FOSSIL  DIDELPHIS.  53 

from  them  impressions  in  sulphur,  very  carefully  executed, 
and  the  casts  in  plaster  were  thus  procured  which  are  to  en- 
rich the  paleontological  collection  of  our  Museum. 

M.  Valenciennes  has  also  received,  through  M.  Laurillard, 
a  drawing  very  carefully  executed,  which  appears  to  me  to 
be  that  originally  sent  to  M.  G.  Cuvier  by  Mr.  Phillips,  and 
which  was  taken  from  a  third  half-jaw  in  the  possession  of 
Mr.  Sikes. 

So  that  instead  of  the  two  specimens  of  this  curious  fossil 
being,  as  I  imagined,  the  only  ones  existing  in  England,  ge- 
ologists now  possess  four,  including  that  in  Mr.  Broderip's 
collection,  and  even  five,  according  to  the  first  note  of  M. 
Agassiz,  without  reckoning  the  fragment  in  "TEcole  des 
Mines''  which  we  mentioned  in  our  first  "doutes,"  and  which 
is  generally  referred  to  the  saurians. 

From  an  actual  examination  of  the  two  portions  of  jaw 
brought  over  by  Professor  Buckland,  merely  the  casts  of 
which  have  been  exhibited  to  the  Academy ; — and  from  the 
drawing  of  that  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Sikes ; — M.  Valen- 
ciennes returns  to  M.  Cuvier's  opinion,  that  it  is  a  marsupial 
mammal ;  he  however  thinks,  like  every  one  before  him,  that 
it  must  form  a  distinct  genus,  to  which  he  assigns  another 
new  name ;  "  mais  qu'il  choisit  assez  signicatif  pour  qu'a  lui 
seul,  il  formule  nettement  sa  maniere  de  voir." 

It  is  also  on  this  side  of  the  question  that  M.  E.  Geoffroy 
de  Saint-Hilaire,  and  M.  Dumeril  have  ranged  themselves ; 
the  one  without  explaining  the  reasons  of  his  conviction,  the 
other  basing  his  upon  the  presence  of  a  condyle,  and  the  uni- 
ty of  the  jaw. 

Without  doubt  persons  who  are  little  versed  in  the  study 
of  organic  structures,  and  who  place  too  implicit  a  reliance 
on  perhaps  rather  a  presumptuous  assertion,  that  by  the  aid  of 
a  single  bone,  or  of  a  simple  facette  of  a  bone,  the  skeleton 
of  an  animal  can  be  reconstructed,  and  consequently  its  class, 
order,  family,  genus,  and  even  species  determined,  may  very 
probably  think  it  strange  that  four  or  five  half-jaws,  more  or 
less  furnished  with  teeth,  should  be  insufficient  to  indicate 
promptly  and  with  certainty  to  what  class  the  animal  to  which 
they  belonged  should  be  referred ;  but  their  astonishment 
would  cease  if  they  would  in  the  first  place  observe  that  in 
the  present  case  these  jaws  are  perhaps  not  one  of  them  en- 
tire ;  that  they  are  not  to  be  fully  examined  either  by  our- 
selves or  by  the  parties  to  whom  they  belong,  on  account  of 
their  attachment  to  the  matrix  enclosing  them,  and  its  ex- 
treme hardness ;  but  above  all  because  the  assertion  above 
quoted,  although  it  has  almost  passed  into  a  common  phrase, 


54  NEW  DOUBTS  RESPECTING 

and  is  to  a  certain  degree  correct  when  we  apply  it  to  known 
animals,  or  to  such  as  differ  but  little  from  them,  becomes 
strained,  and  even  quite  fallacious,  when  the  forms  in  ques- 
tion are  more  or  less  isolated,  whether  recent  or  fossil ;  this 
will  be  placed  beyond  doubt  in  the  continuation  oi'  my  great 
paleontological  work. 

M.  De  Blainville  then  passes  on  to  the  detailed  description  of  three 
portions  of  jaw,  which  form  fresh  elements  in  the  solution  of  the  ques- 
tion. 

With  respect  to  the  first,  the  basis  of  the  Did.  Prevostii,  of 
which  he  has  been  able  to  form  a  much  more  correct  idea 
from  the  cast,  and  one  very  different  to  that  derived  from  very 
inaccurate  sketches,  especially  that  given  by  M.  Prevost, — 
he  alludes  chiefly  to  there  being  no  trace  of  a  condyle,  but  ra- 
ther a  sort  of  articular  fossa,  something  like  that  in  fishes ;  he 
insists  upon  the  presence  of  a  lower  marginal  ridge,  {sillori), 
and  he  observes  that  the  teeth,  which  are  far  from  displaying 
that  regularity  of  disposition  indicated  by  the  figures  which 
have  been  mentioned,  have  the  summit  of  their  roots  adher- 
ent to,  and  continuous  with,  the  substance  of  the  jaw. 

Respecting  the  second  portion  of  jaw  which  is  now  for  the 
first  time  introduced  in  the  discussion,  and  which,  while  it  is 
more  perfect  with  regard  to  the  bone,  is  much  less  so  as  re- 
spects the  dental  system, — M.  de  Blainville  thinks,  in  oppo- 
sition to  what  was  said  of  it  by  M.  Valenciennes,  who  looked 
upon  it  as  the  inner  side,  that  it  is  also  a  ramus  of  the  right 
side,  with  its  external  aspect  visible;  and  in  proof  of  his 
opinion  he  points  out  the  general  curve  of  the  horizontal  por- 
tion longitudinally,  and  its  declension  towards  the  dental 
line  ;  the  existence  of  a  "fosse  masstterienne"  and  of  an  an- 
gular process,  which  is  evidently  convex  on  the  free  side  and 
bent  back  on  the  adherent  one  ;  and  finally,  the  existence  of 
the  same  ridge  (sillon)  observed  in  the  preceding  piece.  He 
does  not  admit  the  orifice  of  the  dental  canal  noticed  by  M. 
Valenciennes  as  a  small  circular  foramen,  situated  at  the  point 
of  junction  of  the  fosse  massetgrienne  with  the  horizontal 
branch ;  M.  de  Blainville  supposing  that  this  appearance, 
which  is  so  evident  in  the  drawing,  is  owing  to  some  defect 
in  the  colouring,  since  there  exists  no  trace  of  it  in  the  sul- 
phur impression,  nor  upon  the  plaster  cast.  Neither  does 
he  admit  the  symphysis  described  by  M.  Valenciennes,  any 
more  than  an  articular  condyle,  nor  even  a  coronoid  process, 
clearly  as  it  appears  terminated  in  the  figured  fragment,  be- 
cause nothing  similar  shows  itself  in  the  sulphur  impression. 

Finally,  with  respect  to  the  third  piece,  consisting  of  a  de- 
sign carefully  executed,  which  he  has  merely  seen  for  a  mo- 


THE  SUPPOSED  FOSSIL  DIDELPHIS.  55 

Kient  in  the  hands  of  M.  Valenciennes,  who  unfortunately  did 
not  consider  himself  at  liberty  to  lend  it  to  him, — M.  de  Blain- 
ville thinks  that  the  palmated,  five-lobed  form  of  the  posterior 
molars  would  alone  be  sufficient  to  negative  all  approach  to 
the  didelphs,  and  even  to  the  Mammalia. 

Insomuch  that  M.  de  Blainville  reviewing  the  reasons  up- 
on which  M.  Valenciennes  bases  his  opinion,  namely, — the 
existence  of  a  condyle,  the  presence  of  which  upon  either  of 
the  impressions  cited  M.  de  Blainville  positively  denies, — 
the  form  of  the  teeth,  which  certainly  have  no  relation  in  num- 
ber, disposition,  or  shape,  to  those  of  the  Didelphis  murina, 
any  more  than  to  those  of  any  other  known  mammal,  although 
they  support  themselves  upon  what  M.  Agassiz  has  said  of 
the  teeth  having  five  points,  disposed  as  in  the  Insectivora, 
which  is  not  the  case,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  note  given  li- 
terally above ;  the  aspect  of  the  ascending  ramus,  which,  in 
both  specimens  is  mutilated,  and  has  only  left  its  impression, 
indicating  a  kind  of  very  slender  plate,  slightly  convex  ex- 
ternally, and  concave  within ;  —the  symphysis,  which  exists 
only  in  appearance ; — the  opening  of  the  dental  canal,  of 
which  also  he  denies  the  existence,  since  the  jaw  is  seen  on 
the  outer  side,  and  which  had  neither  the  form  nor  the  posi- 
tion of  that  of  the  Didelphis,  nor  even  of  other  Mammalia  ; 
— the  prolongation  of  the  angular  process,  which  has  nothing 
in  its  shape  to  remind  us  of  that  of  the  didelphs,  and  which 
rather  brings  to  our  recollection  that  of  certain  fishes  ; — and 
finally,  the  compound  structure  of  the  jaw,  which  might  very 
well  be  no  longer  distinctly  visible  in  a  fragment  so  long  ago 
fossilized,  and  yet  have  existed  ;  and  of  which,  it  appears  to 
him  there  are  left  some  traces  in  the  lower  marginal  ridge  still 
visible  in  the  two  specimens,  and  in  the  projection  where  it 
commences. 

M.  de  Blainville  then  finds  himself  compelled  to  pause,  at 
least  until  fresh  evidence  be  produced;  in  the  conviction  that 
the  portions  of  fossil  jaws  found  at  Stonesfield,  certainly  do 
not  belong  to  a  marsupial, — and  probably  not  to  a  placental 
mammal,  either  insectivorous  or  amphibious  ;  and  that  con- 
sequently it  is  more  likely  that  the  animal  may  have  been 
oviparous. 

As  to  the  doubt  which  he  has  just  formed  by  analogy  with 
what  is  known  of  the  Basilosaurus,  a  large  fossil  reptile  of 
America,  the  teeth  of  which  display  the  peculiarity  of  posses- 
sing a  double  root, — that  this  might  be  an  animal  of  the  sau- 
rian order, — M.  de  Blainville  says  that  if  M.  Agassiz,  who 
has  studied  fossil  fish  much  more  even  than  himself,  had  not 
decidedly  given  his  opinion  against  all  approach  to  fishes,  he 


56  NEW  DOUBTS  ON  THE  FOSSIL  DIDELPHIS. 

would  have  been  rather  led  to  suppose  that  it  might  be  an 
animal  of  that  class. 

We  see  from  this,  adds  M.  de  Blainville,  that  I  ought  to 
persist  in  retaining  the  name  Amphitherium  which  I  proposed, 
if  only  because  it  has  the  priority  over  that  of  Amphigonus 
given  by  M.  Agassiz  ;  and  that  so  much  the  more,  because 
even  if  it  should  be  beyond  a  doubt  that  these  j  aws  are  those 
of  amammiferous  animal,  I  see  nothing  in  them,  any  more  than 
in  their  dental  system,  which  could  lead  to  their  being  ne- 
cessarily those  of  an  opossum ;  for,  from  the  dental  system, 
and  especially  from  the  molar  teeth,  to  form  conclusions  re- 
specting the  rest  of  the  organization,  aDd  above  all  as  to  its 
marsupial  nature,  is,  as  I  propose  to  show  in  a  report  which 
I  am  about  to  make  immediately  to  the  Academy,  to  go  far 
beyond  what  the  method  of  analogy  will  allow. 

As  to  the  rest,  it  appears  that  every  one  has  not  regarded 
the  question  as  so  completely  solved  as  our  fellow-members 
have  supposed  it  to  be  ;  since,  according  to  what  is  reported 
to  me  by  a  zoologist  and  anatomist,  whom,  for  my  own  part, 
I  very  much  regret  I  do  not  see  among  the  number  of  compe- 
titors for  the  vacant  place  in  our  section,  Dr.  Buckland  has 
himself  offered  the  problem  and  the  fragments  on  which  it 
rests,  to  the  investigation  of  the  German  naturalists  assembled 
in  congress  at  Fribourg,  in  Brisgau,  in  the  month  of  Septem- 
ber last,  which  was  his  intention  in  bringing  them  to  Paris. 

We  may  therefore  hope  that  the  German  zoologists  who 
have  seen  and  studied  these  enigmatical  fossils,  co-operating 
with  those  who  possess  or  have  access  to  them  in  England,  and 
the  matter  being  discussed  by  arguments  based  upon  evident 
and  incontestible  facts,  it  may  attain  to  a  demonstration,  of 
what  nature  is  of  but  little  consequence,  provided  it  be  satis- 
factory enough  to  be  admitted,  if  not  generally,  at  least  by  all 
those  who,  in  scientific  questions,  are  so  fortunate  as  to  have 
leisure  and  the  ability  to  judge  without  prejudice,  but  with  a 
knowledge  of  the  cause. 

In  conclusion  I  ought  also  to  announce  to  the  Academy, 
that  the  scientific  conductor  of  the  English  Journal  called 
the  '  Athenaeum/  has  already  laid  before  his  readers  the 
point  under  discussion,  having  no  doubt  but  that  there 
will  soon  be  discovered,  in  the  Stonesfield  quarries,  some 
fragment  that  will  be  sufficiently  demonstrative  ;  and  in 
the  mean  time  he  himself  proposes,  to  avoid  he  says  being 
accused  of  partiality  towards  either  of  the  three  already 
proposed, — the  name  Botheratiotherium  for  the  supposed  Di- 
delphis  of  the  oolite ;  so  that  science  is  already  embarrassed 
with  four  or  five  denominations  for  an  animal,  of  which  our 


FOSSILS  OF  THE  CORNBRASH  AT  SCARBOROUGH.  57 

knowledge  is  most  imperfect ;  since,  by  one  party  it  is  refer- 
red to  the  Mammalia,  by  another  to  the  insectivorous  mono- 
delphs,  or  the  Amphibia ;  and  by  a  third  to  the  didelphs  al- 
lied to  opossums,  or  to  a  genus  representing  the  seals,  in  the 
sub-class  of  Marsupialia  ;  whilst  others  make  a  saurian,  or 
even  a  fish  of  it ;  which,  it  may  be  remarked  en  passant,  ap- 
pears much  more  in  accordance  with  the  age  and  the  geolo- 
gical character  of  the  formation  which  contains  the  fossils  in 
question,  as  well  as  with  the  organized  bodies  with  which 
they  are  associated. 


Art.  II. — A  Catalogue  of  the  Fossils  found  in  the  Cornbrash  Lime- 
stone of  Scarborough :  ivith  Figures  and  Descriptions  of  some  of 
the  undescribed  Species.     By  William  Bean,  Esq. 

The  cornbrash  limestone  on  the  Scarborough  coast  is  a  "  thin 
and  unimportant  rock,"  which  cannot  be  applied  to  any  use- 
ful purpose :  it  has  certainly  been  sometimes  injudiciously 
used  to  repair  our  highways,  a  practice  we  hope  will  be  dis  ■ 
continued,  as  much  better  road-stone  may  be  more  easily  ob- 
tained. But  that  this  "  thin  and  unimportant  rock "  is  not 
deficient  in  interest  to  the  enquiring  geologist,  the  following 
catalogue  of  its  organic  remains  will  amply  testify.  Com- 
mencing at  Gristhorpe  Cliffs,  and,  with  some  interruptions, 
terminating  at  Ewe-nab,  (a  wider  range  than  Mr.  Phillips  has 
assigned  it),  we  meet  with  little  to  reward  our  labours  ;  the 
stone  is  of  a  bluish  grey  colour,  and  rises  in  shapeless  masses, 
full  of  shells  laid  in  every  direction,  and  strongly  cemented 
together,  so  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  obtain  a  perfect 
specimen.  A  blue  shale  covers  this  rock,  and  may  be  met 
with  four  or  five  times  within  the  above-named  limits.  It 
contains  several  fossils  rarely  found  in  the  bed  below,  parti- 
cularly Sanguinolaria  parvula,  Cardium  latum,  Isocardia 
triangularis,  Belemnites  tornatilis,  Astacus  rostratus  and^.s. 
Birdii ;  the  two  last  are  in  nodules  which  occur  in  the  great- 
est abundance.  Proceeding  onwards  we  again  meet  with  the 
cornbrash  on  the  north  side  of  the  Castle  Hill,  and  it  finally 
disappears  before  reaching  Peaseholm  Beck.  To  the  left  of 
the  bathing-place  the  same  blue  shale  occurs  as  at  Mill  Bay, 
containing  the  same  fossils ;  but  our  favourite  locality  is  op- 
posite Harland's  cottage,  where  most  of  the  fossils  recorded 
in  the  following  pages  have  been  obtained :  the  stone  is  here 
of  a  reddish  colour,  not  so  coarse-grained,  contains  fewer  or- 
ganic remains,  but  in  a  better  state  of  preservation.  The  mi- 
Vol.  III.— No.  26,  n.  s.  G 


58  FOSSILS  OF  THE  SCARBOROUGH  CORNBRASH. 

nerals  met  with  in  this  stratum  are  iron  pyrites,  lenticular 
calcareous  spar,  and  common  iron  glance. 

When  the  '  Illustrations  of  the  Geology  of  Yorkshire '  was 
published,  the  cabinets  in  this  place  contained  only  thirty-se- 
ven species  of  cornbrash  fossils ;  our  collection  now  amounts 
to  one  hundred  and  thirty-four,  all  procured  by  our  own  exer- 
tions. To  this  we  attach  some  importance,  after  having  wit- 
nessed with  regret  the  extent  to  which  fossil-making  has  been 
carried  in  this  neighbourhood :  and  (we  say  it  "  more  in  sor- 
row than  in  anger")  such  impositions  have  not  always  been 
confined  to  ignorant  and  mercenary  dealers.  We  cannot 
close  this  article  without  returning  our  kindest  thanks  to  Miss 
Travis  for  the  correct  and  elegant  drawings  which  illustrate 
this  paper. 

ABBREVIATIONS. 

S. — Sowerby's  'Mineral  Conchology.'  P.— Phillips's  'Geology  of  the  Yorkshire  Coast.' 

B.— Bean. 

REMAINS  OF  PLANTS. 
Dicotyledonous  wood,  very  much  compressed. 

ZOOPHYTA. 

Spongia  Jloriceps,  P. 


-papillosa,  B. 


Cellaria  Smithii,  P. 

Flustra  imperfect. 

Millepora  straminea,  P. 

Caryophvllia 

Astr^a  Dunnii,  B.    Found  by  John  Dunn,  Esq.    A  unique  and  inte- 
resting specimen. 

Tubipora 

?  acervalis,  B.    Common  in  the  Bath  oolite. 

■ incrustans,  B.     (New  Sp.) 

Crust  very  thin,  spreading,  smooth,  and  almost  covered  with  short  cy- 
lindrical tubes. 

This  beautiful  fossil  is  found  adhering  to  oysters,  &c,  and 
is  very  rare. 

RADIARIA. 

Cidaris  vagans,  P. 
Clypeus  clunicularis,  P. 

orbicularis,  P. 

Gale  rites  depressus,  P. 

CRUSTACEA. 

Astacus  rostratus,  P. 

■    Birdii,  B. 

One  if  not  both  of  the  above  species  must  be  removed  from 
this  genus.  We  have  perfect  specimens  from  the  inferior 
oolite,  which  will  be  described  should  the  fossils  of  that  for- 
mation come  under  our  consideration. 


FOSSILS   OF   THE    SCARBOROUGH    CORNBRASH.  59 

ANNUL  AT  A. 


Serpula  intestinalis,  P. 

squamosa,  P. 

claw,  B. 


CONCHIFERA. 


Order  I. — Dimyaria. 
Pholadomya  Murchisoni,  P. 
ovalis,  S. 


-acuticostata,  S. 
-obsoleta,  P. 
-simplex,  P. 
-nana,  P. 


My  a  modica,  B. 

literata,  P. 

depressa,  S. 

calceiformis,  P. 

Amphidesma  decurtatum,  P. 

securiforme,  P. 

decussatum,  B.     (New  Sp.) 

Shell  oval-oblong,  equivalve,  unequilateral,  gaping,  and  a  little  round- 
ed at  each  extremity,  covered  with  numerous  lines  of  growth,  and 
the  anterior  end  finely  striated  longitudinally.  Length  2  in.,  breadth 
3£in. 

This  rare  shell  is  evidently  of  the  same  family  as  the  above ; 
probably  none  of  them  belong  to  the  genus  Amphidesma. 

Amphidesma  recurvum,  P. 

Corbula  depressa,  P. 

Sanguinolaria  undulata,  S. 

parvula,  B.     (New  Sp.  fig.  18). 

Shell  transversely  oblong,  compressed,  smooth,  and 
marked  with  a  few  lines  of  growth.  Anterior  end 
a  little  rounded,  and  the  posterior  with  a  rounded 
truncation.  Beaks  nearest  the  anterior  extremity. 
Length  ^  in.,  breadth,  \  in. 

A  rare  shell,  which  has  not  yet  been  found  in  any  of  our 
other  strata. 

Psammobia  laevigata,  P. 
Tellina 

proletaria,  B.    Very  rare. 

C orb  is  ovalis,  P. 

lucida,  B. 

Lucina  crassa,  S. 

despecta,  P. 

Astarte  minima,  P. 

. lurida,  S. 

-externa,  P. 


-politula,  B. 
-rotundata,  B. 


Pullastra  percgrina,  B.     Unio  peregrinus,  P. 

large  species,  imperfect. 

Trigonia  costata,  S. 

< elongata,  S. 

clavellata,  S. 


60  FOSSILS  OF  THE  SCARBOROUGH   CORNBRASH. 

Cardium  lobatum,  P 

cognatum,  P. 

latum,  B. 

citrino'ideum,  P. 

—  globosum,  B.     (New  Sp.  fig.  19). 

Shell  globular,  equivalve,  equilateral,  smooth,  shining, 
and  covered  with  numerous  very  fine  concentric  stria. 
The  length  and  breadth  are  equal. 

Occurs  in  other  strata,  but  rare  in  all. 

striatulum,  P. 

Cardita  similis,  S.              ,*I  tw\j>w^syjw  imtaO     „9  ?m\»m\>s»kj  aimovi 
Isocardia  tumida,  P.  Kwb  »mi«0     M  ,*\mwv<\sb  — 

minima,  S.  .(IS  ,yi\  „qa  woVl)     .8  fjiY\j"sm-s«m  — — 

angulata,  P.      >[  auonoauia  diiw  ,ioidJ  txovaoo  Jbvo  IlodS 

nitida,  P.         tuwoJ  eWi&rv  vfuo  .ssstte  baJylubmi  tlnaih 

triangularis,  B,     (New  sp.  fig.  20).;{)(]  isa&    4f&Mtf 


We  possess  perfect  specimens  of  the  nW* ,m^ 
species  of  Isocardia  enumerated  above,  and  vvi 
consider  them  all  distinct.  The  two  last, 
in  shape  and  size,  are  very  much  alike,  but 
Iso.  triangularis  may  at  once  be  distin- 
guished by  its  stronger  concentric  lines  and 
longitudinal  stria.       aaoq  \&ai  ba&  ^oli^ml  bus  i 

CucuLL.ffiA  cancellata,  P. 

Woxima,B.       ^wtE--.III  lafoO 


triangularis,  P. 


Arca  crnnula,  P 
Nucula  Lachryma,  S. 


variabilis  S.  °^  tuvVi^cpoos\ii«no  — — 

Modiola  cuneata,'?. 

imbricata,  S. 

— —  tripartita,  P.,7708  lo  ?^S0^  .^1    Offl   JOH   81    8lriT 

Pinna  lanceolata,  a. 
cuneata,  P. 

Older  n.-JTomqwM. 
Avicula  Braamburiensis,  P. 

incequivalvis,  S. 

Inoceramus.    Fragments  of  a  very  large  and  thick  species. 

Gervillia  aviculoides,  S. 

PlagiostomaW^^P. 

■  ■  interstinctum,  P. 

Lima  rudis,  P. 

gibbosa,  S. 

Pecten  elimatus  B. 

cantos,  *P. 

arcuatus,  S.  •  >  gjx 

inaquicostatits,?. 

fibrosus  s. ' 

/«w,  S. ' 

■'  vagans,  S. 


FOSSILS  FROM  THE  SCARBOROUGH  CORNBRASH. 


Gl 


fc8  ,«VV$KVS«  ATICUlAvi 


Exogyra  mima,  B.     Charm  mima,  P. 
Gryph^a  bullata,  P. 
Ostrea  Marshii,  S. 

spatiosa,  B. 

Meadii,  S. 

granulata,  B.  ctoiatel«fpo  ttfi ,  nvmpe  tiB! 

In  Dr  Murray's  cabinet     Our  specimen  of  this  beautiful 

oyster  is  from  the  Bath  oolite.        ,  ivd 

Ostrea.    A  small,  thick,  oval  species. 
Anomia  ineequalis,  B.     Ostrea  inaqualis,  P. 

duriuscula,  B.     Ostrea  duriuscula,  P. 

semistriata,  B.     (New  sp,  fig.  21). 

Shell  oval,  convex,  thick,  with  numerous  longitu- 
dinal, undulated  stria,  only  visible  towards  the 
margin.  Beak  pointed,  but  not  terminal. — 
Length,  1  in.  breadth,  $  inf|  Baemi0^ 

In  looking  over  a  great  number  of  speci- 
mens of  the  fossils  which  we  have  placed  in 
this  genus,  only  one  of  what  may  be  the  low- 
er valve  has  been  met  with.  It  is  perforated, 
and  has  the  appearance  of  the  under  valve  of  an  Anomia,  but 
it  is  very  thin  and  fragile,  and  may  possibly  have  been  broken 
by  accident.  <!  ^Lmt  A^JJUOUc 

Order  III.— Brachiopoda, 

Terebratula  soctalis,  P.  g  »Kun<5.iv— 
digona,  S. 

var.  S. 


omithocephalus,  S, 
subrotunda,  S. 
ovoides,  P. 


(I  ?J>Ww»  ADA  A 

,*I  (S&j&mrc  AJoiaoM 

8  ,*>i&>h<kw  — 


This  is  not  the  Ter.  ovoides  of  Sowerby,  but  a  common 
shell  in  the  shale  that  covers  the  cornbrash  on  the  north  shore. 
Good  specimens  are  rarely  met  with,  but  the  beak  of  the 
larger  valve  is  always  very  perfect,  prominent,  and  incurved, 
which  gives  the  shell  a  fanciful  resemblance  to  a  bird's  head. 

MOLLUSC  A. 

Order  I. — Gasteropoda. 

Bulla  undulata,  B.     (New  sp.  fig.  22). 

Shell  oval,  approaching  to  globular,  longitudi- 
nally wrinkled  or  undulated.  Aperture  large, 
comprising  nearly  the  whole  shell,  but  much 
wider  at  the  lower  than  the  upper  part.  Apex 
umbilicated.    Length,  1^  in.  breadth,  1  in. 

Mr.  G.  B.  Sowerby  in  his  *  Genera  of  Re- 
cent and  Fossil  Shells,'  says, — "  Fossil  spe- 
cies are  only  to  be  distinguished  in  the  ter- 
tiary beds  and  in  the  green  sand."  For 
once  we  must  differ  from  him,  at  the  same 

g  3 


(52  FOSSILS  OF  THE  SCARBOROUGH  CORNBRASH. 

time  acknowledging  the  correctness  of  his  general  assertions. 
Fossil  Bulla  are  certainly  rare ;  the  specimen  figured  being 
the  only  one  that  has  occurred  in  this  neighbourhood.  The 
Bulla  elongata  figured  by  Professor  Phillips  in  his  '  Illustra- 
tions of  the  Geology  of  Yorkshire,'  cannot  belong  to  this  ge- 
nus, as  all  our  specimens  (though  imperfect)  have  one  fold  on 
the  pillar. 

Vermetus  nodus,  B.     Vermicularia  nodus,  P. 

reverse  var.  B. 

Dentalium  glabellum,  B. 

CiRRvsfuniculatus,  B.     Turbo  funiculatus,  P, 

Rotella  expansa,  S. 

Pleurotomaria  granulata,  S. 

Trochus  monilitectus,  P. 

Littorina  ornata,  S. 

punctura,  B.     (New  sp.j%.  23). 

Shell  turbinated,  finely  striated  longitudinally  and  trans- 
versely, which,  under  a  high  magnifier,  gives  it  a  very 
beautiful  appearance.  Whorls  six,  rounded  and  well 
divided,  the  body  whorl  occupying  one  half  the  length 
of  the  shell.  Aperture  elliptical.  Pillar  lip  thick  and 
a  little  flattened :  outer  lip  very  thin.  Length  nearly 
f  in.  breadth  %  in. 

The  only  specimen  procured  from  the  cornbrash,  but  in  the 
inferior  oolite  at  Peak  Hill  it  is  not  uncommon ;  the  specimens 
found  there  are  larger,  coarser,  and  the  spire  is  not  so  much 
produced. 

Ph asian ella  Heddingtonensis ,  S. 

vittata,  B.     Melania  vittata,  P. 

Turritella  longiuscula,  B.     Tur.  cingenda,  P. 

gemmata,  B. 

Terebra  granulata,  P. 
Rostellaria  bispinosa,  P. 

Order  IV. — Cephalopoda. 

Belemnites  tornatiUs,  P. 
Nautilus  imperfect. 
Ammonites  Hervii,  S. 
terebratus,  P. 

This  ammonite  grows  to  a  large  size,  in  which  state  it  is 
compressed,  smooth,  and  destitute  of  its  former  ornaments. 

REMAINS  OF  FISHES. 
Part  of  a  fish  of  the  genus  Lepidotus. 

REMAINS  OF  REPTILES. 
Vertebra  and  bones  of  saurian  animals. 

Scarborough,  Dec.  12, 1838. 


NOTICES  OF  IRISH  ENTOZOA. 


63 


Art.  III. — Notices  of  Irish  Entozoa.  By  James  L.  Drummond, 
M.D.,  Professor  of  Anatomy  in  the  Royal  Belfast  Institution,  Pre- 
sident of  the  Belfast  Natural  History  Society. 

( Continued  from  page  662  vol.  ii.  n.  s.) 

Echinorhynchus  Hystrix ;  Bremser. 
"  Ech.    Proboscidis  cylindricae  parte  antica  angustata,  collo  brevi,  cor- 
pore  antrorsum  crassissimo  aculeato,  apice  caudali  tenui  subnudo."     Rud. 
'  Syn.'  p.  75. 

On  Friday,  the  9th  of  November  last,  I  received  from  my 
friend  Dr.  Hopkirk,  (now  attached  as  naturalist  to  the  Irish 
ordnance  survey),  the  bodies  of  two  goosanders,  (Mergus  Mer- 
ganser), which  had  been  recently  shot.  In  one  of  these  there 
were  nearly  a  hundred  specimens  of  Echinorhynchus  Hystrix 
adhering  to  the  intestine,  from  about  two  inches  above  its 
lower  extremity  to  the  distance  of  a  foot  and  a  half  higher  up. 
They  were  very  white,  and  to  the  naked  eye  not  larger  than 
the  head  of  an  ordinary  pin ;  but  after  maceration  in  water, 
they  enlarged  in  every  direction,  so  as  to  present  the  appear- 
ance shown  at  a,  Jig.  24. 
24 


(a)  appearance  of  E- 
chinorhynchus  Hystrix 
when  distended  and  ad- 
hering to  the  mucous 
coat.  (6)  a  detached  spe- 
cimen, magnified,  {c) 
the  proboscis,  with  its 
large  uncinuli.  (d)  mi- 
nute aculel  on  anterior 
part  of  the  body,  (e) 
form  of  the  animal  when 
un-distended,  resem- 
bling the  Patella  Hun- 
garica.  (/)  magnified 
view  of  aspecimenwhen 
distention  has  commen- 
ced, (g)  a  mature  ovum, 
(h)  two  immature  ova. 


Echinorhynchus  Hystrix,  Bremser. 

I  had  often  had  a  difficulty  in  comprehending  what  could 
be  the  use  of  the  numerous  aculei  on  the  bodies  of  various 
Entozoa,  and  though  it  might  seem  sufficiently  obvious  that 
their  final  object  must  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  uncinuli  of 


<>4  NOTICES  OF  IRISH  ENTOZOA. 

the  proboscis,  yet  the  difficulty  remained  of  knowing  how 
they  could  come  into  action ;  and  on  looking  at  b,  Jig.  24, 
which  is  a  magnified  view  of  the  present  species,  it  is  not  easy 
to  conceive  how  the  proboscis  (c)  could  be  assisted  by  the 
aculei  at  d.  And  were  the  natural  state  of  the  animal  such 
as  is  represented  here,  and  in  delineations  of  this  and  various 
allied  species  in  helminthological  works,  these  aculei  would 
be  little  better  than  useless ;  but  the  figures  alluded  to  show 
the  animals  not  in  their  natural  state,  but  distended  to  six 
times  their  original  bulk,  or  more,  by  the  absorption  of  wa- 
ter, and  rendered  rigid,  and  almost  ready  to  burst,  instead  of 
being  shrivelled  and  flaccid.  In  accordance  with  this  obser- 
vation I  found  that  on  examining  the  present  species,  when 
immediately  removed  from  the  intestine,  it  bore  in  form  a 
close  resemblance  to  a  Patella  Hungarica  in  miniature  ; 
there  was  a  small,  conical,  raised  extremity,  but  the  broad 
end  was  expanded  like  a  circular  disc,  with  the  proboscis  pro- 
jecting from  its  centre,  as  represented  at  e,Jig.  24.  The  first 
sketch  which  I  made  of  this  species,  was  that  shown  at  f, 
Jig.  24,  after  the  absorption  of  water  had  commenced ;  while 
b,  Jig.  24,  shows  the  animal  when  the  distention  was  com- 
pleted. I  if  a  r  oi  7  nr>  ur 

Now  it  must  be  obvious  that  while  the  Entozoon  can  ap- 
ply the  aculei  to  the  side  of  the  intestine,  or  to  the  tough 
mucus  lining  it,  considerable  adhesive  force  must  be  added 
to  that  of  the  proboscis,  and  the  animal's  hold  be  rendered 
thereby  more  secure.  It  would  appear  too  that  the  younger, 
and  consequently  the  weaker,  the  animal  is,  the  greater  is  the 
surface  which  the  aculei  occupy.  All  the  specimens  which 
I  obtained  were  evidently  adult,  and  only  the  anterior  part 
was  armed  with  them,  but  those  which  Rudolphi  received 
from  Bremser,  and  which  were  found  in  the  intestines  of  the 
cormorant  {Pelecanus  Carbo,  Linn.),  would  seem  from  the  fol- 
lowing sentence  to  have  been  of  different  ages,  and  to  bear 
out  this  opinion. — "  Apice  posteriore  excepto  corpus  aculeis 
exiguis  reflexis  horret,  in  specimine  minimo  ad  ultimum  api- 
cem  protractis  ;  in  reliquis  major  pars  nuda  est." — *Ent.  Syn.' 
p.  332.  This  subject  will  be  recurred  to  in  considering  the 
next  species. 

Contrary  to  what  is  usual  among  the  Entozoa,  the  males 
in  my  specimens  are  nearly  as  large  as  the  females ;  the  cau- 
dal vescicle  is  not  oblique,  but  directly  terminates  the  body. 
On  cutting  into  several  specimens  in  the  distended  state,  a 
fluid  crowded  with  granules  rushed  out ;  and  on  cutting  the 
females  thousands  of  ova  appeared.  These  were  of  the  usual 
form  of  the  ova  of  the  Echinorhynchi, — elliptic  and  linear. 


NOTICES  OF  IRTSH  ENTOZOA.  65 

Those  whieh  were  immature  exhibited  only  one  envelope, 
but  in  such  as  were  more  advanced,  a  second  was  very  con- 
spicuous, a  considerable  space  intervening  between  the  two, 
especially  at  one  end.  A  granular  mass  occupying  some  part 
of  the  central  axis  was  always  visible  in  the  mature,  and  some- 
times in  the  immature  ova.  The  round  or  oval  masses  were 
likewise  numerous,  but  exhibited  no  appearance  of  contained 
ovula.  With  regard  to  these  bodies  I  will  take  this  opportu- 
nity of  remarking,  that  though  at  page  523  of  the  last  volume 
I  spoke  strongly  against  the  supposition  of  the  spicular  ova 
having  any  intimate  connection  with  them,  as  no  such  union, 
after  very  numerous  observations,  had  ever  presented  itself  to 
me,  yet  I  am  now  persuaded  that  they  are  masses  of  ovula  in 
a  rudimentary  state.  On  the  6th  of  October  last  while  exa- 
mining some  specimens  of  Echinorhynchus  versicolor  from  a 
duck,  I  saw  in  one  individual  so  distinctly  that  the  round  bo- 
dies consisted  of  young  ova,  that  I  marked  down  the  follow- 
ing words  in  my  diary. — "  I  saw,  without  any  manner  of 
doubt,  that  most  of  the  rounded  masses  were  composed  of 
immature  ova,  their  outline  being  so  clearly  visible  that  there 
could  be  no  mistake."  Among  the  spicular  free  ova,  too,  were 
many  minute  specimens  which  exactly  resembled  those  in  the 
orbicular  masses.  In  several  other  individuals  which  I  exa- 
mined from  the  same  duck,  and  in  others  afterwards  from  the 
sheldrake,  I  found  no  similar  appearance ;  but  in  the  instance 
mentioned,  the  ovular  composition  of  the  masses  was  so  in- 
disputably evident,  that  in  my  own  mind  there  was  left  no 
farther  room  for  doubt. 

To  return  to  our  more  immediate  subject, — my  friend  Dr. 
Bellingham  of  Dublin,  who  has  paid  more  attention  to  the 
Entozoa  than  any  other  person  in  this  country,  having  kindly 
offered  to  co-operate  with  me  in  illustrating  our  native  spe- 
cies, I  gladly  avail  myself  of  his  friendly  assistance  in  describ- 
ing the  present.  In  a  letter  dated  December  9th,  1838,  he 
observes, — "I  have  obtained  the  Echinorhynchus  Hystrix 
from  the  large  and  small  intestines  of  the  crested  cormorant, 
from  the  small  intestines  of  Mergus  serrator,  and  what  I  take 
to  be  it  from  the  rectum  of  the  common  cormorant,  and  of 
the  red-necked  [grebe  (Podiceps  riijicollis  ?).  The  following 
are  the  observations  which  I  find  I  had  made  on  this  species* 
May  8th,  1838. — In  large  and  small  intestines  of  crested  cor- 
morant found  many  specimens  of  Echinorhynchus  Hystrix. 
In  most  instances  they  were  firmly  adherent  to  the  mucous 
membrane.  The  greater  number  and  the  largest  existed  in 
the  rectum  and  close  to  its  short  coeca ;  in  the  small  intes- 
tines they  were  fewer  and  of  less  size.     Their  colour  is  white, 


66 


NOTICES  OF  IRISH  ENTOZOA. 


the  largest  are  three  lines  in  length,  and  a  line  in  breadth 
across  the  thickest  part  of  the  body.  The  proboscis  is  coni- 
cal, armed  with  very  numerous  recurved  hooks,  rounded  an- 
teriorly ;  the  neck  in  some  is  retracted,  when  fully  protruded 
it  is  about  the  length  of  the  head,  smaller  where  it  joins  the 
head,  and  increasing  in  diameter  posteriorly  ;  it  is  unarmed. 
The  body  is  thick  and  somewhat  globular  anteriorly,  gradu- 
ally diminishing  in  diameter  as  it  approaches  the  posterior 
extremity.  It  is  armed,  especially  anteriorly,  with  innumera- 
ble minute  recurved  hooks,  which  are  much  smaller  than 
those  on  the  head ;  some  specimens  are  armed  from  one  end 
of  the  body  to  the  other,  others  are  unarmed  near  the  poste- 
rior end.  The  body  in  the  female  is  rounded  posteriorly,  and 
has  a  very  small  yellowish  spot  at  its  extremity.  The  male 
is  not  so  long  as  the  female,  but  as  wide  anteriorly.  Two 
vessels  appear  through  the  parietes  of  the  neck,  running  into 
the  body,  where  they  are  lost." 

This  species  is  beautifully  figured  in  Bremser's  seventh 
plate,  Jig.  22 — 23,  but  the  proboscis  is  there  represented  more 
conical  than  I  have  seen  it.  It  has,  so  far  as  my  information 
extends,  been  hitherto  found  only  in  the  following  birds : — 
by  Bremser  in  the  Pelecanus  Carbo;  by  Dr.  Bellingham  in 
the  same  ?  and  in  Carbo  cristatus,  Mergus  serrator;  and  Po- 
diceps  ruficollis  ?  and  by  myself  in  the  Mergus  Merganser, 

ECHINORHYNCHUS  JMcollis,  Rud. 

"  Proboscidis  (semper  latentis)  receptaculo  magno  sphserico,  collo  filifor- 
mi,  corpore  oblongo  utrinque  obtusissimo." — Rud. '  Syn.'  p.  71. 


Echinorhynchus  fillcollis,  Rudolphi. 

(a)  Echinorhynchus  fllicollis  in  its  natural  or  corrugated  state,  adhering  to  the  coat  of  the  in- 
testine, (b)  a  specimen  distended  with  water,  and  separated  from  its  connections,  (c)  head  mag- 
nified, {d)  head  with  part  of  it  removed  by  a  vertical  section,  shewing  the  thick  central  pillar 
surmounted  by  the  umbo. 

Rudolphi  mentions  this  species  as  having  been  observed  in 
the  wild  duck,  the  tufted  duck  (Fuligula  crislata),  the  sum- 
mer duck  {Anas  sponsa),  the  eider  duck  (Anas  mollissima), 
and  the  bald  coot  {Fulica  atra).  Dr.  Bellingham  has  found 
it  in  the  wild  duck  and  the  tufted  duck ;  from  which  latter 


NOTICES  OF  IRISH  ENTOZOA.  67 

species  I  have  obtained  it,  and  also  from  the  golden  eye  (Anas 
clausula  Lin). 

On  the  25th  of  November  last  my  friend  Dr.  Hopkirk  sent 
me  two  specimens  of  Anas  cla?igula,  in  one  of  which  I  found 
three  Entozoa  so  closely  resembling  the  figures  of  Echino- 
rhynchus  spharocephalus  in  Bremser's  plate,  ('  Icones  Hel- 
minthum,'  tab.  vii.  ff.  14 — 19),  that  I  sent  Dr.  Bellingham  a 
specimen  under  that  denomination.  He  informed  me  shortly 
afterwards  that  it  was  what  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  con- 
sidering as  Ech.Jilicollis,  and  on  comparing  it  with  the  de- 
scription of  that  species,  I  accordingly  found  it  to  be  so,  but 
for  reasons  which  I  shall  presently  state  I  cannot  help  think- 
ing that  Ech.  jilicollis  and  Ech.  sphaerocephalus  are  identi- 
cally the  same. 

On  the  14th  of  the  present  month  in  examining  a  tufted 
duck  sent  by  my  friend  Wm.  Thompson,  Esq.,  1  found  up- 
wards of  thirty  specimens  of  the  same  Entozoon.  When  seen 
lying  in  the  intestine  it  resembles  a  portion  of  a  thick  Tcenia, 
so  much  is  it  corrugated  transversely.  It  is  found  however 
to  be  very  firmly  fixed  to  the  intestine,  and  on  farther  exami- 
nation it  is  ascertained  that  while  the  body  of  the  animal  is 
in  the  intestinal  cavity,  the  head  is  on  the  outer  or  peritoneal 
surface,  while  the  slender  neck  connecting  the  one  with  the 
other  passes  through  the  intestinal  walls.  The  outer  surface 
of  the  intestine  hence  presents  the  appearance  of  being  stud- 
ded with  a  number  of  tubercles,  as  when  the  Ech.  versicolor 
is  present,  but  with  this  difference,  that  many  of  the  tuber- 
cles are  not  in  immediate  contact  with  the  surface,  but  are 
appended  each  to  a  slender  projecting  pedicle,  one  or  two 
lines  in  length. 

Rudolphi  describes  this  species  as  being  from  half  an  inch 
to  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length  ;  my  largest  specimen,  which 
is  from  the  Anas  clangula,  measures  about  fourteen  lines. 
He  states  that  in  the  examination  of  above  thirty  speci- 
mens, he  never  saw  the  proboscis  exserted,  ('  Ent.  Hist.'  i.  p. 
283) ;  and  again  in  the  'Synopsis,'  p.  327,  he  observes, — 
"  Echinorhynchus  Jilicollis,  quemadmodum  praecedens  (Ech. 
porrigens)  nunquam  proboscidem  exsertam  affert,  sed  in 
bullam  sive  receptaculum  et  ita  quidem  retractam  sistet,  ut 
nulla  encheiresi  evolvi  possit."  I  believe  that  the  proper  ex- 
planation of  this  is,  that  there  is  no  proboscis  to  exsert ;  and 
for  these  reasons.  On  examining  at  least  a  dozen  specimens 
in  the  microscope,  I  found  first,  that  the  head  and  projecting 
part  of  the  neck  (or  pedicle)  are  surrounded  by  a  thin  layer 
of  peritonmum,  which  can  be  readily  torn  away;  under  this 
is  a  much  thicker  and  stronger  envelope,  which  with  a  little 


68  NOTICES  OP  IRISH  ENTOZOA. 

trouble  can  also  be  removed  or  torn,  so  that  it  may  be  evert- 
ed, in  doing  which  it  is  seen  to  be  every  where  in  close  con- 
tact with,  though  not  adhering  to,  the  ball  or  head ;  there  is 
no  perforation  whatever,  either  through  it  or  the  peritoneal 
covering,  nor  is  there  any  vacant  space  into  which  the  pro- 
boscis could  be  protruded.  A  proboscis  therefore  could  not 
pass  into  the  abdominal  cavity  of  the  bird,  nor  is  there  any 
space  for  receiving  it  in  the  coats  which  envelope  the  head. 

But  farther,  when  the  extraneous  coats  are  removed  and 
the  head  itself  comes  fairly  into  view,  there  is  not  on  the  lat- 
ter the  slightest  appearance  of  any  aperture,  nothing  like  the 
entrance  into  an  investing  sheath  in  which  the  instrument  could 
be  retracted,  and  the  centre  of  the  disc,  instead  of  being  de- 
pressed, is  prominent  and  rounded.  Rudolphi  describes  the 
disc,  or  top  of  the  head,  as  apiculate,  "seu  puncto  eminente 
insignem ; "  but  this  term  does  not  fairly  express  its  nature, 
the  central  projection  not  being  a  minute  or  sharp  point,  but 
blunt,  convex,  and  surrounded  by  a  broad  fosse ;  the  proper 
term,  as  applied  to  the  head  would  be  umbonated,  and  to  the 
central  projection,  that  of  umbo*  &  dona  gnhjjovj3t  yjswynjs  m 

The  circumstances  mentioned  are  sufficient,  I  believe,  to 
show  that  the  only  proboscis,  if  so  it  can  be  called,  is  the 
head  itself^  7  jBf[j  eaoqqng  o)  boa'doai  donm  m\B  I  amij  msam 

The  neck  of  this  species  is  very  slender,  being  no  thicker 
than  an  ordinary  sewing  thread,  but  it  is  extremely  tough, 
and  difficult  to  break,  so  that  by  care  and  patience  the  intes- 
tine may  be  cleared  away  from  it ;  and  in  doing  this  I  have 
succeeded  better  by  tearing  away  the  intestine  piecemeal, 
with  a  pair  of  forceps  in  each  hand,  than  by  using  cutting 
instruments.  Rudolphi  observes, — "  Tuberculo  extus  aperto 
sphaera  invenitur,  quae  cum  collo  facile  a  corpore  discedit, 
intestino  vero  prius  aperto,  et  eodem  circa  vermis  collum  cau- 
te  dissecto,  vermis  illsesus  extrahitur.  Turn  vero  intestinum 
circa  collum  tenue  Contractum  conspiciendo,  qui  bulla  cana- 
lem  tenuissimum  transgredi  potuerit  mireris." — '  Ent.'  i.  p.  284. 
The  first  part  of  this  passage  does  not  correspond  with  my 
own  experience,  for  I  have  always  found  that  the  neck  and 
body  adhered  most  tenaciously  to  each  other ;  and  with  re- 
gard to  the  last  clause,  that  our  wonder  should  be  excited  by 
the  passing  of  so  large  a  body  as  the  head  of  the  Entozoon 
through  so  small  a  canal  as  that  which  contains  the  neck, 
my  opinion  is  that  it  never  makes  any  such  passage.  I  have 
no  idea  that  the  head  of  the  animal  is  first  contained  in  the 
intestinal  cavity,  or  that  it  is  attached  to  the  parietes  of  the 
latter,  and  afterwards  works  its  way  through  to  the  peritoneal 
surface ;  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  believe  that  the  animal's 


NOTICES  OF  IRISH  ENTOZOA.  69 

progress  is  in  a  contrary  direction, — that  in  its  first  stage  of 
being,  the  head  is  formed  in  the  peritoneal  coat,  and  that  from 
it  the  neck  penetrates  the  other  tunics,  and  that  afterwards 
the  body  is  developed. 

In  support  of  this  opinion  I  may  at  present  mention,  that 
besides  the  tubercles  on  the  outside  of  the  intestine  of  the 
tufted  duck,  to  which  were  appended  the  bodies  of  perfect 
Entozoa,  hanging  free  in  the  intestinal  cavity,  there  were 
many  other  similar  tumors  having  no  such  appendages,  and 
on  examining  these  I  found  the  head  of  Ech.  Jilicollis,  with 
its  enveloping  coats,  its  central  umbo,  and  the  stria  running 
from  it,  similar  in  all  respects  to  the  head  of  the  fully  deve- 
loped animal,  but  the  neck  was  a  pedicle  of  about  two,  or  at 
most  three,  lines  in  length,  terminated  by  a  blunt,  conical 
point,  but  not  entering  into  any  coat  of  the  intestine,  the  pe- 
ritoneal excepted,  in  which  it  was  involved.  It  may  be  ob- 
jected that  these  were  the  heads  of  perfect  Entozoa,  whose 
bodies  had  previously  dropped  off,  and  this  idea  occurred  to 
me  in  their  examination,  but  I  could  perceive  no  circumstance 
in  any  way  favouring  such  a  supposition.  I  am  ready  to  ad- 
mit, however,  that  much  more  observation  will  be  required  to 
settle  this  point  as  an  absolute  matter  of  truth,  but  in  the 
mean  time  I  am  much  inclined  to  suppose  that  various  intes- 
tinal Entozoa  have  their  embryotic  period  of  existence  in  the 
2ieriton<Bum,  and  are  afterwards  developed  into  their  final 
state  by  prolongation  through  the  other  intestinal  coats  into 
their  common  cavity.  This  I  suspect  to  be  the  case  with  the 
Bothriocephalus  so  common  in  the  cod,  the  head  of  which  is 
always  lodged  in  a  curved  irregular  tumor,  on  the  outside  of 
one  of  the  pyloric  appendages,  while  the  body  hangs  free  in 
the  duodenum.* 

The  Ech.  Jilicollis  absorbs  water,  but  by  no  means  so  ra- 
pidly as  any  others  of  the  same  genus  which  I  have  examin- 
ed, and  in  several  of  the  specimens  which  I  obtained  from 
the  tufted  duck,  the  process  was  defective  both  at  the  anterior 
and  posterior  ends,  while  it  was  nearly  perfect  in  the  middle, 
so  that  the  centre  was  swelled  and  the  extremities  narrow, 
exactly  as  the  Ech.  spharocephalus  is  described  by  Rudolphi, 

1  On  enquiring  from  Dr.  Bellingham  whether  he  had  ever  detected  the 
head  of  this  species,  he  thus  writes, — "  I  have  seldom  examined  a  cod  that 
I  have  not  found  the  Bothriocephalus  you  mention ;  that  it  is  a  Bothrioce- 
phalus appears,  I  think,  from  the  situation  of  the  ovaries.  I  have  never 
been  able  to  unravel  the  head,  so  as  to  examine  it,  although  I  have  drawn 
it  out  to  a  fine  point,  but  could  see  neither  depression  nor  oscula."  Dr.  B. 
farther  states  that  he  is  sure  it  is  a  new  species,  and  suggests  for  it  the  very 
appropriate  specific  title  of  cryptocephalus. 


70  NOTICES  OF  IRISH  ENTOZOA. 

and  figured  by  Bremser.     The  only  point  of  difference  in- 
deed which  exists  between  my  specimens  of  Ech.  filicollis 
and  Ech.  sphcerocephcelus  is  their  being  unarmed,  though 
even  this  may  not  perhaps  be  an  insuperable  obstacle  to  their 
identity.     Bremser  first  observed  that  several  species  which 
are  fully  armed  in  their  young  state,  lose  a  great  part  of  their 
spines  on  becoming  adult.     Rudolphi  at  first  rejected  that 
idea,  but  at  length,  and  from  the  examination  of  this  very 
Ech.  sphcerocephalus,  embraced  it  as  an  undoubted  fact. — 
"  Ita  nunc  factum  est,  ut  Echinorhynchos  juniores  cum  seni- 
oribus,  armatos  illos  sensim  in  denudatos  transientes." — '  Syn.' 
p.  672.     I  may  remark  too  that  while  in  Bremser's  seventh 
plate,  figure  15  represents  the  Ech.  sphcerocephalus  with  the 
head  and  anterior  part  of  the  body  thickly  armed,  figure  17 
with  the  head  also  thickly  armed,  but  with  only  a  few  aculei 
on  the  anterior  of  the  body,  figure  19  is  totally  destitute  of 
armature  on  any  part  of  it  whatever ;  a  pretty  strong  presump- 
tion that  in  this  species  at  least,  the  presence  or  the  want  of 
armature  is  not  of  primary  importance  as  a  distinctive  mark. 
The  specimens  of  Ech.  sphcerocephalus  examined  by  Brem- 
ser and  Rudolphi  were  sent  by  Natterer  from  Brazil,  and  were 
found  in  the  intestines  of  the  sea  pie  {Hcematopus  ostralegus),1 
and  in  those  of  some  species  of  gull :  they  were  of  various 
sizes,  and  very  numerous.     Rudolphi  says  of  those  from  the 
Hcematopus, — "  Plurima  specimina  duas  cum  dimidia,  unum 
septem,  alterum  novem  lineas  attingunt," — 'Syn.'  p.  670 ;  but 
no  mention  whatever  is  made  of  their  neck  penetrating  the  in- 
testine, whence  it  may  be  concluded  that  they  were  found 
free  in  the  cavity ;  and  as  we  know  that  various  Ascarides  &c. 
are  sometimes  found  in  the  alimentary  canal,  and  at  other 
times  in  the  peritonceum,  there  can  be  nothing  absurd  in  the 
conjecture  that  this  species  may  also  occupy  one  or  other  of 
these  localities.     Supposing  then  Ech.  filicollis  and  Ech. 
sphcerocephalus  to  be  in  reality  the  same,  it  is  easy  to  con- 
ceive that  when  the  head  is  in  the  peritonceum  it  will  be  un- 
armed, for  there  armature  would  be  useless ;  but  on  the  con- 
trary if  attached  simply  to  the  mucous  coat,  then  the  same 
necessity  for  armature  would  exist  as  in  other  Echinorhynchi 
similarly  placed ;  it  is  therefore  not  improbable  that  since, 
according  to  the  circumstances  of  the  growth  of  the  animal, 
the  aculei  are  shed  or  retained ;  so  according  to  situation  they 
may  be  formed  or  not.     These  ideas  are  however  only  con- 
jectural. 

1  Mr.  Thompson  suggests  that  this  probably  was  the  Hcematopus  palli- 
atus  of  Temminck,  the  Ham.  ostralegus  not  being  found,  according  to  that 
author,  in  South  America. 


NOTICES  OF  IRISH  ENTOZOA.  71 

The  head  found  in  the  tumors  before  mentioned,  and  when 
the  neck  or  pedicle  did  not  pierce  the  intestine,  was  as  large 
as  in  the  fully-developed  specimens;  but  supposing  the  young- 
animal  to  be  attached  to  the  mucous  coat,  it  must  be  obvious 
that  a  small  proboscis-like  head  would  answer  better,  as  giv- 
ing a  more  penetrating  and  surer  hold  than  an  expanded  bulb. 
Now  Rudolphi  describes  the  head  of  the  smaller  specimens 
of  Ech.  sphcerocephalus  as  if  it  were  really  a  proboscis,  and 
makes  no  mention  of  a  head  at  all.  "Minorum :  Proboscis 
globosa  vel  sub-globosa  (antica  parte  turn  minus  convexa), 
echinomm  mediocrium  seriebus  plurimis  dense  armata." — 
'  Syn.'  p.  670.  Of  the  larger  specimens  he  says, — "Magno- 
rum :  Proboscis  nulla,  sed  bulla  terminalis  magna,  rotunda, 
parum  armata." — f  Syn. '  p.  471.  Now  if  Ech.  Jilicollis  and 
Ech.  sphcerocephalus  be  the  same,  the  peritonceum  and  not 
the  mucous  coat  is  the  more  natural  situation  of  the  head, 
which  I  would  infer  from  this,  that  Ech.  Jilicollis  is  by  no 
means  unfrequent,  whereas  Ech.  sphcerocephalus  is  only 
known  I  believe  through  the  medium  of  the  specimens  from 
Brazil.  When  therefore  the  developement  of  the  animal 
commences  in  the  intestinal  cavity,  although  the  head  may 
be  so  constitutioned  as  to  adapt  itself  to  that  locality,  yet  the 
more  natural  developement  into  a  ball  will  occasionally  mas- 
ter the  tendency  to  accommodation  ;  and  hence  we  find  that 
at  least  in  one  of  the  small  specimens  examined  by  Rudolphi 
the  head  did  not  assume  a  proboscideal  form.  "  Unicum 
tantum  specimen  acque  parvum  proboscidis  loco  bullam  mag- 
nam  seriebus  longitudinalibus  armatam  obtulit." — '  Syn. '  p. 
671. 

The  head  of  Ech.  Jilicollis  is  not  truly  globular,  but  is  of 
the  form  of  an  oblate  spheroid ;  and  when  the  side  of  it  is  re- 
moved by  a  vertical  section,  a  white  strong  pillar  is  seen, 
standing  in  its  centre,  and  continued  into  the  umbo,  while  a 
considerable  interspace  (containing  a  fluid  ?)  lies  between  it 
and  the  outer  walls.  It  thus  bears  a  considerable  resemblance 
to  the  vertical  section  of  the  capsule  of  some  mosses,  espe- 
cially of  Splachnum.  In  the  central  pillar  I  could  find  no 
trace  of  a  proboscis.  The  lateral  bandelettes  of  Cloquet  are 
very  conspicuous  on  opening  the  body  of  the  animal ;  they 
are  two  round,  firm  cords,  about  four  lines  long,  and  having 
their  extremities  free,  while  their  base  is  firmly  attached  to, 
or  rather  continuous  with,  the  root  of  the  neck. 

Belfast,  Dec.  30th,  1838. 


72  BOTANY  OF  CHEADLE. 


Art.  IV. — A  few  Observations  on  some  of  (he  Natural  Objects  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Cheadle,  Staffordshire.  By  James  Carter, 
Esq. 

As  it  is  only  by  the  accurate  recording  of  facts  and  observa- 
tions made  by  individuals  on  the  objects  of  the  districts  in 
which  they  reside,  that  a  general  knowledge  of  the  natural 
history  of  any  country  can  be  acquired,  I  am  induced  to  publish 
the  following  scattered  notes,  made  during  the  years  1836,-37, 
and  part  of  1838,  in  the  intervals  of  time  left  unoccupied  by 
the  discharge  of  professional  duties,  and  by  so  doing  add  ano- 
ther mite  to  the  information  on  local  natural  history,  at  present 
"  rudis  indigestaque  moles,"  but  from  which,  at  some  future 
period,  general  laws  of  great  interest  may  be  deduced. 

The  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Cheadle  is  highly  picturesque, 
being  very  hilly,  and  intersected  in  various  directions  by  nar- 
row valleys,  the  sides  of  which  are  frequently  very  abrupt  and 
rocky,  whereby  the  scenery  is  rendered  romantic.  The  ge- 
neral features  of  the  country  are  in  fact  intermediate  between 
those  of  the  southern  and  of  the  northern  counties. 

The  Flora  also,  as  might  be  expected  from  the  situation  of 
the  county,  consists  of  a  mixture  of  the  plants  common  in  the 
south  with  those  characteristic  of  the  north  of  England. — 
Thus,  Clematis  Vitalba  entirely  disappears,  and  Acer  cam- 
pestre  is  by  no  means  common  or  abundant :  and  on  the  other 
hand  we  meet  with  Empetrum  nigrum,  Parnassia  palustris, 
Saxifraga  hypnoides,  Vaccinium  Vitis  Idea,  and  other  north- 
ern plants.  The  difference  however  consists  rather  in  the 
degree  of  abundance  of  the  same  plants,  than  in  the  occur- 
rence of  different  species;  for  instance,  Vaccinium  Myrtillus, 
which  occurs  sparingly  in  the  south,  grows  in  the  greatest 
profusion  in  many  of  our  fir  plantations  and  commons,  even 
to  the  exclusion  of  almost  every  other  plant,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Calluna  and  Erica. 

Many  of  the  tracts  of  common  in  this  part  of  the  country  are 
still  very  extensive,  although  within  the  last  few  years  a  vast 
quantity  has  been  enclosed  and  planted  with  firs.  Grouse  are 
found  in  tolerable  abundance  on  some  of  the  large  heaths  in 
the  possession  of  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  and  also  on  those 
belonging  to  the  Duke  of  Devonshire  near  Buxton,  Derby- 
shire. Besides  the  plants  usually  met  with  on  the  heaths  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  London,  Eleocharis  caspitosa,  Juncus 
squarrosus,  and  Digitalis  purpurea  are  extremely  common 
and  abundant,  as  are  also  Jasione  montana  and  Empetrum 
nigrum.  Plantago  Coronopus  and  Genista  anglica  occur 
sparingly :  in  the  moist  spots  Eriophorum  angustifolium, 


BOTANY  OF  CHEADLE,   STAFFORDSHIRE.  73 

polystachion  ?  (I  cannot  affect  to  be  able  satisfactorily  to  dis- 
tinguish the  latter  species  from  angustifolium)  and  vaginatum, 
Oxy coccus  palustris  and  Viola  palustris  are  found.  Vaccinium 
Vitis  Idea  is  tolerably  abundant,  and  Vac.  Myrtillus  extremely 
so,  as  already  mentioned ;  the  fruit  of  the  bilberry  when  ripe  is 
gathered  by  the  poor,  and  carried  to  the  neighbouring  mar- 
kets ;  mixed  with  currants,  or  even  by  themselves,  they  form 
a  very  palatable  tart.  The  wood-pigeon  also  feeds  upon 
them,  and  on  account  of  the  peculiar  flavour  which  its  flesh 
then  acquires,  this  bird  is  considered  excellent  eating  during 
the  bilberry  season0'  hoe  ? 

The  principal  plants  which  occur  in  boggy  situations  are 
Hydrocotyle,  Viola  palustris,  Drosera  rotundifolia  and  longi- 
folia,  Menyanthes  trifoliata,  Narthecium  ossifragum,  and,  in 
elevated  positions,  as  about  Cotton  and  Whiston,  Parnassia 
palustris  in  abundance,  but,  as  Mr.  Luxford  remarks  in  the 
November  number  of  this  Magazine,  always  confined  to  li- 
mited spots,  hti&moi  bm 

There  is  a  ridge  of  limestone  hills, — the  Wever  Hills, — 
on  which  some  rather  uncommon  plants  are  met  with  ;  among 
them  may  be  enumerated  1  )r aba  mur alls,  Spiraea  JUipendula, 
Lathrceasquamaria  (near  the  lime-kiln),  Arabis  hirsuta,  Tri- 
folium  striatum,  Primula  elatior,  Spergula  nodosa,  Arenaria 
tenuifolia,  Carduus  nutans,  Asplenium  Rut a-mur aria  and 
Asp:  Trichomanes,  and  the  common  limestone  plants  Helian- 
themum  vulgar e,  Poterium  Sanguisorba,  Saxifraga  tridacty- 
lites,  &c.  Several  species  of  land  shells  also  occur  abun- 
dantly ;  as  Helix  crystallina,  pulchella,  rupestris,  (in  the 
crevices  of  the  rocks) ;  Pupa  umbilicata,  Clansilia  rugosa, 
and  a  variety  something  similar  to  CI.  dubia.  In  a  pasture 
on  the  same  range  of  hills,  near  the  Three  Lows  toll-gate, 
Gentiana  campestris  grows  plentifully,  in  company  with  Pla- 
tanthera  viridis,  which  latter  plant  is  rather  common  in 
gravelly  pastures.  On  the  right  hand  side  of  the  road  leading 
from  the  toll-gate  above  spoken  of,  to  the  village  of  Oaka- 
moor,  is  a  lovely  romantic  ravine,  which  will  well  repay  the 
naturalist  for  his  researches.  The  sides  are  rugged  and  steep, 
but  wooded,  and  on  them  are  found  Pyrola  minor,  Luziila. 
sylvatica,  pilosa,  and  congesta,  Polypodium  Dryopteris,  Hie- 
raciwn  sylvaticum  and  umbellatum :  I  was  also  highly  de- 
lighted to  discover,  by  the  side  of  a  stream  which  runs  along 
the  bosom  of  the  valley,  Valeriana  Pyrenaica,  growing  in 
tolerable  abundance ;  it  occurred  for  a  considerable  distance 
up  the  stream,  but  was  out  of  flower,  (August  5th).  I  have 
not  been  able  to  find  any  recorded  English  habitat  for  this 
plant ;  it  is,  I  am  aware,  considered  as  one  of  our  certainly- 
Vol.  III.— No.  26,  n.  s.  H 


74  BOTANY  OF  CHEADLE,  STAFFORDSHIRE. 

not-indigenous  plants,  but  no  one  who  sees  it  in  the  locality 
here  given,  will  hesitate  to  pronounce  it  decidedly  wild,  or 
at  least  perfectly  naturalized.  The  vegetation  generally  in 
this  spot  was  particularly  luxuriant ;  Asplenium  Filix-fcemi- 
na  was  especially  fine,  and  the  leaves  of  the  Arctium  Lappa 
were  so  large  that  I  stood  erect  under  them  during  a  shower 
of  rain.  Myrrhis  odorata  occurred  in  the  same  spot,  but  ra- 
ther sparingly :  where  also  I  took  Helix  fusca  and  Scarbur- 
gensis ;  of  the  latter  I  found  only  four  specimens,  which  were 
among  dead  beech-leaves. 

Another  very  picturesque  valley  called  Demon's  Dale,  or 
Dimsdale,  extending  from  Alton  Towers,  the  seat  of  the  Earl 
of  Shrewsbury,  in  the  direction  towards  Cheadle,  affords 
Viola  palustris,  Chrysosplenium  oppositifolium  and  alterni- 
foliwn  in  great  profusion ;  also  Adoxa  moschatellina,  which 
indeed  is  much  more  abundant  in  many  places  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood than  I  ever  observed  it  elsewhere ;  it  abounds  on 
every  moist,  bushy  bank.  Angelica  sylvestris,  Lycopodium 
inundatum,  Polypodium  Dryopteris,  Pol.  calcareum  (one 
specimen),  Gnaphalium  rectum,  Empetrum  nigrum,  Pyrola 
minor  (by  the  side  of  the  private  coach-road),  and  Orobanche 
elatior  occur  in  the  same  locality,  as  does  Circcea  lutetiana, 
but  of  so  dwarf  a  stature,  although  growing  in  a  damp  situa- 
tion, and  with  leaves  so  decidedly  heart-shaped,  as  to  be  ea- 
sily mistaken  for,  if  indeed  it  be  not,  Cir.  alpina.  In  the 
woods  which  cover  the  sides  of  this  valley  I  found  several 
colonies  of  Helix  nitens,  of  a  very  large  size,  occupying 
rounded  excavations  under  stones,  which  in  three  instances 
also  contained  a  rather  uncommon  beetle  {Cychrus  rostratus). 
Pupa  edentula  is  very  common,  adhering  to  the  back  of  the 
barren  fronds  of  Blechnum  boreale ;  and  on  the  luxuriant 
herbage  which  grows  on  the  moist  spots  by  the  side  of  the 
rivulet  traversing  the  valley,  Helix  fusca  is  found  sparingly. 

In  the  summer  of  1837  I  took  many  specimens  of  Hylobius 
straminea  ;  indeed  this  beetle  was  abundantly  met  with  in 
many  localities  in  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  of  last  year. 
This  insect  afforded  a  singular  instance  of  tenacity  of  life :  I 
plunged  two  specimens  into  a  phial  filled  with  spirits  of  wine, 
at  the  bottom  of  which  they  lay  apparently  dead  for  three 
days ;  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day  I  transfixed  them  with 
a  pin,  and  stuck  them  on  a  setting -board  ;  the  next  day,  to 
my  surprise,  I  found  them  alive,  and  as  active  as  when  I  first 
took  them. 

In  the  barren  pastures  Gentiana  Amarella  grows  plenti- 
fully ;  and  in  several  localities,  as  about  Wootton,  Cheadle 
Common,  and  Dilhorn,  that  elegant  little  fern  Botrychium 


•       BOTANY  OF  CHEADLE,  STAFFORDSHIRE.  75 

Lunaria  occurs  in  profusion;  in  a  pasture  near  Wootton  I  saw 
hundreds  of  plants  in  the  space  of  a  few  yards  :  I  also  had 
the  pleasure  of  collecting  it  in  Cheadle  Park, — the  very  spot 
where  it  had  been  found  many  years  since  by  Sir  Joseph 
Banks,  who  was  then  Lord  of  the  Manor  of  some  large  estates 
in  this  neighbourhood.  In  the  same  pasture  wherethis  fern  oc- 
curred so  abundantly,  I  took  two  specimens  of  Ludius  cupreus. 

Needwood  Forest  has  been  given  as  a  habitat  for  that  rare 
plant.  Euphorbia  Characias;  I  fear  however  it  is  now  extinct 
there :  many  botanical  friends  who  have  searched  the  spot 
have  not  been  able  to  discover  it,  and  the  Rev.  T.  Gisborne, 
who  has  lived  in  that  neighbourhood  nearly  fifty  years,  and 
has  made  botany  a  particular  study,  states  in  a  letter,  with  a 
copy  of  which  I  have  been  favoured,  that  he  has  been  equal- 
ly unsuccessful.     Eu.  amygdaloides  grows  there  abundantly. 

Among  the  peculiarities  of  our  Flora  I  may  mention  that 
the  place  of  Papaver  Rhosas  is  supplied  by  Pa.  dubium ;  so 
exclusively  so  indeed,  that  out  of  a  large  number  of  red  pop- 
pies which  I  caused  to  be  gathered  from  several  localities,  I 
could  not  discover  a  single  specimen  of  the  former  species. — 
Another  plant  which  is  common  in  the  south,  but  with  which 
I  never  met  in  Staffordshire,  is  Malta  rotundifolia  ;  Malva 
sylvestris  is  much  less  common  than  M.  moschata.  A  white- 
flowered  variety  of  Calluna  vulgaris  grows  sparingly  on 
Cheadle  Common ;  I  am  informed  it  is  abundant  about  Bux- 
ton, Derbyshire. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  some  of  the  plants  occurring 
about  Cheadle  which  have  not  already  been  incidentally  men- 
tioned. Those  marked  with  an  asterisk  are  on  the  authority 
of  various  botanical  friends. 

Ran u n c u lu s  hederaceus  Geranium  pusillum 

auricomus  lucidum,  Alton 

— arvensis  Rhamnus  catharticus,  Dovedale 

Genista  anylica 


Corydalis  claviculata  tinctona 

Fumaria  capreolata,  Dimsdale  Vicia  Cracca 

Nasturtium  terrestre  angustifolia 

Cardamine  amara,  Dimsdale  Orobus  niger 

* impatiens,  Dovedale  Geum  rivale,  Cresswell 

*Hutchinsia  petrcea,  Dovedale  Potentilla  anserina 

Hesperis  matronalis  Comarum 

Viola  canina  Alchemilla  vulgaris 

odorata arvensis 

(not  hirta)  Sanguisorba  officinalis,  near  the 


-flavicomis,  near  Drayeott  Delph  House 


*Silene  nutans,  Dovedale  Epilobium  angustifolium,   on  a 
Arenaria  rubra  rabbit-warren,  Cotton 
tnnervis                                Sedum  acre 


Geranium  pratensc,  Cotton  Telephium 


76 


DESCRIPTIONS  OF  THE  GROUPS  OF  BIRDS 


Ribes  alpmum,  Needwood  Forest 
8  axifrag  a  hypnoides, Do\ edale&  c 
Viburnum  Opulus 
Asperula  odorata 
Valerianella  olitoria 

—    dentata 

Prenanthes  muralis 
Hieracium  sabaudum 

umbellatum 

Eupatorium  cannabinum 
Tussilago  Petasites 
Achillea  Ptarmica 
Tanacetum  vulgare 
Campanula  latifolia 

rotundifolia,  Jl.  albo 

*Polemonium  cteruleum,  Wetton 
Lithospermum  officinale 
Lycopsis  arvensis 
Atropa  Belladonna,  Alton  Castle 
Veronica  scutellata 


montana 

Mentha  acutifolia,  side  of  the 

river,  Oakamoor 
Origanum  vulgare 
Galeopsis  Tetrahit 

versicolor,  Draycott 

Stachys  annua 

ambi(jua,  Alton 

*Anagallis  tenella,  Chartley 

Polygonum  Bistorta 

hydropiper 

Fagopyrum 

Orchis  mas^ula 

— i latifolia 

* conopsea 


Platanthera  bifolia 

Listera  ovala 

Epipactis  latifolia 

Paris  quadrifolia,  copse  by  the 

side  of  the  Leek  road 
Hyacinthus  nonscriptusufl.  alb 
Allium  ursinum,  Oakamoor  &c. 
Triglochin  palustre 
Sagittaria  sagittifolia 
Sparganium  simplex 

—  ramosum 

Andromeda  polifolia,  Chartley 
Carex  stellulata 

curta 

ovalis 

muricata 

vulpina 


■  strigosa 

■  sylvatica 
■fiava 

•  binervis 

•  pilulifera 

■  paludosa 

•  riparia 
-  hirta 


eadle 


m,  Chi 


Lycopodium  clavatum, 

Common 
Ophioglossum  vulgatum 
Aspidium  aculeatum 


lobatum 
Oreopteris 


jIwo  eds 


-  dilatatum 
C  ystopteris  fragilis 
Osmunda  regalis,  Chartley 


Art.  V. — Analytic  Descriptions  of  the  Groups  of  Birds  composing 
the  Order  Strepitores.      By  Edward  Blyth,  Esq. 

No.  IV. — Zygodactyli  Leviroslres,  or  the  Toucan  family 
(Rhamphastidce),  and  the  Touraco  and  Coly  family  (Mu- 
sophayidce). 

The  second  principal  division  of  the  Strepitores,  or  the  Zy- 
godactyli, comprises  every  member  of  the  class,  save  only  the 
parrots  {Scamores)  and  jacamars  already  described,  which  has 
the  outer  toe  reversed,  in  consequence  of  which  the  middle 
or  longest  toe  becomes  the  external  front  one ;  differing  in 
this  respect  from  the  yoke-footed  Heterodactyli,  or  the  tro- 
gons  {Accurvirostres),  wherein  the  first  and  second  toes  are 


IN  THE  ORDER  STREPITORES.  77 

opposed  to  the  third  and  fourth,  and  the  longest  (or  represen- 
tative of  the  middle  toe  in  the  generality  of  birds)  is  accord- 
ingly inward.  It  also  includes  certain  genera  (as  the  touracos 
and  puff-birds)  which  have  the  first  and  fourth  toes  disposed 
laterally,  and  one  (that  of  the  colies)  generally  described  to 
have  all  four  toes  directed  forwards.  By  stating  that  the 
tarse  is  always  scutellated  in  front,  we  succeed  in  excluding 
the  parrots  from  the  definition;  and  the  syndactyle  jacamars, 
by  mentioning  that  the  forward  toes  are  separate  from  the 
first  joint.  I  am  aware  of  no  further  generalization  that  can 
be  advanced,  apart  from  other  Strepitores ;  unless  it  be  that 
the  young  appear,  without  exception,  to  shed  their  entire 
nestling  plumage  during  the  first  autumn  or  winter. 

The  Zygodactyly  primarily  subdivide  into  two  very  distinct 
groups,  which  I  have  termed  Picoides  and  Cuculoides. 

The  Picoides  a,re  distinguished  by  having  the  muscular  coat 
of  the  stomach  more  developed,  and  by  the  absence  of  cceca 
to  the  intestine :  the  sternum  is  always  doubly  emarginated 
at  its  posterior  border,  and  the  coracoid  bones  are  of  unusual 
length.  All  of  them  produce  purely  white  eggs ;  and  the 
young  (I  have  reason  to  suspect)  are  in  every  instance  hatched 
naked.  The  clothing  feathers  possess  an  accessory  plumelet, 
more  or  less  developed. 

In  the  Cuculoides,  the  stomach  is  comparatively  lax  ;  and 
there  are  large  pedicillate  dilated  cceca,  resembling  those  of 
the  owls,  as  in  all  other  Strepitores  that  have  any  :  the  ster- 
num is  sometimes  only  singly  emarginated,  and  the  coracoid 
bones  are  stout,  and  never  elongated.  Many  of  them  lay  co- 
loured or  spotted  eggs ;  and  probably  all  (like  our  native 
cuckoo)  are  hatched  covered  with  down.  The  clothing  fea- 
thers exhibit  not  the  slightest  trace  of  a  supplementary  plume. 
It  may  be  added  that  the  brain  is  remarkably  diminutive, 
which  is  not  the  case  in  the  Picoides. 

The  former  of  these  divisions  is  especially  remarkable  for 
the  variations  which  it  presents  in  the  structure  of  the  tongue, 
which  is  barbed  like  a  feather  in  the  toucans,  vermiform  and 
protrusile,  with  generally  some  small  retroflected  lateral 
spines  near  the  tip,  in  the  woodpeckers,  and  of  the  ordinary 
shape  in  the  barbets.  The  great  majority  of  its  species  dis- 
play bright  colours.  They  fall  under  two  principal  and  very 
distinct  minor  groups,  which  I  have  designated  Levirostres 
and  Cuneirostres.  The  latter  contains  the  only  scandent 
members  of  the  Zygodactyli,  although  the  entire  group  (with 
the  addition  even  of  the  jacamars  and  trogons)  is  still  deno- 
minated "  grimpeurs  "  by  the  French.  We  must  now  confine 
our  attention  to  the  Levirostres. 

h3 


78  DESCRIPTIONS  OF  THE  GROUPS  OF  BIRDS 

Under  this  appellation  I  have  brought  together  the  two 
very  distinct  families  of  Rhamphastida  (comprising  the  tou- 
cans and  aricaris),  and  Musophagidee  (consisting  of  the  plan- 
tain-eaters, touracos,  and  colies);  the  former  restricted  in 
its  distribution  to  South  America;  the  latter  peculiar  to  the 
eastern  hemisphere,  and  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three 
species  of  coly,  to  Africa.  The  name,  if  not  quite  all  that 
may  be  wished,  is  nevertheless  the  least  objectionable  that 
has  yet  occurred  to  me :  it  is  appropriate  enough  to  all 
except  the  colies.  There  is  considerable  similarity  in  the 
conformation  of  the  skeleton  in  these  two  families,  the  princi- 
pal difference  consisting  in  the  very  small  size  of  the  sternum 
throughout  the  Musophagidee,  and  in  the  imperfection  of  the 
clavicles,  or  lateral  halves  of  the  furcula,  in  the  true  toucans, 
though  not  in  the  closely  allied  genus  of  aricaris  {Pteroglos- 
sus),  to  judge  from  FHerminier's  representation  of  the  sternal 
apparatus  of  Pt.  aricari,  wherein  the  furcula  is  made  to  re- 
semble that  of  a  touraco  :  in  both,  there  are  no  false  ribs  at- 
tached to  the  anterior  anchylosed  vertebra  of  the  pelvis, *  a 
very  peculiar  character.  The  beak  is  inflated  and  permeated 
by  osseous  fibres  in  the  plantain-eaters  (Musophaga),  and  to 
a  less  extent  in  the  touracos  [Corythaix)  and  nape-crests 
{Chizmris);  with  proportionally  thin  parietes,  as  in  the  tou- 
cans (Rhamphastos),  where  the  inflation  and  consequent  at- 
tenuation of  its  substance  attain  their  ultimatum.  The 
tongue,  which  in  the  toucan  family  is  barbed  throughout  its 
length  with  lateral  appendages  like  a  feather,  is  in  the  toura- 
cos similarly  fringed,  but  towards  the  tip  only,  to  a  variable 
extent.  The  digestive  organs  chiefly  differ  in  the  presence 
of  a  small  gall-bladder  in  tfie  Musophagidee,  which  is  wanting 
in  the  Rhamphastidae.  Lastly,  of  their  external  characters, 
it  may  be  remarked  that  both  have  only  ten  tail-feathers,  that 
their  wings  are  much  rounded,  and  more  or  less  of  their  body 
plumage  loosely  webbed.  They  subsist  principally  (and  some 
of  them  it  would  appear  wholly)  on  fruits ;  and,  excepting 
the  colies,  are  remarkable  for  the  airy  lightness  of  their  move- 
ments. 

The  distinctions  between  the  Rhamphastida  and  Muso- 
phagidee, however,  are  considerably  more  obvious  than  their 
points  of  similitude,  being  principally  external.  The  modi- 
fication of  the  foot  is  very  different,  and  in  the  former  group, 
to  which  I  shall  now  restrict  myself,  typically  zygodactyle. 
From  the  singularity  of  their  appearance,  occasioned  by  the 

1  At  least,  I  can  perceive  no  traces  of  such  having  been  broken  off,  in  the 
skeletons  to  which  I  have  access. 


IN  THE  ORDER  STREPITORES.  79 

disproportionate  size  of  the  bill,  as  compared  with  that  of 
others  of  the  feathered  race,  the  RhamphastidcB  have  excited 
a  more  than  usual  degree  of  interest;  in  consequence  of  which 
we  are  now  in  possession  of  much  satisfactory  information  re- 
specting their  internal  structure  and  economy.  Some  inte- 
resting details  on  their  anatomy,  by  Prof.  Owen,  are  appended 
to  Mr.  (xould's  admirably  illustrated  monograph  of  the  family; 
and  the  observations  of  several  naturalists  on  their  wild  ha- 
bits, together  with  those  of  Mr.  Broderip,  Mr.  Vigors,  and 
others,  made  upon  individuals  which  have  lived  in  captivity 
in  Europe,  leave  little  to  be  desired  in  order  to  complete  our 
knowledge  of  their  economy  and  general  history. 

On  inspecting  a  fine  perfect  skeleton  of  a  species  of  toucan 
(the  only  one  which  I  have  seen)  in  the  Museum  of  Com- 
parative Anatomy  at  Guy's  Hospital,1  I  found  the  entire 
structure  to  be  less  frail  than  descriptions  had  led  me  to  an- 
ticipate ;  its  conformation,  however,  evidently  betokening  a 
bird  of  feeble  flight :  the  sternum  was  proportionally  much 
larger  than  in  the  Musophagidce,  and  similarly  emarginated  at 
its  posterior  edge  ;  its  crest  low,  though  the  pectoral  muscles 
would  seem  to  have  been  large  and  full,  and  LeVaillant  ex- 
pressly describes  the  toucans  to  have  heavy  and  fleshy  bodies, 
as  is  analogously  the  case  with  the  diminutive  todies.  The 
separate  clavicles  were  If  inch  in  length,  and  taper  at  their 
extremities.  These  birds  have  a  wide  gullet,  a  moderately 
muscular  stomach  (which  extends  into  the  abdominal  portion 
of  the  cavity  of  the  body),  no  gall-bladder,  the  intestine  short, 
not  exceeding  the  length  of  the  body,  and  devoid  of  ccecal 
appendages,  as  already  noticed  :  they  have  been  observed  to 
regurgitate  partially  digested  food,  and  after  submitting  it 
to  a  rude  kind  of  mastication,  again  to  swallow  it :  Petiver 
remarks  the  same  of  the  syndactyle  hornbills. 

Exteriorly,  their  enormous  bill  has  the  first  claim  to  our 
attention ;  the  magnitude  of  which,  in  some  instances,  is  in- 
deed astonishing :  this  organ,  however,  is  excessively  and 
surprisingly  light ;  its  horny  sheath  being  (save  towards  the 
tip)  extremely  thin,  especially  that  of  the  upper  mandible,  but 
elastic,  and  though  yielding  in  a  slight  degree  to  moderate 
pressure,  presenting  a  considerable  amount  of  resistance  if  the 
force  be  increased  for  the  purpose  of  crushing  the  beak :  its 
interior  structure  resembles  what  has  been  already  described 
in  the  analogous  instance  of  the  hornbills.    Its  form  is  length- 

1 1  take  this  opportunity  to  express  my  obligations  to  Mr.  Gardiner,  of  the 
above-named  institution,  for  the  ready  access  which  he  has  ever  afforded 
me  to  the  valuable  collection  of  skeletons  there  deposited. 


80  DESCRIPTIONS  OF  THE  GROUPS  OF  BIRDS 

ened,  and  a  little  decurved,  the  downward  bend  increasing  in 
both  mandibles  towards  the  tip:  and  its  surface  is  extensively 
traversed  by  ramifications  of  the  fifth  pair  of  nerves,  which 
render  it  unusually  sensitive,  in  beautiful  adaptation  to  the 
purposes  for  which  it  is  employed.  In  connection  with  this 
sensitiveness,  it  may  be  remarked  that  these  birds  are  careful 
to  preserve  their  beak  from  cold,  and  at  night  are  enabled  to 
bury  completely  its  immense  bulk  within  their  body-plumage : 
they  are  also  frequently  observed  to  scratch  it  gently  with  the 
foot,  as  if  this  produced  an  agreeable  sensation.  Its  struc- 
ture is  extremely  delicate  in  the  young ;  and  these,  accord- 
ingly, must  subsist  on  very  delicate  and  soft  food :  and  it 
is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that  it  does  not  attain  its  ultimate 
magnitude  for  a  series  of  years ;  becoming  finely  coloured  as 
it  approaches  to  maturity.  The  edges  of  both  mandibles  are 
distinctly  denticulated. 

The  tongue,  as  already  noticed,  is  a  very  curious  instru- 
ment, elongated  and  slender,  and  barbed  not  unlike  a  feather ; 
its  sheath  giving  off  from  the  lateral  margins  a  series  of  stiff 
bristle-like  appendages,  directed  forwards,  which  structure  is 
continued  to  the  apex :  the  peculiar  or  accessory  function  of 
this  sort  of  tongue  appearing  to  be  that  of  touch  ;  it  acting  as 
a  kind  of  antenna,  whereby  to  test  the  softness  and  ripeness 
of  fruit,  and  the  fitness  of  other  substances  for  food.  That 
the  toucans  also  possess,  however,  the  sense  of  taste  in  very 
considerable  perfection,  will  appear  from  a  fact  to  be  stated 
in  the  course  of  this  summary :  but  the  dev elopement  of  nerv- 
ous tissue  and  papillae  over  the  beak  has  been  erroneously 
deemed  an  extension  of  the  olfactory  surface. 

These  birds  have  the  legs  of  mean  length,  and  covered,  as 
are  also  the  toes,  with  large  scutellce  :  their  feet  are  adapted 
for  hopping  from  bough  to  bough.  The  wings  are  short  and 
rounded ;  and  tail  of  moderate  length,  and  but  slightly  cune- 
ated,  in  the  genus  Rhamphastos;  longer,  and  much  graduated, 
in  the  others :  it  is  mostly  held  erected.  The  cheeks  are  bare ; 
the  skin  of  them  being  generally  blue,  and  sometimes  red,  or 
even  green :  irides  most  commonly  pale  blue :  and  the  cloth- 
ing plumage  is  of  rather  open  texture  (as  in  the  motmots), 
having  the  webs  of  the  feathers  disunited,  and  often  glisten- 
ing on  those  parts  that  are  brightly  coloured : l  the  accesso- 
ry plume  is  flocculent  and  of  considerable  length,  in  some, 


1  One  species,  known  as  the  curl-crested  aricari,  is  remarkable  for  a  curi- 
ous modification  of  the  feathers  of  its  crown,  which  have  the  webs  soldered 
so  as  to  be  undistinguishable,  appearing  like  curled  and  brilliantly  shining 
lamina  of  black  sealing-wax.    The  intent  remains  to  be  explained. 


IN  THE  ORDER  STREPITORES.  81 

but  reduced  to  a  mere  tuft  in  others.  They  are  birds  of  gor- 
geous colouring,  and  peculiar  in  the  disposition  of  their  tints: 
the  true  toucans  being  chiefly  black,  with  large  masses  of 
crimson,  white,  or  yellow  (or  very  rarely  faint  blue),  on  the 
breast  or  below,  and  especially  beneath  the  tail,  where  it  is 
rendered  conspicuous  by  the  habitual  elevation  of  the  latter  ; 
there  is  often,  also,  a  band  of  bright  colouring  across  the  rump, 
and  generally  a  gorget  of  one  or  more  different  hues  contrasting 
with  and  bounding  the  mass  of  colouring  on  the  forepart  of 
the  breast :  the  aricaris  differ  in  having  the  upper  parts  chief- 
ly green,  of  various  degrees  of  brightness,  and  are  in  general 
rather  more  variegated :  in  these  the  sexes  also  differ,  the  fe- 
male being  chestnut-rufous  where  the  male  is  black ;  whereas 
the  male  and  female  toucan  present  only  a  trivial  disparity  of 
size:  the  groovebills  (Aulacorhynchus,  Gould),  which  con- 
stitute a  sub-genus  of  aricaris,  have  the  ground  colour  vivid 
green.  In  all  the  young  possess  the  gorgeous  livery  of  the 
adult,  and  are  at  first  sight  chiefly  distinguishable  by  their 
smaller  beaks.  Azara  remarks,  that  he  has  often  observed 
that  these,  when  brought  up  tame,  underwent  a  moult  when 
about  two  or  three  months  old  :  at  which  time  there  can  be 
little  doubt,  from  analogy,  that  the  primaries  are  shed.  Le- 
vaillant  and  others  have  considered  the  relation  which  the 
aricaris  bear  to  the  toucans,  to  be  similar  to  that  which  the 
magpies  and  jays  hold  to  the  crows  and  ravens. 

These  birds  breed  in  the  hollows  of  decayed  trees,  produc- 
ing (in  every  known  instance)  two  delicately  white  eggs,  of  a 
nearly  spherical  form  :  the  young  recurve  their  tails  upon 
the  back  while  in  the  nest.  They  are  of  a  social  disposition, 
small  flocks  of  tenor  a  dozen  being  commonly  seen  together; 
different  species  of  them  mingling  in  society.  They  are  shy 
of  approach,  more  particularly  the  larger  toucans  which  ge- 
nerally perch  on  the  higher  branches  of  lofty  trees,  where 
they  skip  from  bough  to  bough  with  the  most  lightsome  agi- 
lity ;  or  sit,  with  invariably  the  beak  turned  towards  the  wind. 
They  fly  rapidly,  but  evidently  with  much  exertion,  and  with 
difficulty  against  the  wind  ;  at  a  mean  height,  and  always  in 
a  straight  line ;  flapping  their  wings  at  intervals,  and  with 
some  noise ;  and  carrying  the  beak  elevated  above  the  level 
of  the  body,  with  the  tail  overlying  the  back.  On  the  ground 
they  are  rarely  seen,  where  they  advance  by  oblique  hops, 
and  rather  awkwardly.  They  are  very  fond  of  washing.  In- 
dividuals are  often  noticed  perched  upon  high  trees,  watching 
the  moment  at  which  other  birds  leave  their  nests,  on  which 
they  instantly  pounce  to  feed  on  the  eggs  or  young,  some- 
times even  contesting  a  prize  with  the  monkeys.     The  ex 


82  DESCRIPTIONS  OF  THE  GROUPS  OP  BIRDS 

press  use  of  their  singularly  formed  bill  is  deemed  to  be  for 
insertion  into  the  deep  pensile  nests  which  abound  in  their 
indigenous  locality  ;  the  sensitiveness  of  this  organ  having 
reference  to  the  same  object,  by  enabling  them  to  feel  the 
contents.  Azara  relates  that  they  devour  a  prodigious  num- 
ber of  young  birds,  upon  which,  and  on  eggs,  they  subsist 
principally  during  the  season ;  and  he  states  that,  after  rain, 
they  will  descend  and  demolish  the  mud-built  domed  nests  of 
the  ant- catchers,  which  are  so  firm  as  to  withstand  the  wea- 
ther for  years :  he  adds  that  they  have  been  known  to  rob 
those  of  the  caracaras  (Polyborus).  For  the  rest  of  the  year, 
continues  the  same  Spanish  naturalist,  the  toucans  maintain 
a  rigid  and  protracted  lent,  feeding  only  on  fruit  and  other 
vegetable  produce  :  though  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  but  that 
they  likewise  prey  on  caterpillars,  and  any  other  small  ani- 
mal food  that  may  fall  in  their  way.  Linnaeus  even  applied 
the  term  piscivorus  to  one  of  the  species :  but  I  am  unaware 
that  the  information  on  which  this  rested  has  ever  been  con- 
firmed. 

Of  toucans  that  have  been  brought  up  tame,  it  has  al- 
ways been  remarked  that  a  decided  preference  is  evinced  for 
animal  over  vegetable  diet ;  and  so  eagerly,  even  gloatingly, 
do  they  pounce  upon  a  small  bird  or  quadruped  whenever 
such  prey  is  offered  to  them,  as  to  remove  all  doubt  that  they 
have  a  natural  carnivorous  propensity,  which,  notwithstand- 
ing the  foregoing  direct  testimony  of  Azara,  and  of  others 
equally  worthy  of  credit,  has  been  denied  by  some  who  have 
studied  them  in  their  native  abode.  The  sight  of  such  prey 
immediately  rouses  them  into  a  state  of  violent  excitement : 
and  a  captive  individual  being  presented,  by  Mr.  Broderip, 
with  a  small  bird,  it  snatched  it  with  its  bill,  and  killed  it  in- 
stantly by  the  violence  of  the  squeeze,  which  was  so  powerful 
as  to  cause  the  bowels  to, protrude.  As  soon  as  it  was  dead, 
the  toucan  hopped  with  it,  still  in  its  bill,  to  another  perch, 
and  then  placing  it  between  one  foot  and  the  perch,  began  to 
strip  off  the  feathers.  When  it  had  plucked  away  most  of 
them,  it  broke  the  bones  of  the  wings  and  legs  (still  holding 
it  in  the  same  position)  with  its  bill,  taking  the  limbs  therein, 
and  giving  at  the  same  time  a  strong  lateral  wrench  :  conti- 
nuing this  work  with  great  dexterity,  till  it  had  almost  redu- 
ced the  body  to  a  shapeless  mass.  It  then  first  ate  all  the 
soft  parts,  leaving  the  larger  bones  to  the  last,  which  seemed 
to  give  it  more  trouble,  particularly  the  beak  and  legs.  From 
the  deportment  of  the  animal,  the  flavour  of  its  prey  seemed 
to  impart  the  most  keen  sense  of  enjoyment,  such  as  was  ne- 
ver manifested  when  it  fed  on  fruit  or  vegetables ;  and  it  even 


IN  THE  ORDER  STREPITORES.  83 

appeared  to  protract  its  feast  considerably,  by  continually 
applying  the  tongue  to  each  morsel,  before  throwing  it  up  and 
catching  it  in  the  throat,  as  these  birds  are  necessitated  to  do 
whatever  they  feed  on,  their  singularly  formed  tongue  being 
inadequate  to  assist  in  deglutition.  It  may  be  that  the  smaller 
species  are  somewhat  less  carnivorous  ;  and  the  Pteroglossus 
aricari,  which  abounds  in  Guiana,  is  stated  by  Levaillant  to 
make  great  havoc  in  the  plantations  of  bananas,  guavas,  and 
even  of  coffee :  bnt  the  truth  is  that  they  are  all  very  general 
feeders,  more  so  than  any  other  Zygodactyly 

The  Rhamphastida  are  much  more  hardy  in  the  climate  of 
England  than  would  be  expected ;  are  tame  and  fearless ;  and 
display  a  tolerable  share  of  sagacity  :  becoming  soon  attach- 
ed to  persons  they  know.  They  are  lively  and  active  in  the 
extreme,  and  surprisingly  light  and  elegant  in  all  their  move- 
ments, so  much  so  that  in  the  living  bird  the  beak  has  not 
the  least  appearance  of  being  disproportionate :  erecting  the 
tail,  which,  Mr.  Vigors  remarks,  is  jerked  up  as  though  it 
moved  by  a  spring,  the  conformation  permitting  of  which  is 
described  by  Mr.  Owen  in  the  'Appendix'  before  referred  to. 
They  have  only  a  harsh  and  grating  cry.  Those  individuals 
which  have  been  tamed  have  heen  noticed  to  catch,  with  the 
utmost  facility,  grapes  and  other  fruit  thrown  to  them ;  to 
seize  which  they  open  the  bill  sideways  or  horizontally. — 
Towards  evening,  after  taking  their  last  meal,  they  retire  to 
roost,  and  sit  listlessly  for  an  hour  or  two  with  the  plumage 
puffed  and  tail  lying  close  upon  the  back,  as  if  dozing ;  at 
which  time  they  will  suffer  themselves  to  be  gently  handled  : 
at  length,  they  turn  the  head  backward,  and  so  completely 
bury  their  enormous  beak  between  the  scapulary  and  inter- 
scapular feathers,  that  frequently,  not  a  portion  of  it  remains 
visible ;  the  plumage  of  the  breast  descending  and  covering 
the  flanks ;  so  that  the  bird  presents  the  appearance  of  a 
round  ball  of  feathers,  every  naked  part  being  as  effectually 
covered  as  in  birds  of  less  extraordinary  proportions.  The 
foregoing  detailed  account  is  derived  from  various  authentic 
sources,  of  which  Azara's  description,  and  the  observations 
of  Messrs.  Broderip,  Bennet,  and  Vigors,  in  the  '  Zoological 
Journal,'  and  'Gardens  and  Menageries  of  the  Zoological  So- 
ciety Displayed,'  are  the  principal.  I  have  endeavoured  to 
bring  into  one  focus  the  substance  of  all  that  I  know  has  been 
written  respecting  the  habits  of  this  singular  group  of  birds, 
that  future  observers  may  corroborate  or  refute  according  to 
their  experience. 

Perhaps  it  may  be  as  well  just  to  mention  that  the  rainfowl 
(Scythrops),  an  Australian  genus,   is    included  among    the 


84  ON  THE  SYNONYMY  OF  THE  PERLITES. 

RhamphastidcB  by  Mr.  Swainson,  solely  on  account  of  the 
magnitude  of  its  bill ;  the  actual  structure  of  which,  however, 
together  with  every  detail  of  conformation,  even  to  that  of  an 
individual  feather,  also  the  style  of  colouring,  the  progressive 
changes  of  plumage,  and  indeed  everything  that  can  be  sup- 
posed to  indicate  real  affinity,  combining  to  show  the  impro- 
priety of  such  arrangement,  and  alike  intimating  the  close  and 
immediate  relationship  of  that  genus  for  the  restricted  cuckoos, 
with  which  it  even  forms  a  particular  subdivision  of  the  fa- 
mily Cuculidce,  peculiar  to  the  eastern  hemisphere. 
(To  be  continued). 


Art.    VI. — On  the  Synonymy  of  the  Perlites,  together  with  brief 
Characters  of  the  old,  and  of  a  few  new  Species.     By  Edward 

Newman,  Esq.,  F.L.S.     ' 

(Concluded  from  Page  37). 

Genus  IV. — Isogenus,  Newman. 

The  genus  was  separated  from  Perla  on  account  of  its  hav- 
ing the  wings  equally  developed  in  both  sexes.  The  habit 
is  also  more  slender,  the  wings  more  ample.  They  have  usu- 
ally fifteen  nervures,  reaching  the  margin  of  the  fore-wing  be- 
tween the  subcostal  nervure  and  the  base, 

Sp.  1.  Isog.  Ligea.     Fusca:  facies  testacea ;  abdomen  testaceum,  later- 
ibus  saturatiorihus;    alae  vix  hyalinae,  croceo-brunneo   tinctae.  (Corp. 
long.  .55  unc.  alar,  dilat.  1.5  unc.) 
The  face  is  testaceous,  the  other  parts  of  the  head,  and  the  entire  pro- 
meso-  and  meta-thorax  are  dark  brown  and  glabrous ;  the  abdomen  is  dor- 
sally  testaceous,  laterally  dusky  brown :  the  wings  are  scarcely  hyaline,  and 
are  tinted  throughout  with  a  clear,  rich  brown,  resembling  the  colour  of 
burnt  sienna. 

The  country  of  this  species  is  unknown.  A  single  speci- 
men is  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Rev.  F.  W.  Hope. 

Sp.  2.  Isog.  nubecula.     (Corp.  long.  .6  unc.  alar,  dilat.  1 .5  unc.) 

„  „         Newman;  'Entom.  Magazine,' vol.  i.  p.  415. 

„  „         Stephens,  *  Illustrations  of  British  Entomology,' 

Mand.  vol.  vi.  p.  137,  tab.  xxxi./^.  2. 

The  text  refers  to  tab.  xxxi.^t/.  4,  which  represents  Leuc- 
tra  geniculata,  Steph.,  subsequently  also  erroneously  referred 
to  fig.  3,  which  represents  Nemoura  rariegata,  Steph. — 
The  figure  of  Isog.  nubecula  is  without  the  brown  spot  on  the 
forewing,  which  serves  most  readily  and  obviously  to  distin- 
guish this  species  from  those  which  follow. 


ON  THE  SYNONYMY  OF  THE  PERLITES.  85 

Perla  bicaudata,  Pictet ;  'Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles,'  vol. 
xxviii.  p.  58,  tab.  vi.  jf.  6 — 7;  but  I  believe  not  of  eithe'r  of  the 
authors  as  quoted  by  M.  Pictet. 

I  make  the  assertion  that  my  Isogenics  nubecula  and  M. 
Pictet' s  Perla  bicaudata  are  identical,  on  that  author's  own 
authority ;  who,  not  having  examined  the  Linnaean  specimen, 
expressed  his  opinion  when  in  England,  that  the  insect  in 
question  was  the  Phryganea  bicaudata  of  Linnaeus,  which  I 
think  I  have  shown  above  to  be  perfectly  distinct. 

Body  dark  brown ;  head  and prothorax  with  a  longitudinal  ochreous  line. 
Forewings  hyaline,  with  a  small  oval  spot  of  a  dark  brown  colour  on  the 
costal  margin,  situated  about  two  thirds  of  the  distance  from  the  base  to 
the  tip,  hind  wings  beautifully  hyaline,  iridescent. 

Common  in  Herefordshire,  Worcestershire,  and  Notting- 
hamshire.    In  most  cabinets  of  British  insects. 

Sp.  3.  I sog,  frontalis.    (Corp.  long.  .775  unc.  alar,  dilat.  1.425  unc. 
„  „         Newman;  'Entom.  Magazine,' vol.  v.  p.  178. 

Perla  bicaudata,  Kirby;  '  Fauna  Boreali-  Americana,'  part  Insects, 
p.  252. 

Brown,  having  the  anterior  part  of  the  head  between  the  antenna  yellow, 
at  the  back  of  the  head  is  a  second  yellow  marking,  and  the  prothorax  has 
a  yellow  longitudinal  line  ;  the  wings  are  hyaline ;  the  forewings  have  a 
very  slight  brown  costal  spot  in  the  same  situation  as  the  preceding  species. 

Inhabits  North  America.  Several  specimens  (donor  R.  Fos- 
ter) are  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Entomological  Club. 

Sp.  4.  Isog.  microcephala.     (Corp.  long.  .8  unc.  alar,  dilat.  1.5  unc.) 

Perla  microcephala,  Pictet;  'Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles,' 
vol.  xxviii.  p.  59,  tab.  vi.ff.  4,  5. 

Black :  head  spotted  with  yellow  and  narrower  than  the  prothorax,  which 
is  very  short,  wider  posteriorly,  and  marked  with  a  yellow  longitudinal  line; 
the  femora  are  brown,  the  tarsi  yellow  spotted  with  black  :  the  wings  are 
hyaline,  with  light  clouds  of  a  brown  tint. 

Inhabits  France,  Switzerland,  &c.  There  are  several  spe- 
cimens in  the  cabinet  of  the  British  Museum. 

Sp.  5.  Isog.  infuscatus.     (Corp.  long.  .55  unc.  alar,  dilat.  1.6  unc). 
„  „        Newman, '  Entom.  Mag.'  vol.  v.  p.  499. 

The  head  is  entirely  brown  and  wider  than  the  prothorax,  in  which,  how- 
ever, it  is  deeply  immersed :  the  prothorax  is  much  wider  anteriorly  than 
posteriorly  ;  it  is  dark  brown,  with  the  exception  of  a  very  slender,  pale,  an- 
terior margin  :  the  disks  of  the  pro-  and  mesothorax  are  brown,  their  lateral 
margins  inclining  to  yellow:  the  wings  are  entirely  opaque  and  nearly  black, 
with  the  exception  of  the  costa,  which  in  all  the  wings  is  yellow. 

Inhabits  the  East  Indies.  A  single  specimen  is  in  the  ca- 
binet of  the  Rev.  F.  W.  Hope. 


86  ON  THE  SYNONYMY  OF  THE  PERLITES. 

Sp.  6.  Isog.  Dryrno.  Caput  testaceum,  clypeo  maculaque  quadrata  pos- 
tica  fuscis ;  prothorax  fuscus  maculis  duabus  magnis  lsete  testaceis 
signatus ;  cetera  fusca,  femoribus  basi  pallidioribus.  (Corp.  long.  A 
unc.  alar,  dilat.  1.3  unc.) 

The  head  is  testaceous,  the  clypeus  dark  brown,  and  on  the  crown  of  the 
head  adjoining  the  prothorax  is  a  quadrate  brown  mark,  from  each  of  the 
anterior  angles  of  which  a  brown  line  passes  to  the  root  of  the  antenna :  the 
prothorax  is  dark  brown,  and  adorned  with  two  bright  testaceous  spots,  which 
are  separated  only  by  a  very  narrow,  median,  longitudinal,  brown  line,  the 
anterior  portion  of  the  prothorax  is  testaceous ;  the  other  parts  of  the  body 
are  dark  brown ;  the  legs  are  of  the  same  colour,  with  the  basal  portion  of 
femora  paler :  the  wings  are  slightly  suffused  with  brown,  all  the  nervures 
of  the  fore  wings  and  the  apical  ones  of  the  hind  wings  are  dark  brown. 

Inhabits  Georgia.  There  are  two  specimens  in  the  cabinet 
of  the  British  Museum. 

Sp.  7.  Isog.  Clio.  Caput  fuscum,  lateribus  circa  oculos  flavidis ;  protho- 
rax fuscus,  linea  mediana  longitudinali  flavida ;  abdomen  testaceum  ; 
antenna?,  meso-  et  metathorax  pedesque  fusco.  (Corp.  long.  .25  unc. 
alar,  dilat.  1.1  unc.) 

Head  dark  brown  with  lateral  yellow  marks  surrounding  the  eyes,  pro- 
thorax dark  brown,  with  a  median  longitudinal  yellow  line  :  abdomen  rufo- 
testaceous:  antenna,  meso- and  metathorax,  legs  and  caudal  setae  brown;  the 
fore  wings  and  the  costal  portion  of  the  hind  wings  are  tinged  with  brown, 
and  have  darker  nervures. 

Inhabits  Georgia.  There  are  two  specimens  in  the  cabinet 
of  the  British  Museum. 

Genus  V. — Chloroperla,  Newman. 

In  this  genus  the  habit  is  still  more  slender,  the  wings  still 
more  ample  :  the  wing-nervures  are  much  reduced  in  number 

*Species  aberrantes. 

These  have  usually  eleven  nervures  reaching  the  margin  of 
the  forewing  below  the  subcostal  nervure. 

Sp.  1.  Chlo.  Spio.  Testacea  fere  unicolor:  ocelli  duo  fusco-nigri,  oculi 
magni,  nigri ;  caput  prothorace  latius  :  pedes  incrassati :  alae  subob- 
scurse  iridescentes.     (Corp.  long.  .35  unc.  alar,  dilat.  1.1  unc.) 

Colour  a  uniform  and  obscure  but  pale  testaceous:  the  ocelli  are  two  only 
and  of  a  dark  brown  colour;  the  eyes  are  black  and  very  large,  making  the 
head  considerably  broader  than  the  prothorax  :  the  yyrothorax  is  somewhat 
quadrate,  but  broader  than  long,  and  broader  anteriorly  than  posteriorly ; 
its  disk  is  wrinkled  longitudinally :  the  wings  are  rather  obscure,  and  obvi- 
ously iridescent ;  the  legs  are  very  stout,  more  so  than  is  usual  in  this  genus ; 
the  tibia  are  attenuated  at  both  extremities,  more  particularly  the  apical ; 
the  tarsi  are  extremely  small. 

Inhabits  Sierra  Leone.  A  single  specimen  is  in  the  cabi- 
net of  the  British  Museum. 


ON  THE  SYNONYMY  OF  THE  PERLITES.  87 

Sp.  2.  Chlo.  (jrammatica.     (Corp.  long.  .295  unc.  alar,  clilat.  .95  unc.) 

„    fuseipennis,  Stephens,  *  Illustrations  of  British  Entomology,' 

Mand.  vol.  vi.  p.  138. 
„     lateralis,  \ 

„     i   e  ta,       [.Stephens,  loc.  cit.  varietates. 
„     venosus,  r         ' 

„     rufescensj 
Perla  wrescens,  Pictet,  *  Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles,'  vol. 

xxviii,  p.  60,  tab.  vi.  ff.  8—10. 
Phryganea  grammatica,  Scopoli, '  Entomologia  Carniolica,'  p.  269. 
'  1763. 

The  colour  of  this  insect  is  a  pale  yellowish  green,  which  pervades  also 
the  wings ;  head  yellowish,  with  the  eyes  and  ocelli  black,  the  crown  of  the 
head  is  often  marked  with  brown ;  the  antennae  are  yellowish,  inclining  to 
brown  towards  the  tips ;  the  prothorax  is  of  the  same  colour,  rather  dusky 
towards  the  sides,  the  meso-  and  metaihorax  are  dusky,  as  also  is  the  upper 
side  of  the  abdomen :  the  nervures  of  the  fore  wings  are  more  or  less  brown. 

This  insect  is  common  on  the  continent  of  Europe  and  in 
England.  It  is  extremely  variable,  and  Mr.  Stephens  has, 
from  this  circumstance,  been  induced  to  divide  the  species  as 
above.     In  nearly  all  cabinets  of  British  Insects. 

Sp.  3.  Chlo.  transmarina.     (Corp.  long.  .3  unc.  alar,  dilat.  1  unc.) 

„  „  Newman,  '  Entomological  Magazine,'  vol.  v. 

p.  499. 

Head  fuscous,  thorax  with  a  yellow  longitudinal  line,  head  yellow,  with 
two  long  fuscous  spots  which  extend  to  the  margin  of  the  prothorax :  wings 
hyaline,  shining,  tinged  with  yellow  at  the  base ;  nervures  of  the  forewings 
and  those  of  the  apex  of  the  hind  wings  brown. 

Inhabits  North  America.  Several  specimens  (donors  E. 
Doubleday  and  R.  Foster)  are  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Entomo- 
logical Club. 

Sp.  4.  Chlo.  Clymene.  Caput  flavum,  oculis  ocellisque  nigris ;  alae  fus- 
co  leviter  tinctae,  nervuris  omnibus  fuscis.  (Corp.  long.  .3  unc.  alar, 
dilat.  1.05  unc.) 

Head  bright  yellow,  with  black  eyes  and  ocelli ;  antennce  brown  through- 
out :  prothorax  broader  than  long,  pale  testaceo-fuscous,  with  a  still  paler 
but  ill-defined  longitudinal  dorsal  line ;  the  meso-  and  metathorax  and  ab- 
domen are  dusky  testaceous,  and  the  legs  are  of  the  same  colonr,  the  basal 
portion  of  the  femora  being  rather  paler :  the  wings  are  suffused  with  a  de- 
licate tint  of  brown,  and  all  the  nervures  are  dark  brown. 

Inhabits  Georgia.  There  is  a  single  specimen  in  the  Bri- 
tish Museum. 

Sp.  5.  Chlo.  Ephyre.  Caput  flavum,  macula  verticali  fusca,  oculis  ni- 
gris ;  setae  caudales  virescentes  fusco  annulatae.  (Corp.  long.  .45  unc. 
alar,  dilat.  1  unc.) 

Head  yellow,  with  a  brown  spot  on  the  crown,  and  black  eyes ;  the  body 
and  legs  are  of  a  pale  sickly  green  cast,  with  many  variously-disposed  mark- 


88  ON  THE  SYNONYMY  OF  THE  PERLITES. 

ings  of  a  faint  brown  hue ;  the  nervures  of  the  fore  wings  are  brown,  in  the 
hind  wings  the  marginal  nervure  alone  is  of  this  colour :  the  caudal  setce  are 
pale  green,  with  brown  rings;  the  joints  of  *the  setce  in  this  species  are  un- 
usually long. 

Inhabits  Georgia.  There  is  a  single  specimen  in  the  cabi- 
net of  the  British  Museum.  In  the  abdomen  of  this  specimen 
I  observed,  through  the  transparent  cuticle,  a  large  Filaria ; 
it  is  coiled  up  in  several  rings,  and  occupies  a  very  consider- 
able portion  of  the  cavity. 

**  Species  normales. 

These  have  usually  nine  nervures  reaching  the  margin  of 
the  forevving  between  the  subcostal  nervure  and  the  base. 

Sp.  6.  Chlo.  Jluvt.     (Corp.  long.  .37  unc.  alar,  dilat.  .7  unc.) 

„        „     Stephens,  *  Illustrations  of  Brit.  Entomology,'  Mand. 
^T^-Gk-v*,*  vol.  vi.  p.  139. 

Perla  Jlava,  Fourcroy, '  Entomologia  Parisiensis,'  p.  349. 
Phryganea  tripunctata  P  Scopoli, '  Entomologia  Carniolica,'  p.  269. 
Semblis  viridis,  Fabricius, '  Entom.  Syst.'  vol.  ii.  p.  74. 

„         lutea,  Latreille, '  Hist.  Nat.  Crust.  &c.'  vol.  xiii.  p.  49. 

Yellow  green,  the  tips  of  the  antenna,  the  eyes,  and  ocelli  black,  the  pro- 
thorax  is  almost  circular,  with  reflexed  margins  and  longitudinal  wrinkles, 
the  margins  are  also  very  distinctly  brown :  the  abdomen  is  yellowish,  with 
a  dorsal  fuscous  line. 

Common  in  Europe  and  England.  There  are  specimens  in 
nearly  all  collections  of  British  insects. 

Sp.  7.  Chlo.  apicalis.     (Corp.  long.  .3  unc.  alar,  dilat.  .6  unc.) 

„         „         Newman,  '  Ent.  Mag.'  vol.  iii.  p.  501,  April,  1836. 

„    pallida,  Stephens,  '  Illustrations,'  Mand.  vol.  vi.  p.  139, — 

August,  1836. 

Entirely  of  a  delicate  yellow  green,  with  the  eyes  and  tips  of  the  antennae 

black :  the  prothorax  nearly  quadrate  and  perfectly  concolorous,  tarsi  dusky. 

Inhabits  Europe  and  England.  Specimens  in  nearly  all 
collections  of  British  Insects. 

Sp.  8.  Chlo.  Cydippe.     Pallide  lutea,  alis  venuste  virescentibus,  nervu- 

ris  concoloribus;  antennae  fuscae,  basi  imo  tantum  luteae.    (Corp.  long. 

.15  unc.  alar,  dilat.  .5  unc.) 

Pale  yellow,  the  wings  beautifully  tinged  with  green,  the  nervures  being 

exactly  concolorous,  and  not  observable  without  some  difficulty  ;    the  an- 

tenncB  are  brown,  the  extreme  base  alone  being  yellow. 

This  insect  nearly  approaches  Chlo.  apicalis,  which  ap- 
pears identical  with  Chlo.  pallida  of  Stephens,  a  species  not 
uncommon  in  Great  Britain,  France,  and  Switzerland  ;  but 
the  antennas  are  differently  coloured,  and  several  other  slight 
discrepancies  are  observable  on  a  minute  comparison. 


ON  THE  SYNONYMY  OF  THE  PERLITES.  89 

Inhabits  Georgia.  There  are  two  specimens  in  the  British 
Museum. 

Sp.  9.  Chlo.  bifrons.     (Corp.  long.  .3  unc.  alar,  clilat.  .65  unc.)  CctAwvvQ* 

A,       „        Newman, '  Entom.  Mag.'  vol.  v.  p.  401. 

Entirely  of  a  dark  shining  brown,  wings  tinged  with  brown,  the  nervures        » 
being  rather  darker :  the  antenna  and  caudal  seta  are  of  about  the  same 
length,  which  is  nearly  equal  to  that  of  the  body. 

Inhabits  Scotland;  taken  by  Mr.  Walker  at  New  Lanark. 
In  the  cabinets  of  the  Entomological  Club  and  Mr.  Stephens. 

Sp.  10.  Chlo.  nigra.     (Corp.  long.  .37  unc.  alar,  dilat.  .75  unc.) 

Perla  nigra,  Pictet,  'Annales  des  Sciences  Naturelles,'  vol.  xxviii. 
p.  61.  tab.  vi.fig.  11, 13. 

Entirely  of  a  shining  black  colour :  it  is  extremely  slender,  the  legs  and 
antenna  being  remarkably  slight;  the  wings  are  opaque  at  the  base  and  hy- 
aline at  the  tip. 

Inhabits  Switzerland,  where  it  takes  short  and  rapid  flights 
among  the  stones  on  the  banks  of  rivers :  it  is  very  difficult 
to  capture  this  delicate  insect  without  spoiling  it.  In  the  ca- 
binet of  M.  Pictet  of  Geneva. 

Sp.  11.  Chlo.  Opis.     Nigra,  nitida,  concolor ;  prothoracis  latera  con vexa 
alae  obscurae  fusco  tinctae,  nervuris  saturatioribus.    (Corp.  long.  .2  unc. 
alar,  dilat.  .5  unc.) 

Entirely  black,  shining:  the  prothorax  is  rather  wider  than  the  head,  and 
its  sides  are  very  convex,  the  antenna  are  about  as  long  as  the  body,  the 
caudal  seta  longer,  and  have  the  joints  remarkably  long  and  distinct:  the 
wings  are  tinged  with  brown  and  the  nervures  are  darker ;  the  femora  are 
black,  the  tibia  and  tarsi  brown. 

This  little  insect  inhabits  Newfoundland.  The  only  two 
specimens  I  have  seen  are  in  Mr.  Westwood's  cabinet^  and 
have  been  kindly  lent  to  me  for  description. 

Genus  VI. — Leptoperla,  Newman. 

Proalarum  nervurae  apicales  paralleles  6,  nervuris  transversis  numerosis 
intersectae  :  antennae  setaeque  caudales  elongatae ;  pedes  elongati. 

Sp.  1.  Leptoperla  Bero'e.  Fusca;  alae  opacae,  fuscae,  versus  apicem  ma- 
culis  albidis  notatae ;  pro-  et  mesopedes  fusci,  tibiis  medio  testaceis : 
metafemora  testacea,  apice  fusca.  (Corp.  long.  .3  unc.  ant.  .475  unc. 
set.  caud.  .475  unc.  alar,  dilat.  .9  unc.) 

This  is  a  slender  and  very  elegant  insect ;  it  differs  generically  from  Iso- 
genus  and  Perla  in  the  neuration  of  the  fore  wings,  the  exterior  portion  of 
which  is  occupied  by  six  strong  parallel  longitudinal  nervures;  of  these  the 
fourth  is  furcate  at  the  extremity,  and  the  fifth  unites  with  the  fourth  just 
before  its  furcation ;  these  longitudinal  nervures  are  intersected  by  several 
very  delicate  transverse  nervures:  the  antenna  and  caudal  seta  are  extremely 
slender,  and  much  longer  than  the  body  of  the  insect ;  the  tenninal  segment 
of  the  abdomen  below  is  furnished  with  two  leaf-like  processes,  which  curve 

Vol.  III.— No.  26,  n.  s.  i 


00  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA. 

upwards,  passing  between  (he  caudal  seta  and  terminating  in  acute  points  : 
the  legs  are  very  long  and  slender :  the  insect  is  of  a  dark  brown  colour, 
the  wings  being  opaque,  dark  brown,  and  the  exterior  portion  of  the  fore 
wings  regularly  spotted  with  dirty  white ;  the  hind  wings  are  immaculate  ; 
the  pro-  and  mesofcmora  having  a  bright  testaceous  ring ;  the  metafemora 
are  testaceous,  with  the  apex  only  dark  brown,  the  tibia  are  rather  paler, 
and  the  tarsi  nearly  black. 

Inhabits  Van  Dieman's  Land.     There  is  a  single  specimen 

in  the  cabinet  of  the  Rev.  F.  W.  Hope'™  ™'{^< 

I  bnn  ^IimBt  eno  m  hs^aans  od  jagim  usi 

.TOffronfi 

•d?  "tools  ;ni£  10  Joohoq  oifa  Q~A&i  owli  iO       ' 

Art.  VIT. — Observations  on  the  Rodentia,  with  a  view  to  point  out 
the  groups,  as  indicated  by  the  structure  of  the  Crania,  in  this  or- 
der of  Mammals.     By  G.  R.  Waterhouse,  Esq.,  Curator  to  the 

Zoological  Society. 

The  various  published  classifications  of  the  Rodentia  appear 
to  be  chiefly  founded  upon  the  external  structureof  the  species 
composing  this  order,  combined  with  their  dentition.  The 
habits  of  animals  of  the  same  group,  however,  are  often  very 
variable,  and  their  external  characters  and  certain  portions 
of  their  skeletons,  are  of  necessity  equally  so.  "  The  skele- 
tons of  Rodentia"  says  Cuvier,1  "are  so  variable,  owing  to 
the  diversity  of  the  movements  of  the  species  of  different  ge- 
nera, and  to  the  presence  or  absence  of  clavicles,  that  it  is 
difficult  to  find  any  characters  in  common,  unless  it  be  in  the 
bones  of  the  skull."  These  considerations  have  led  me  to 
search  in  the  skull  for  characters  by  which  to  define  the 
larger  groups  and  to  determine  the  affinities  of  the  genera, 
and  the  object  of  the  present  communication  is  to  point  out 
such  as  appear  most  important,  and  in  fact  to  state  the  re- 
sults arising  from  the  examination  of  an  extensive  series  of 
crania,  with  the  view  of  so  arranging  the  various  species  of 
rodents,  that  by  the  position  of  any  particular  individual  the 
most  important  points  in  its  structure  shall  be  indicated,  and 
the  relative  value  of  the  characters  expressed  by  the  nature 
of  the  divisions  and  sub-divisions. 

It  may  be  asked  upon  what  principles  I  estimate  the  value 
of  characters  ?  and  as  this  is  a  very  important  point,  a  few 
words  on  this  subject  appear  necessary.  I  may  answer  that 
I  value  a  character  by  its  constancy ;  and  consider  that  cha- 
racter of  most  importance  which  extends  through  the  greatest 
number  of  species,  provided  these  species  evince  affinities  one 
with  another  by  the  gradual  modifications  of  other  characters 
of  less  importance, — that  is  to  say,  more  subject  to  variation. 

1 '  Ossements  Fossiles.' 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA.  9T 

There  are,  however,  certain  points  in  which  the  greater  por- 
tion of  the  species  agree, — these,  which  may  be  called  the 
typical  characters  of  the  group,  in  my  opinion  should  not  be 
selected,  with  the  departures  from  such  typical  characters, 
for  the  establishment  of  primary  divisions.  The  skulls  of 
rodents,  for  instance,  generally  possess  a  large  glenoid  cavity, 
longitudinal  in  its  direction ;  but  in  the  genus  Lepus  this  ca- 
vity is  remarkably  small  and  narrow : — thus  rodents  in  gene- 
ral might  be  arranged  in  one  family,  and  the  genus  Lepus  in 
another. 

Or  if  we  take  the  perfect  or  imperfect  state  of  the  clavicles 
as  our  guide,  the  present  order  would  also  be  divided  into 
two  families  or  sections.  Rodents  are  typically  claviculated 
animals,  those  with  imperfect  clavicles  being  exceptions  in 
this  respect  to  that  structure  which  is  most  commonly  found 
in  the  species.  The  claviculated  or  unclaviculated  groups 
cannot,  I  think,  be  of  equal  value. 

My  principles  will  be  more  fully  illustrated  by  the  mode  in 
which  I  have  proceeded  in  the  investigation  of  the  affinities 
of  the  animals  under  consideration. 

After  a  careful  comparison  of  part  with  part  throughout 
the  whole  series  of  rodent  skulls  which  I  have  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  examining,  it  appeared  to  me  that  the  zygomatic 
arch  and  ant-orbital  foramen  afforded  the  most  constant  cha- 
racters. In  the  Sciuridce,  Muridae,  and  Arvicolidae  for  in- 
stance, we  find  the  zygomatic  process  of  the  maxillary  bone  to 
consist  of  a  large  thin  plate  of  bone,  which  is  oblique  in  its 
position,  and  has  the  lower  edge  emarginated  so  as  to  throw 
the  anterior  portion  of  the  zygomatic  arch  above  the  plane  of 
the  palate :  here  the  anterior  outlet  of  the  sub-ovbital  foramen 
is  much  contracted.  On  the  other  hand  in  the  Hystrices,  the 
genera  Echimys,  Myopotamus,  Dasyprocta,  and  in  the  Chin- 
chillida  and  Caviida,  the  ant-orbital  foramen  is  very  large, 
enclosed  by  two  meeting  branches  from  the  maxillary  bone, 
the  lower  branch  being  thrown  out  from  the  level  of  the  palate. 

In  the  hares  and  rabbits  (Lepus),  taking  the  same  charac- 
ter, we  find  quite  a  new  type  of  form,  indeed  these  animals 
appear  to  be  in  many  respects  isolated.  In  the  very  imperfect 
state  of  the  palate,  however,  and  in  some  other  characters 
which  will  be  hereafter  mentioned,  there  appears  to  be  an  ap- 
proach in  the  Chinchillida  and  Caviida. 

Thus  we  have  nearly  all  the  principal  genera  of  rodents 
thrown  into  three  great  sections,  which  may  be  easily  distin- 
guished ;  and  upon  arranging  the  various  species  of  the  ge- 
nera or  families  above  mentioned  in  these  sections,  we  find 


92  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA. 

many  other  points  indicative  of  the  mutual  affinity  of  those 
placed  in  the  same  section. 

Two  genera,  however,  form  exceptions,  not  possessing  the 
combination  of  characters  above  noticed ;  I  allude  to  Dipus 
and  Helamys.  The  whole  of  the  skulls  were  therefore  re-ex- 
amined, with  a  hope  that  the  discovery  of  some  other  cha- 
racters might  enable  me  to  determine  the  situation  of  these 
genera.  I  then  perceived  that  the  lower  jaw  afforded  points 
of  distinction  of  great  importance,  by  means  of  which  the  af- 
finities of  one  of  the  two  genera  just  mentioned  [Dipus),  can, 
I  think,  be  satisfactorily  determined. 

In  order  the  more  clearly  to  describe  the  lower  jaw,  I  shall 
view  each  ramus  as  divided  into  four  portions,  which  may  be 
called  the  alveolar  portion,  the  condyloid,  the  coronoid, 
and  the  descending  ramus. — A  ridge  of  bone  on  the  inner 
side  of  the  ramus,  extending  from  the  alveolar  portion  to  the 
condyle,forms  the  upper  or  anterior  boundary  of  what  I  term 
the  descending  ramus. 

In  the  first  section,  which  I  shall  call  Murina,  the  de- 
scending ramus  of  the  jaw  consists  of  a  broad  plate,  concave 
on  the  inner  side,  and  flat  or  convex  on  the  outer.  It  ap- 
proaches more  or  less  to  a  quadrate  form,  the  upper  posterior 
angle  is  directed  outwards,  and  the  lower  posterior  angle, 
which  is  often  rounded,  is  directed  inwards.  The  lower  boun- 
dary of  this  plate  consists  of  a  thickened  ridge  or  branch, 
which  springs  from  the  under  side  of  the  alveolar  portion  of 
the  jaw,  and  is  directed  backwards  and  downwards.  The 
posterior  part  of  the  descending  ramus  is  usually  in  the  same 
perpendicular  line  as  that  of  the  condyle,  and  very  seldom 
extends  beyond  that  line. 

The  coronoid  process  terminates  usually  high  above  the 
level  of  the  molars.  The  condyloid  portion  is  long  and  di- 
rected obliquely  upwards  and  backwards.  The  rami  of  the 
jaws  converge  to  a  point  at  the  symphysis,  which  is  usually 
of  but  small  extent,  and  forms  an  angle  of  about  45°  with  the 
horizontal  ramus. 

The  lower  jaw  of  a  squirrel  may  be  regarded  as  the  type 
of  the  form  just  described.  I  shall  have  occasion  to  notice 
the  departures  from  this  type  when  I  define  the  families. 

The  principal  genera  contained  in  this  section  are  Sciurus,  Arctomys, 
Myoxus,  Dipus,  Mus,  Arvicola,  Geomys,  and  Castor. 

Section  II. — Hystricina.  In  this  section  the  descending 
ramus  of  the  jaw  is  formed  by  a  triangular  flattened  plate,  the 
lower  boundary  of  which  consists  of  a  thickened  ridge  or 
branch,  (the  under  surface  of  which  is  almost  always  flat) 
which  springs  from  the  outer  side  of  the  alveolar  poition,  and 


OBSERVATIONS   ON   THE    RODENTIA.  93 

the  apex  of  which  is  produced  and  forms  an  acute  angle, 
which  almost  invariably  terminates  beyond  the  condyle.  The 
rami  of  the  jaw  somewhat  suddenly  diverge  behind  their  junc- 
tion at  the  symphysis  menti,  which  is  of  considerable  extent. 
The  horizontal  ramus  is  separated  from  the  alveolar  portion 
beneath,  by  a  groove,  which  is  more  or  less  distinct.  The 
coronoid  process  is  usually  small  or  but  slightly  elevated 
above  the  level  of  the  molars,  and  situated  more  forward  than 
in  section  I.,  and  the  condyloid  is  comparatively  short. 

The  principal  genera,  are  Bathyergiis,  Poephagomys,  Octodon,  Abrocoma, 
Myopotamus,  Capromys,  Echimys,  Aulacodus,  Hystrix,  Dasyprocta,  Chin- 
chilla, Cavia  and  Hydrocharus. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  genera  here  mentioned  possess 
all  the  characters  combined  which  have  just  been  pointed  out. 
Some,  however,  will  not  agree  with  the  description  in  all 
respects,  but  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  in  these  instances  the 
remainder  of  the  distinguishing  characters  are  more  than  usu- 
ally evident.  In  Bathyergus  for  instance,  the  posterior  por- 
tion of  the  descending  ramus  is  rounded,  and  not  acute  ;  but 
here,  this  portion  of  the  jaw  is  thrown  out  from  the  alveoli  of 
the  great  inferior  incisors  in  an  extraordinary  degree,  and 
there  is  a  very  distinct  broad  channel  on  the  under  side  of  the 
jaw  separating  the  two  portions  in  question — a  character 
never  found  in  the  species  of  the  first  section.  The  coronoid 
process  is  also  very  small.  Again,  in  the  cavies  {Cavia)  the 
lower  boundary  of  the  descending  ramus  is  not  thrown  out 
from  the  outer  side  of  the  alveolar  portion  ;  the  angle  of  the 
jaw  however,  is  greatly  produced,  the  condyloid  process  is 
short  and  the  coronoid  is  very  small.  It  is  not,  therefore,  by 
any  one  particular  character  that  I  would  pretend  to  define 
the  sections,  but  by  the  combination  of  characters. 

Section  III. — Leporina.  The  hares  [Lepus)  are  remarkable 
for  the  flatness  of  the  rami  of  the  lower  jaw,  and  their  great 
size  compared  with  the  teeth,  the  almost  horizontal  direction 
of  the  symphysis  menti,  the  great  height  of  the  condyloid  por- 
tion— along  the  outer  side  of  which  there  is  an  elevated  ridge 
which  represents  the  coronoid.  The  condyloid  process  is  also 
more  upright  than  in  other  rodents.  The  descending  ramus 
is  very  large  and  flat,  and  has  the  lower  margin  rounded  or 
angular,  as  in  the  genus  Lagomys,  at  least  in  some  of  the 
species. 


94 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA. 


Molares  ^, 


Section  I. — Murina. 
Family  I. — Sciurid^e 
Dentition. — Incisors  laterally  compressed 
rarely  -JJ,  equal  in  size  or  nearly  so,  excepting  the  anterior 
molar  of  the  upper  jaw  (where  there  are  are  -|4)>  which  is 
smaller  than  the  rest.     The  series  of  molars  on  the  opposite 

side  of  each  jaw  are  widely  separated,  and  parallel. 

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(a),  upper  side.  (6),  under  side  (c),  side  view,  showing  the  position  of  the  ant-orbital 

foramen,  &c.        (d),  lower  jaw,  viewed  from  beneath.        (e),  one  of  the  rami  of  the  lower  jaw, 
inner  side. 

Skull. — Ant-orbital  foramen  very  small,  situated  near  the 
plane  of  the  palate,  and  about  midway  between  the  line  of  the 
front  molar  and  the  intermaxillary  suture.  This  foramen  has 
its  anterior  outlet  bounded  externally  by  a  bony  protuberance, 


Skull  of  Sciurus  vulgaris. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA.  95 

which  is  produced  downwards  into  an  angle  more  or  less  dis- 
tinctly marked.  Zygomatic  process  of  the  maxillary  bone 
consisting  of  a  broad  thin  plate,  which  is  concave  in  front, 
oblique  in  its  position,  (the  lower  part  being  the  farthest  re- 
moved from  the  nasal  portion  of  the  skull),  and  occupies  the 
whole  space  between  the  plane  of  the  palate,  and  that  of  the 
upper  surface  of  the  skull.  The  lower  boundary  of  this  plate 
is  emarginated,  and  forms  an  arch  which  throws  the  anterior 
portion  of  the  zygomatic  arch  above  the  plane  of  the  palate. 
Palatine  portions  of  the  intermaxillary,  maxillary,  and  pala- 
tine bones,  on  the  same  plane,  or  together,  forming  a  slightly 
concave  and  nearly  even  surface.  Incisive  foramina  small 
and  narrow,  terminating  in  most  cases  at  the  intermaxillary 
suture.  The  palatine  portion  of  the  palate-bone  ap- 
proaching to  a  quadrate  form,  the  palato -maxillary  suture 
being  almost  always  between  the  penultimate  molars  :  there 
are  two  small,  widely  separated,  suturo -palatal  foramina ; 
and  on  each  side,  close  behind  the  last  molar  there  is  a  tole- 
rably large  posterior  palatal  foramen.  The  posterior  bound- 
ary of  the  palate  is  doubly  emarginated  or  truncated,  and  is 
situated  in  a  line  with  the  hinder  portion,  the  last  molar  on 
each  side,  or  {generally)  behind  this  line. 

Frontal  bone  with  a  distinct  post-orbital  process,  which  is 
directed  backwards  and  downwards,  and  leaves  a  wide  space 
for  the  passage  of  the  temporal  muscle.  The  malar  bone  is 
continued  forwards  and  upwards,  to  join  the  lachrymal,  and 
backwards,  to  form  the  outer  boundary  of  the  glenoid  cavity; 
this  cavity  is  broad  and  open,  and  not  contracted  by  longitu- 
dinally elevated  ridges.  J  11 

Lower  jaw. — The  descending  ramus  nearly  of  a  quadrate 
form,  its  upper  posterior  angle  acute  and  directed  outwards 
from  the  line  of  the  condyle,  and  the  lower  posterior  angle 
rounded  and  directed  inwards.  The  lines  formed  by  the  low- 
er margins  of  the  descending  ramus  on  each  side,  are  nearly 
parallel.  The  horizontal  rami  meet  in  front  and  join  by  a 
symphysis  of  limited  extent. 

The  most  striking  feature  in  the  skulls  of  the  present 
family,  and  one  which  distinguishes  them  from  all  other 
rodents  with  which  I  am  acquainted,  is  the  distinct  post- 
orbital  process.  This  process  however,  although  always 
distinct,  varies  considerably  in  size.  It  is  most  developed  in 
the  larger  species  of  the  genus  Pteromys.  In  some  of  the 
marmots  it  is  also  very  large.  In  the  genus  Sciurus  it  varies 
considerably, but  neither  in  this  genus  nor  in  any  other  of  the 
present  family  >  have  I  ever  found  it  wanting.  It  is  least  de- 
veloped in  the  palm  squirrel,  [Sciurus  palmarwm).     In  some 

r 


})(>  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA. 

of  the  Spermophili  (if  not  all)  it  is  very  small,  and  it  is  also 
small  in  the  genus  Geosciurus  of  Dr.  And.  Smith,  (which  I  have 
no  doubt  is  the  same  as  the  genus  Xerus  of  Hemp  and  E  hr.) 
The  palate  is  proportionally  larger  in  the  Sciuridae  than  any 
other  Rodents.  It  almost  always  extends  considerably  be- 
yond the  last  molars.  In  Sc.  Prevostii  however,  the  palate 
terminates  in  the  line  of  the  hinder  portion  of  the  last  molar, 
and  in  Sc.  maximus  and  Sc.  Leschenaultii  it  terminates  rather 
within  this  line.  The  position,  combined  with  the  small  size 
of  the  ant-orbital  foramen,  will  also  serve  to  distinguish  the 
Sciuridce.  The  genus  Castor,  in  the  character  of  the  ant- 
orbital  foramen,  makes  the  nearest  approach  to  the  present 
family  ;  here  however,  this  opening  is  not  so  low  down. 

The  general  form  of  the  skull  in  the  true  SciuridaB  is  short 
and  rounded,  the  cranial  portion  is  very  large,  and  the  nasal 
portion  short.  In  the  genus  Arctomys  the  nasal  portion  is 
proportionately  larger,  and  the  cranial  smaller.  Here  the 
interorbital  portion  of  the  skull  is  considerably  contracted,  as 
we  also  find  the  same  part  in  the  larger  species  of  Pteromys, 
these  however  have  the  short  nasal  bones,  as  in  the  genus 
Sciurus.  In  Sc.  palmarum,  and  in  the  genera  Spermophilus 
and  Geosciurus  (Sci.  erythropus1),  the  skull  is  considerably 
elongated  and  somewhat  ovate,  the  nasal  bones  are  longer 
than  in  the  true  squirrels.  The  animal  last  named  offers  ma- 
ny peculiarities  in  the  form  of  the  cranium,  it  is  not  however 
my  intention  to  enter  into  detail  at  present ;  I  will  merely  no- 
tice one,  viz.,  the  horizontally  compressed  form  of  that  por- 
tion of  the  zygomatic  arch  which  forms  the  lower  boundary 
of  the  orbit :  a  character  in  which  it  differs  from  all  the  other 
Sciuri  examined  by  me,  but  to  which  I  find  an  approach  in  the 
skull  of  a  species  of  Spermophilus,  (Sp.  Franklinii). 

The  genera  and  subgenera  contained  in  this  family  the  skulls  of  which 
I  have  examined,  are — Pteromys,  Sciuropterus,  Sciurus,  Macroxus,  Tamia, 
Geosciurus,  Spermophilus,  and  Arctomys. 

(To  be  continued.) 

1 1  am  indebted  to  Dr.  Richardson  for  the  loan  of  the  skull  of  this  spe- 
cies, and  also  of  the  crania  of  several  other  rodents,  which  have  been  of  great 
service  to  me. 


AMPHICOMA  VULPINA.  $7 


SHORT  COMMUNICATIONS 

Note  on  Amphicoma  vulpina,  Hentz. — When  in  East  Flo- 
rida I  received  a  letter  from  Count  Castelneau,  in  which, 
amongst  other  matters  relating  to  Entomology,  he  informed 
me  that  what  he  considered  the  most  interesting  coleopterous 
insect  he  had  taken  in  West  Florida  was  an  Amphicoma,  or 
rather  an  insect  of  a  new  genus  very  closely  allied  to  Amphi- 
coma. This,  he  added,  was  peculiarly  interesting,  as  this 
group  of  the  lamellicoms  was  heretofore  supposed  to  be  con- 
fined to  the  Old  World,  and  in  a  great  measure  to  the  shores 
of  the  Mediterranean. 

When  at  Cambridge  (Mass.)  last  October,  I  for  the  first 
time  saw  the  insect  to  which  I  believe  the  above  remark  refers; 
and  there  learned  from  Dr.  Harris  a  few  particulars  with  re- 
gard to  its  history,  which,  from  their  being  upon  the  interest- 
ing subject  of  Insect  Geography,  are  of  some  importance. 

This  insect  is  the  Amphicoma  vulpina  of  Hentz,  but  I  am 
not  quite  sure  that  his  name  is  more  than  a  manuscript  one. 
Perhaps  it  ought  to  form  a  new  genus,  and  be  considered  as 
the  American  representative  of  Amphicoma  but  I  have  not  yet 
had  leisure  to  examine  the  only  specimen  I  brought  home 
with  me.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  fact  of  an  insect  of  this  ge- 
nus, or  of  one  so  nearly  allied  to  it,  being  found  in  North 
America,  is  interesting  and  important ;  and  not  less  so  is  the 
fact  that  its  range  over  that  vast  continent  is  extremely  wide, 
extending  from  the  hills  of  New  Hampshire  to  the  Upper 
Mississipi,  and  across  the  Rocky  Mountains  as  far  as  the 
shpres  of  the  Pacific,  from  all  which  places  Dr.  Harris  knows 
of  specimens :  to  these  we  must  add  West  Florida,  as  its 
southern  limit,  and  thus  we  find  that  it  ranges  throughout  the 
whole  territory  of  the  United  States,  from  east  to  west,  and 
from  north  to  south. 

A  specimen  of  this  insect,  which  I  owe  to  the  kindness  of 
Dr.  T.  W.  Hams,  is  now  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Entomological 
Club.  It  was  taken  by  Dr.  Gould  of  Boston,  on  the  flowers 
of  the  American  elder,  in  New  Hampshire,  I  believe  in  the 
month  of  July. 

At  present  we  know  but  little  of  the  geographical  distribu- 
tion of  insects ;  our  entomological  authors  being  very  careless 
about  defining  their  exact  localities.  I  have  been  particularly 
struck  with  this  carelessness  in  regard  to  the  insects  of  the 
United  States.  Some  European  entomologists  who  have 
written  on  the  insects  of  that  country,  appear  to  think  it  quite 
needless  trouble  to  indicate  whether  their  species  are  from 

Vol.  III.— No.  26.  n.  s.  k 


98  FOSSIL  REMAINS  OF  CETACEA. 

the  snow-clad  mountains  of  the  eastern  states,  the  flowery 
prairies  of  Illinois,  or  the  orange-groves  of  East  Florida. — 
Whether  this  fault  has  originated  on  this  side  of  the  water  or 
on  the  other,  I  know  not.  It  may  be  that  the  American  en- 
tomologists themselves,  in  their  remittances  of  insects  to  Eu- 
rope, have  neglected  to  specify  their  exact  localities ;  or  it 
may  be  that  we  are  too  apt  to  forget  the  vast  extent  of  the 
various  republics  known  as  the  United  States  of  America. — 
Be  this  as  it  may,  that  such  carelessness  should  exist  cannot 
be  too  much  lamented. — Edward  Doubleday. — Sudbury,  2Lv£ 
J  any.  1839. 

On  the  Fossil  Remains  of  Cetacea. — The  philosophical 
journals  both  of  England  and  Scotland  record  instances  of 
the  discovery  of  cetaceous  remains  in  positions  to  which  it 
is  physically  impossible  the  present  seas  can  have  reached; 
and  yet  the  condition  of  such  remains,  and  their  isolated  en- 
tombment, added  to  the  fact  of  their  occurrence  exclusively 
in  the  most  superficial  strata,  have  led  to  a  doubt  of  their  fos- 
sil character.  On  the  banks  of  the  Forth  the  bones  of  an 
animal  72  feet  long  were  once  discovered,  imbedded  in  clay 
more  than  20  feet  above  the  reach  of  the  highest  tide  of  that 
river.  A  solitary  vertebra  was  described  by  Sir  George  Mac- 
kenzie in  the  'Edinb.  Phil.  Trans.'  vol.  x.,  p.  105,  as  obtain- 
ed from  Strathpepper  in  Rosshire,  at  an  altitude  of  12  feet 
above  the  present  level  of  the  sea.  Several  bones  of  a  whale 
were  subsequently  discovered  at  Dumore  Rock,  Stirlingshire, 
in  brick  earth,  nearly  40  feet  above  the  present  level  of  the 
sea.  Still  in  all  these  instances  no  remains  of  extinct  ani- 
mals were  present  with  them,  nor  were  there  any  extinct  ma- 
rine Testacea  attached  to  the  bones  :  so  that  their  fossil  cha- 
racter rests  upon  the  inference  to  be  drawn  from  the  condition 
of  the  beds  in  which  they  were  deposited,  and  from  the  rela- 
tive position  of  their  respective  mausoleums.  The  latter,  be 
it  observed,  are  generally  on  more  or  less  elevated  ground, 
adjacent  either  to  the  sea  or  to  tidal  rivers.  The  stratum  in 
which  they  repose  is  either  without  exception  what  is  termed 
marine  diluvium,  or  the  clay  beds  subordinate  to  it.  It  is 
true  moreover  that  living  Cetacea  are  occasional  visitants  to 
the  neighbourhood  in  which  the  supposed  fossil  remains  are 
discovered.  We  must  therefore  await  additional  evidence 
before  we  can  with  confidence  assign  to  these  remains  any 
degree  in  the  chronological  scale  higher  than  that  of  the  re- 
cent period  of  geologists. 

To  the  before-mentioned  instances  I  may  add  that  in  the 
course  of  the  summer  of  1837,  I  obtained  twelve  vertebrae  of 
a  whale,  some  caudal  others  dorsal,  from  the  yellow  marie  or 


THE  ARGONAUT. NOTES  ON  BIRDS.  99 

brick  earth  of  Heme  Bay,  in  Kent.  The  spot  from  whence 
they  were  taken  is  not  more  than  10  feet  from  the  high  water 
mark,  and  certainly  not  more  than  10  feet  above  the  occa- 
sional reach  of  the  sea  on  that  coast.  They  were  the  bones 
of  a  young  animal,  since  their  epihpyses  were  still  unconnect- 
ed with  their  bodies,  and  the  bony  structure  not  fully  deve- 
loped. Their  specific  gravity  was  little  above  that  of  water, 
and  their  texture  frail,  although  embedded  in  tenacious  clay. 
No  other  animal  remains  were  discoverable  in  the  clay.  It  is 
only  necessary  to  remark  that  the  remains  in  question  singu- 
larly correspond  with  their  predecessors  in  position  and  cha- 
racter, and  add  their  corroborative  testimony,  by  way  of  ac- 
cumulation, to  whatever  view  may  be  taken  of  cetacean  reli- 
quiae. I  send  this  statement  under  the  impression  that  your 
Magazine  is  ever  open  to  the  details  of  facts  in  Natural  His- 
tory, be  the  evidence  to  be  drawn  from  these  facts  what  it 
may.  —  Wm.  Richardson. 

Note  on  the  Argonaut. — I  have  talked  with  Delia  Chiaja 
very  much  about  the  argonaut ;  he  states  that  he  has  traced 
the  animal  from  the  ovum  to  the  formation  of  the  shell,  and 
he  has  published  plates  of  the  progress  of  its  developement, 
which  are  beautifully  executed.  I  think  we  may  place  full 
confidence  in  his  observations;  he  is  animated  with  the  great- 
est zeal  for  science, — almost  unsupported,  and  certainly  un- 
remunerated. 

I  am  sorry  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  get  an  argonaut ; 
I  have  requested  the  fishermen  to  bring  the  first  they  catch 
to  me.  They  come  off  this  coast  only  in  summer,  and  are 
then  more  in  the  Gulf  of  Genoa,  and  off  Baia  and  Puzzuoli, 
rather  than  in  our  Bay. — J.  C.  Cox. — Naples,  Dec.  28,  1838. 

Ornithological  Notes. — Seeing  from  time  to  time  lists  of  birds  shot  in  dif- 
ferent counties,  it  has  occurred  to  me  that  if  such  lists  were  procured  from 
all  parts  of  the  kingdom,  it  would  be  as  useful  an  index  to  collectors  of  Brit- 
ish birds  as  could  be  formed.  These  lists  might  be  much  abridged  by  leav- 
ing out  such  species  as  are  common  to  all  parts  of  the  country ;  they  would 
greatly  aid  the  British  ornithologist,  for  innumerable  are  the  difficulties 
which  he  has  to  encounter,  and  after  all  his  exertions  but  very  few  are  the 
birds  he  can  procure  with  his  own  gun.  He  will  have  to  contend  with  the 
unprincipled  conduct  and  exorbitant  demands  of  those  who  call  themselves 
"naturalists."  For  alas  for  the  rare  birds  of  Britain !  whenever  a  harmless 
and  interesting  stranger  makes  its  appearance,  some  ruthless  eye  is  imme- 
diately upon  it,  and  it  is  generally  murdered  in  mere  wantonness :  for  I  be- 
lieve but  few  of  the  rarities  taken  are  preserved ;  they  are  just  handed  about 
for  a  day  or  two,  to  gratify  the  stare  of  stupid  wonder,  or  else  nailed  against 
a  barn,  as  a  trophy  of  cruelty. 

But  few  of  these  rarities  have  come  under  my  own  observation.  A  fine 
male  honey-buzzard  (Pemis  apivorus)  was  shot  here  last  June ;  it  was 
exceedingly  tame.  The  goshawk  (Astur  palumbarius)  has  been  taken  here, 
and  the  kite  (Milvus  ictinus),  though  formerly  plentiful,  has  now,  through 


100  LITERARY  INTELLIGENCE. 

the  ruthlessness  of  the  gamekeepers,  almost  disappeared.  The  seops  owl 
(Scops  Aldrovandi)  was  taken  some  years  ago,  and  I  have  no  doubt  would 
have  continued  with  us,  but  for  the  same  cause,  for  the  aforesaid  gentry  ne- 
ver trouble  themselves  to  inquire  whether  such  visitors  may  not  do  as  much 
or  more  good  than  harm,  it  is  enough  for  them  to  know  that  they  are  not 
game,  and  of  course  must  be  exterminated. 

Amongst  other  birds  which  I  have  known  taken  is  the  ash-coloured  shrike 
(Lanius  excubitor).  That  very  interesting  little  bird  the  pied  fly-catcher 
(Muscicapa  luctuosa) ;  the  chatterer  (Bombycivora  garrula),  the  finest  case  I 
ever  saw  of  which  were  purchased  of  a  boy  who  was  feeding  his  ferrets  with 
them,  for  one  penny  each ;  in  fact  most  of  these  things  are  destroyed  to  no 
purpose,  as  soon  as  seen.  The  grey-headed  wagtail  (Motacilla  neglecta)  was 
once  obtained  from  a  boy.  Next  comes  the  poor  little  crossbill  (Loxia  cur- 
virostra),  of  which  we  have  lately  had  numbers,  and  which,  by  a  cessation 
of  hostilities,  might  be  induced  to  take  up  its  abode  and  increase  among  us ; 
but  no  sooner  is  it  heard,  (and  its  note  being  a  peculiar  one  is  the  herald  of 
its  own  destruction),  than  it  is  driven  from  plantation  to  plantation,  and, 
like  the  dove  from  the  ark,  can  find  no  rest  for  the  sole  of  its  foot. 

The  little  busy  barred  woodpecker  meets  with  no  encouragement  here, 
and  is  obliged  to  seek  a  habitation  elsewhere.  The  stock  dove  (Columba 
jEnas)  has  become  scarce  of  late ;  and  the  large  bustard  (Otis  tarda)  is  all 
but  exterminated.  A  fine  female  was  sold  in  Cambridge  market  last  Fe- 
bruary for  £2.  2s.;  it  was  shot  between  Cambridge  and  Lynn.  A  male  was 
killed  near  this  place  seven  or  eight  years  ago,  and  hawked  about  for  half- 
a-crown.  The  little  bustard  (Otis  tetrax)  was  taken  last  year  in  this  coun- 
ty. The  little  sandpiper  (Tringa pusilla),  the  little  auk  (Mergulus  melano- 
leucos),  and  the  fulmar  (Procellaria  glacialis),  have  also,  singularly  enough, 
been  taken  here;  as  well  as  the  fork-tailed  petrel  (Thalassidroma  Bullockii). 
Some  of  the  above  are  preserved  in  the  Museum  of  this  town,  but  I  am  sor- 
ry to  say  not  the  whole  of  them. 

But  I  have  not  yet  stated  the  chief  difficulties  the  naturalist  has  to  con- 
tend with ;  these  are  the  jealousies  and  envyings  which  seem  to  pervade  the 
breasts  of  men  of  all  classes  in  the  different  branches  of  science.  This  to 
me  is  unaccountable.  When  all  are  animated  by  a  common  object,  mutual 
assistance  ought  to  be  cheerfully  rendered,  especially  when  all  are  working 
for  the  public  good.  Creation  is  full  of  beauties  for  the  naturalist  to  ad- 
mire. In  the  lively  and  interesting  feathered  race,  the  well-adapted  and 
graceful  figures  of  quadrupeds,  the  infinitely  diversified  forms  of  the  insect 
tribes,  and  in  the  beauty  and  variety  of  the  surrounding  vegetation, — there 
is  nothing  to  excite  envy,  but  everything  to  induce  an  opposite  frame  of 
mind.  Everything  was  intended  for  our  enjoyment  and  instruction ;  every- 
thing is  beautiful  and  happy ;  and 

"All  save  the  spirit  of  man  is  divine:  " 

and  but  for  that  spirit  the  earth  would  be  a  paradise. — Joseph  Clarke. — 
Saffron  Walden,  Nov.  24th,  1838. 


LITERARY  INTELLIGENCE. 

Mr.  James  F.  Stephens,  author  of  the  Illustrations  of  British  Insects,  is 
preparing  for  publication  a  series  of  Manuals  descriptive  of  all  the  species 
of  British  Insects.  The  first  volume,  containing  the  whole  of  the  British 
Beetles,  is  nearly  ready. 


THE  MAGAZINE 


OF 


NATURAL   HISTORY. 


MARCH,  1839. 


Art.  I. — Observations  on  the  Poulp  of  the  Argonaut.    By  Madame 
Jeannette  Power.  l 

Having  for  many  years  past  devoted  to  natural  science,  and 
to  enriching  my  cabinet  with  marine  objects,  the  few  hours 
to  be  spared  from  domestic  cares,  for  in  fact  few  are  the  mo- 
ments that  one  of  my  sex  and  condition  can  enjoy  in  study, — 
the  poulp  of  the  argonaut  specially  fixed  my  attention,  from 
so  much  having  been  said  on  the  subject  by  naturalists.  I 
have  since  been  enabled  to  follow  up  a  series  of  observations 
upon  this  cephalopod,  which  other  naturalists  could  not  per- 
haps have  done,  for  want  of  those  opportunities  and  means 
with  which  I  have  been  fully  supplied.  I  therefore  deemed 
it  incumbent  upon  me  to  make  careful  inquiries  on  the  most 
disputed  points  which  regard  the  physiological  condition  of 
the  animal,  and  consequently  devoted  myself  for  some  years 
to  an  uninterrupted  course  of  observations ;  and  after  repeated 
experiments,  I  have  at  last  been  able  to  obtain  data  which 
lead  to  very  important  results  :  first,  by  assuring  myself  that 
this  mollusc  is  the  constructor  of  the  shell  which  it  inhabits ; 
secondly,  by  clearing  up  doubts  with  regard  to  the  first  de- 
velopement  of  its  eggs ;  and,  finally,  by  making  known  many 
new  facts  respecting  its  habits.  I  will  therefore  present  to 
you,  Gentlemen,  after  a  short  sketch  of  the  state  of  zoological 
knowledge  as  regarded  the  Argonauta  Argo  when  I  commen- 
ced my  experiments,  an  account  of  the  method  followed  by 
me  in  my  researches,  and  the  physiological  inferences  dedu- 
ced from  them. 

1 "  Osservazione  fisiche  sopra  il  polpo  dell'  Argonauta  Argo,  della  Socia 
Correspondente  Madame  Jeannette  Power."  Read  at  the  Meeting  of  26th 
November,  1836.     From  the  xii.  vol.  of  the  Academy,  Catania. 

Vol.  III.— No.  27.  n.  s.  l 


102  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  ARGONAUT. 

It  has  been  a  subject  of  much  controversy  amongst  natu- 
ralists, whether  the  poulp  of  the  argonaut  really  secretes  the 
shell  in  which  it  is  commonly  found,  or,  like  the  Paguri, 
forces  itself  in  after  the  proper  inhabitant  has  been  either 
driven  out,  devoured,  or  become  naturally  extinct.  Indeed, 
whilst  Lamarck,  Montfort,  Ranzani,  &c.  supported  the  former 
opinion,  Blainville  and  others  maintained  as  certain  the  lat 
ter ;  and  this  learned  malacologist  went  so  far  as  to  assert  that 
the  animal  of  the  argonaut  was  totally  unknown, — ("Animal 
tout-a-fait  inconnu." — ' Manuel  de  Malacologie,'  p.  494"). — 
Prior  to  these  the  enlightened  Abbe  Olivi  had  stated,  although 
he  had  not  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  a  living  argonaut, 
that  he  was  inclined  to  believe  that  a  cephalopod  might  ea- 
sily form  a  calcareous  shell  like  that  of  the  argonaut,  if  another 
cephalopod,  according  to  the  observations  of  Martini,  was  the 
constructor  of  the  heavy  and  chambered  shell  of  the  nautilus. 

The  reasons  which  induced  the  opposers  of  this  opinion  to 
think  the  shell  not  the  work  of  the  poulp,  were  that  its  body 
had  not  a  spiral  conformation,  and  that  it  did  not  adhere  to 
the  shell,  which  bore  no  resemblance  to  the  neighbouring 
parts  of  the  inclosed  animal,  being  regularly  furrowed  at  the 
sides,  and  possessing  a  spiral  convolution  something  like  an 
ammonite,  while  nothing  analogous  was  observed  in  the  ani- 
mal, whose  folds,  when  it  withdrew  into  the  shell,  presented 
the  appearance  of  anything  but  regular  furrows.  To  these 
objections  I  will  now  reply,  because  I  am  glad  to  show  at 
this  time  how  Signor  Poli,  attentively  scrutinizing  the  eggs 
of  the  argonaut,  assures  us  that  he  saw  the  young  shell  at- 
tached to  the  mollusc,  and  concludes  that  there  is  no  longer 
room  to  doubt  that  the  shell  in  which  we  see  the  argonaut  is 
generated  in  the  egg  with  the  mollusc,  and  not  merely  inha- 
bited by  it  afterwards,  as  many  believe.  With  all  this,  the 
observations  of  Poli  do  not  appear  to  have  entirely  removed 
the  doubts  of  the  celebrated  Baron  Cuvier,  who,  not  being 
willing  to  declare  the  opinion  of  Blainville  erroneous,  quali- 
fied it  as  exceedingly  problematical. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  with  respect  to  the  argonaut, 
when  it  occurred  to  me  that  the  absence  of  experiments  alone 
was  the  cause  of  such  conflicting  opinions,  and  that  all  must 
be  brought  to  light  if  attentive  examinations  were  instituted 
on  so  important  a  subject. 

Determined  on  this  undertaking,  I  well  considered  the  aim 
of  my  observations,  which  was  to  assure  myself  of  the  fact 
that  the  constructor  of  the  argonaut  shell  was  the  cephalopod 
which  inhabited  it.  In  this  case  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  structure  of  this  mollusc  should  be  the  first  of  my  endea- 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  ARGONAUT.  103 

vours ;  to  examine  the  relation  of  the  mollusc  with  its  shell 
the  second ;  and  the  third  to  accompany  it  in  its  develope- 
ment  from  the  egg  through  its  entire  growth.  But  how  to 
prosecute  so  difficult  a  series  of  observations  ?  The  Port  of 
Messina,  daily  frequented  by  me  in  search  of  marine  objects, 
offered  opportunities  and  means  which  perhaps  no  other  situ- 
ation could  present.  For  this  object  I  thought  of  cages, 
which  were  constructed  under  my  direction ;  they  were  eight 
palms  long  and  four  broad,  with  a  convenient  interval  (three 
or  four  lines)  between  the  bars,  which  allowed  the  water  to 
enter  freely  when  placed  in  the  sea,  whilst  the  escape  of  the 
animal  was  prevented.  I  placed  the  cages  in  a  shallow  bot- 
tom in  the  sea  near  our  citadel,  in  a  spot  where  I  could  exa- 
mine them  without  disturbance.  I  inclosed  in  them  a  num- 
ber of  living  argonauts,  which  I  took  care  to  supply  every 
two  or  three  days  with  both  naked  and  testaceous  molluscs 
for  food.  Fortified  with  invincible  patience,  I  never  once 
thought  of  desisting  from  the  undertaking,  although  many  and 
many  times  my  experiments  met  with  no  fortunate  result. — 
It  was  only  after  several  months  that  I  succeeded  in  clearing 
up  my  doubts,  and  in  seeing  my  researches  crowned  with 
success. 

With  regard  to  the  structure  of  the  mollusc  of  the  argonaut, 
as  no  one  is  ignorant  of  what  authors  have  said  on  the  sub- 
ject, it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  recount  what  I  have  ob- 
served as  singular,  or  not  described  by  others,  doubting  that 
some  essential  particulars  in  the  history  of  this  animal  may 
have  escaped  many  naturalists. 

The  cephalopod  of  the  argonaut  is  furnished  with  eight 
arms,  having  on  each  two  rows  of  suckers ;  the  first  two  arms 
are  more  robust  than  the  others,  and  should  be  so,  because 
they  serve  as  masts  to  support  the  sails,  which,  spread  out, 
act  before  the  wind  as  such.  At  the  base  they  have,  on  the 
inferior  sides,  the  double  row  of  suckers  like  the  other  six ; 
but  from  the  inferior  row,  at  about  an  inch  from  the  base  in 
adults,  a  rather  fun-owed  membrane  begins  to  develope  itself, 
which  extends  as  far  as  the  tip  of  the  arm,  and  holding  it 
bent,  it  can  no  longer  follow  the  office  of  a  rowing  arm,  but 
as  every  one  knows,  it  is  employed  by  the  animal  as  a  sail. 
But  here  I  am  glad  to  observe  that  these  sails  (for  so  we  will 
call  them)  attached  to  the  sailing  arms  are  so  large,  that  when 
turned  backwards  and  pressed  against  the  shell  they  can  en- 
tirely cover  and  protect  it.  Thus,  as  far  as  I  can  conclude, 
the  true  office  of  these  sails  is  exactly  that  of  keeping  them- 
selves applied  to  the  shell  at  all  times,  in  reserve  for  the  mo- 
ment when  the  animal,  coming  to  the  surface  of  the  water, 


104  OBSERVATIONS    ON  THE  ARGONAUT. 

removes  tliem,  and  spreading,  raises  them  in  the  office  of  sails. 
In  fact,  the  series  of  suckers  of  the  sail-arms,  when  the  mem- 
brane of  the  sails  is  wrapped  about  the  shell,  are  placed  ex- 
actly over  the  keel  of  it,  in  such  a  manner  that  each  sucker 
corresponds  to  each  point  in  which  the  ribs  of  the  argonaut 
terminate  until  they  reach  the  two  margins  of  the  spiral. 

Observation  leads  me  to  compare  the  sails  of  the  argonaut 
with  the  two  wings  of  the  mantle  of  the  Cyprcea,  not  only 
from  the  manner  in  which  they  cover  the  shell,  but  because  I 
have  reason  to  believe  that  the  formation  itself  of  the  shell 
results  from  a  transudation  by  the  membrane  of  the  sails, 
the  corrugations  of  which,  in  secreting  the  calcareous  matter, 
may  be  the  cause  of  the  ribbed  form  of  the  shell.  These  may 
also  serve  as  a  means  of  retention  of  the  animal  in  its  shell 
during  the  movements  of  the  mollusc,  which,  without  all  these 
furrows,  might  easily  slip  about  from  one  side  to  the  other. 

This  consideration  may  weigh  in  obviating  the  difficulties 
of  those  who  cannot  imagine  how  a  shell  containing  a  cepha- 
lopod  should  present  no  resemblance  with  the  folds  of  the 
animal  compressed  within  it.  For  if  they  would  consider  it 
the  result  of  a  calcareous  deposition  of  the  membrane  of  the 
sails,  they  would  find  not  only  the  series  of  little  points  cor- 
responding to  the  suckers,  which  adapt  themselves  to  the  keel 
of  the  spiral,  but  an  explanation  of  the  disposition  of  the  ribs, 
and  of  the  smooth  and  paper-like  condition  of  all  the  shell. 
They  have  not  all  seen,  I  can  frankly  assert,  how  the  argonaut 
appears  when  it  has  placed  its  sails  over  the  shell ;  drawing 
alone  can  shew  it,  and  I  have  here  annexed  a  figure  which  is 
a  very  good  resemblance. 

The  sail  when  spread  out  presents  a  silvery  surface,  speck- 
led with  concentric  circles  of  spots  with  a  black  spot  in  the 
middle,  and  surrounded  with  a  beautiful  gold  colour;  and 
this  and  the  vicinity  of  the  suckers  along  the  keel  and  the 
spiral  assume  so  vivid  a  purple  colour  that  it  approaches  that 
of  the  Ianthina. 

The  mouth,  the  head,  the  bag,  and  the  branchia,  have  not 
presented  me  with  any  particularity  but  what  has  been  alrea- 
dy well  described  by  naturalists,  and  which  is  common  to  the 
Sepia  and  Calamaries,  in  these  parts  little  differing  from  my 
argonaut.  However,  as  regards  the  funnel  with  which  these 
cephalopods  are  furnished,  I  believe  I  have  two  new  obser- 
vations to  offer.  One  is,  that  it  holds  the  office  of  a  pump  or 
proboscis,  rather  than  that  of  a  funnel ;  and  that  the  animal 
employs  it,  when  swimming  with  its  arms  on  the  surface  of  the 
water,  as  a  helm,  elongating  it  in  front  of  the  widest  part  of 
the  shell,  at  the  same  time  that  the  spiral  serves  as  a  prow. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  ARGONAUT.  105 

Reflecting  on  the  delicacy  and  fragility  of  the  shell  here 
treated  of,  it  seems  strange  to  see  them  so  rarely  broken,  and 
wishing  to  trace  the  cause,  I  set  about  touching  one  whilst  its 
poulp  was  within;  and  taking  it  dexterously  between  my 
fingers  to  learn  what  degree  of  flexibility  it  would  admit, 
I  discovered  that  it  was  extremely  pliant,  so  much  so  as  to  be 
able  to  bring  in  contact  the  two  extremities  of  the  great  curve 
without  breaking  it ;  and  indeed,  shells  so  fragile  ought  to 
possess  this  flexibility,  in  order  that  they  should  not  conti- 
nually be  liable  to  be  broken  to  pieces  by  the  restless  and 
uninterrupted  movements  of  their  poulps,  as  well  as  the  shocks 
which  they  would  be  likely  to  suffer  in  the  depths  during  a 
stormy  sea.  In  this  case  it  would  prove  very  unfortunate  for 
them,  not  being  capable  of  forming  an  entire  new  shell,  as 
will  be  observed  afterwards. 

Having  ascertained  the  flexibility  of  the  above  mentioned 
shell,  while  the  living  animal  was  within  it,  I  tried  to  assure 
myself  whether  such  would  be  the  case  without  it,  and  after 
having  been  exposed  to  the  air  for  some  time,  I  immersed  some 
empty  ones  in  fresh  water,  and  at  the  end  of  three  days  found 
them  as  pliant  and  flexible  as  the  first. 

As  regards  the  connection  between  the  animal  and  the  shell 
in  which  it  is  housed,  I  have  not  found  any  ligament  or  mus- 
cle which  connects  them ;  while  the  sac  is  simply  held  by  the 
turning  of  the  end  of  the  spiral,  from  which  it  may  be  easily 
separated ;  and  it  appears  that  the  tight  adhesion  of  the  sac 
against  the  internal  surface  of  the  ribs  of  the  shell  is  sufficient 
to  hold  it  attached.  Moreover  the  external  super-position  of 
the  sail-arms  keeps  the  shell  firmly  upon  the  poulp. 

Passing  on  now  to  what  it  has  been  my  fortune  to  observe 
with  regard  to  the  habits  of  this  mollusc,  I  shall  remark  that 
in  a  state  of  natural  liberty  in  the  environs  of  Messina,  and 
even  in  the  port,  the  argonaut  is  to  be  found  almost  all  the 
year,  although  in  larger  or  smaller  quantity.  But  I  should 
say  their  true  season  to  be  during  autumn,  or  September,  Oc- 
tober, and  November.  It  may  be  because  the  sea  at  that  time 
brings  them  with  the  current  of  the  Faro  ;  or  because  that 
season  is  more  favourable  to  them  on  account  of  certain  ma- 
rine matters  on  which  they  feed  ;  or  finally  because  it  may  be 
the  time  of  their  fecundation.  They  are  therefere  seen  most 
abundantly  in  the  muddiest  parts  of  the  port,  and  exactly 
where  the  anchored  boats  are  thickest  among  them. 

On  observing  any  person,  if  they  are  on  the  surface  of  the 
water,  they  fold  the  sail-arms  over  the  shell,  and  the  rowing 
ones  inside  of  it,  and  sink  to  the  bottom. 

If  they  are  under  water,  by  means  of  the  tube,  where  ter- 


106  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  ARGONAUT. 

minate  the  excretory  ducts  of  the  ink-vessel,  they  throw  the 
ink  forth,  like  the  rest  of  the  cephalopods,  in  order  to  make 
the  water  turbid,  and  thus  escape  from  the  enemy  by  gaining 
time  to  hide  in  the  mud.  When  still  further  pursued,  whilst 
in  the  cage,  they  would  make  use  of  another  stratagem,  after 
having  employed  the  first ;  this  was  to  spirt  a  quantity  of 
water  by  means  of  the  tube,  then  tired,  they  would  shrink 
into  the  shell,  and  withdrawing  the  sails,  which  are  always 
folded  over  it,  would  spread  them  and  cover  it  entirely,  mak- 
ing it  appear  at  first  silvery,  as  I  have  before  said,  but  an  in- 
stant after  along  the  suckers,  over  all  the  keel  and  spiral,  a 
purple  colour  would  spread,  and  the  concentric  circles  of 
spots  would  appear  spread  over  the  two  surfaces. 

During  calm  weather,  and  in  quiet  water,  if  not  feeling 
themselves  observed,  they  make  a  parade  of  their  many  beau- 
ties, rowing  with  full  sails  tinged  with  beautiful  colours,  and 
resting  the  extremities  of  the  sail-arms  on  the  two  sides  of  the 
shell,  or  embracing  the  shell  with  them.  It  is  then  that  their 
different  movements  and  habits  may  be  observed ;  but  I  was 
obliged  to  act  with  the  greatest  caution  in  order  to  enjoy  this 
spectacle,  for  the  creatures  are  extremely  suspicious,  and  no 
sooner  find  themselves  observed,  than  they  let  themselves  fall 
to  the  bottom  of  the  cage,  and  do  not  rise  again  for  many 
hours  ;  neither  could  I,  like  others,  have  become  so  assured  of 
their  habits  in  open  sea,  without  the  precautions  taken  by  me, 
and  from  accidental  observations. 

Sometimes  when  pressed  by  hunger,  they  would  come  al- 
most to  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  when  I  offered  them  food 
would  snatch  it  out  of  my  hands,  exhibiting  great  voracity. 

Although  I  have  studied  to  learn  whether  these  animals  are 
of  separate  and  distinct  sex,  I  have  not  been  able  to  make  out 
more  than  that  all  those  examined  by  me,  and  these  were 
more  than  a  hundred,  were  furnished  with  eggs.  I  have 
thence  concluded  that  they  were  hermaphrodites.  But  here- 
after I  intend  to  make  other  careful  anatomical  researches  on 
this  subject,  which  at  present  I  have  not  the  opportunity  to 
do. 

{To  be  continued.) 


ON  SNOW  CRYSTALS.  107 


Art.  II. — On  someSnoiv  Crystals  observed  on  the  14/A  of  January, 
1838.  By  William  Thompson,  Esq.,  (V.P.),  and  Robert 
Patterson,  Esq.,  Members  of  the  Natural  History  Society  of  Bel- 
fast. 

At  Belfast,  on  the  14th  of  January,  1838,  about  half  an  hour 
after  noon,  we  remarked  among  some  ordinary  snow-flakes 
which,  since  the  morning,  had  been  falling  very  sparingly, 
some  of  the  beautiful  lamellar  crystals  which  present  so  great 
a  diversity  of  figure.  We  immediately  hastened  out  of  town, 
that  we  might  have  an  opportunity  of  observing  them  undis- 
turbed, and  for  about  an  hour  enjoyed  this  high  gratification. 
They  then  ceased  to  fall,  the  day  became  fine,  and  no  return 
of  the  phenomenon  took  place. 

With  respect  to  the  means  of  observation,  we  were  very  dif- 
ferently circumstanced  from  Dr.  Nettis,  who  states  that  he 
wTas  "prepared,  in  the  year  1740,  to  make  the  most  minute 
observations,  and  the  most  exact  drawings  in  his  power,  of 
the  most  perfect  figures  of  snow." — ('Phil.  Trans.'  1755,  p. 
645) :  and  mentions  the  kind  of  microscope,  and  double  con- 
vex glasses  employed  for  this  purpose.  We  were  furnished 
only  with  the  ordinary  pocket  lenses,  and  consequently  were 
unable  to  attain  that  minute  accuracy  which  is  so  desirable. 
However,  we  most  carefully  sketched  the  crystals,  either  as 
they  fell,  or  lay  undisturbed  on  pieces  of  wood  or  metal  ex- 
posed to  the  weather ;  and  thus  secured  representations  of  a 
considerable  number. 

On  the  following  day  we  had  the  pleasure  of  comparing 
and  identifying  nearly  all  our  figures  with  those  of  Hooke,1 
Nettis,  and  Scoresby,2  but  at  the  same  time  discovered  that 
some  which  we  had  seen,  had  not  been  described  or  delineated 
by  these  authors.  Nineteen  distinct  forms  at  least  were 
distinguished ;  and  when  the  limited  period  of  our  observa- 
tions is  considered,  in  connection  with  the  simple  lenses  em- 
ployed, we  feel  satisfied  that  under  more  favourable  circum- 
stances, the  number  of  figures  might  easily  have  been  doubled. 

It  was  the  opinion  of  Scoresby  that  the  configuration  of  the 
crystals  "may  be  referred  to  the  temperature  of  the  air,"  and 
in  his  table  some  (which  we  recognised)  are  mentioned  as 
having  been  observed  at  a  temperature  of  10°,  and  others  at 
a  temperature  of  27.26°.  From  the  circumstance  of  several 
distinct  figures  having  been  detected  by  us  falling  simultane- 
ously, it  is  obvious  that  a  great  diversity  of  form  may  be  co- 
existent with  the  same  degree  of  temperature,  and  of  course 

1  '  Micrograpliia.'  2  'Arctic  Regions.' 


108  ON  SNOW  CRYSTALS. 

that  a  great  range  of  temperature  is  not  essential  for  the  pro- 
duction of  this  diversity.  Among  the  configurations  we  ob- 
served as  identical  with  those  of  Scoresby,  were  two  forms 
(Jigs.  59  and  69)  which  had  only  once  fallen  under  his  ob- 
servation. Dr.  Nettis  mentions  that  in  one  day  and  night 
"  he  observed  fifteen,  twenty,  or  more  particles  of  snow  diffe- 
rently formed ;"  and  by  the  observations  of  eight  days,  viz., 
the  11th,  12th,  13th,  21st  and  23rd  of  January,  and  the  6th, 
23rd,  and  24th  of  February,  he  was  enabled  to  figure  the 
ninety-one  crystals  published  in  connection  with  his  memoir. 
The  shower  of  crystals  which  we  had  the  gratification  of  wit- 
nessing, would  seem  in  comparison  to  have  been  peculiarly 
rich  in  diversity  of  figures. ■ 

The  size  of  our  crystals  may  next  be  noticed.     Scoresby 

1  The  following  notice  of  their  previous  occurrence  to  me  in  England  pre- 
sents a  remarkable  difference  in  this  respect :  since  it  was  published  I  have 
not  seen  any  record  of  these  lamellar  crystals  having  been  observed  in  the 
British  Islands.  "  On  the  22nd  of  March,  1833,  when  travelling  outside  a 
stage  coach  from  London  to  Shrewsbury,  and  near  to  Daventry,  the  day 
being  up  to  this  time  mild  and  calm,  (the  weather  for  some  weeks  previously 
had  been  excessively  cold,  with  prevalent  easterly  and  north-easterly  winds), 
snow,  of  the  loose  fleecy  kind  common  to  the  climate,  began  to  fall,  but 
mingled  with  it  there  appeared  beautifully  delicate  lamellar  crystals,  of 
uniform  transparency,having  aspherical  nucleus,  from  which  sprang  six  and 
twelve  radii,  most  exquisitely  formed,  all  the  rays  on  each  species  being 
equal,  and  not  in  a  single  instance  deviating  from  the  regularity  of  geome- 
trical proportion,  as  has  on  some  occasions  been  observed.  By  far  the 
greater  number  of  these  were  of  the  former  species,  having  six  points  radi- 
ating from  a  centre."  The  figures  20  and  94  in  the  plates  of  snow  crystals 
in  Scoresby 's  'Arctic  Regions'  represent  both  these  crystals,  the  lines  exhi- 
bited as  extending  from  the  centre  of  the  latter  not  having  been  however 
visible  to  the  naked  eye." — Lond.  &  Ed.  Phil.  Mag.  vol.  v.  p.  318. 

On  this  occasion  two  forms  only  of  these  crystals  were  observed,  and  it  is 
considered  by  Scoresby  that  Nos.  93  and  94,  each  having  twelve  spines,  ap- 
pear to  be  accidental  varieties,  and  are  produced  probably  by  the  correct 
application  of  two  similar  crystals  upon  each  other.  If  this  opinion  be  cor- 
rect, one  normal  kind  only  occurred,  and  merely  the  two  forms  having  come 
under  notice  may  seem  to  favour  this  idea ;  as  may  also  the  fact  of  the  six 
being  much  more  numerous  than  the  twelve  pointed  ones.  Opposed  to  this 
view  however  is  the  circumstance,  that  the  twelve  points  on  all  I  saw  were 
placed  at  equal  distances,  as  they  are  figured  by  Scoresby,  who  does  not 
state  that  he  ever  observed  any  irregularity  in  them  :  but  if  formed  by  the 
application  of  two  six-sided  crystals,  why  should  not  the  points  have  occa- 
sionally appeared  at  irregular  as  well  as  regular  distances  ?  Of  the  two 
forms  seen  in  England,  No.  20,  or  the  six-sided,  only  appeared  on  this  oc- 
casion. Both  days  were  alike  calm ;  the  wind  on  the  former  was  north, 
with  a  point  of  east :  on  the  latter  south-east. 

Mr.  Patterson  was  the  first  to  observe  the  crystals  at  Belfast,  and  imme- 
diately hastened  to  inform  me  of  the  circumstance,  when  I  joined  him,  and 
from  our  united  observations  the  above  article  has  been  drawn  up. — Wm. 
Thompson. 


ON  SNOW  CRYSTALS.  109 

mentions  that  the  largest  crystal  represented  was  ^  of  an 
inch  in  diameter,  the  smallest  ^" z  Dr.  Nettis  remarks, — 
"  the  natural  size  of  most  of  the  shining  quadrangular  parti- 
cles, and  of  the  little  stars  of  snow,  as  well  the  simple  as  the 
less  compound  ones,  does  not  exceed  the  twentieth  part  of  an 
inch." 2  It  is  possible  that  there  might  have  been  very  minute 
figures,  which,  from  our  manner  of  observation,  may  have  es- 
caped our  notice ;  but  those  which  we  did  observe,  and  were 
able  to  identify,  generally  exceeded  very  considerably  the 
sizes  recorded  by  the  above  authors.  To  fig.  39  of  Nettis 
(No.  6  ?  of  Scoresby)  he  has  attached  a  mark  denoting  the 
natural  size.  This  is  less  than  a  line  in  diameter,  and  is  con- 
sequently only  one- third  the  size  of  some  similar  in  form  which 
came  under  our  observation.  Some  of  ours  very  considerably 
exceed  the  extreme  size  mentioned  by  Nettis,  and  equal  the 
largest  described  by  Scoresby ;  and  their  average  diameter 
was  such  that  the  unassisted  eye  could  discriminate  the  va- 
rious figures  as  they  lay  on  a  dark  ground,  and  could  even 
detect  some  of  the  varieties  floating  through  the  air,  their  de- 
scent being  slow  in  consequence  of  the  calmness  of  the  day. 
After  falling  they  remained  undissolved,  retaining,  from  the 
freezing  state  of  the  atmosphere,  their  undiminished  sharp- 
ness and  perfection  of  figure,  and  continuing  obvious  to  the 
most  unpractised  eye  which  should  chance  to  fall  upon  the 
wood  or  metal  on  which  they  were  conspicuously  exhibited. 
Judging  from  their  abundance  in  such  situations,  they  con- 
stituted fully  one-third  of  what  had  fallen. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  all  the  varieties  figured  by 
Hooke  in  his  '  Micrographia,'  published  in  1665,  or  by  Dr. 
Nettis  of  Middleburgh,  in  1740,  and  the  whole  of  those  ob- 
served by  us,  belong  exclusively  to  the  "lamellar,"  or  first  of 
the  genera  into  which  they  are  divided  by  Scoresby.  All, 
with  the  exception  of  Nos.  5  and  19,  were  "perfect  figures," 
and  we  may  also  add  "  many  instances  occur  of  mutilated 
and  irregular  specimens ;  some  wanting  two  or  three  radii, 
and  others  having  radii  of  different  sizes  and  shapes."  We 
observed  also  that  an  excess  instead  of  a  deficiency  of  some 
of  the  parts  occasionally  interfered  with  the  geometric  accu- 
racy of  the  figures  ;  a  circumstance  which  did  not  escape  the 
minute  accuracy  of  Dr.  Nettis,  who  gives  two  representations 
(Nos.  57  and  84)  of  "  anomalous  figures  of  snow,"  of  which, 
he  adds,  "  there  is  an  infinite  variety." 

In  the  observations  made  by  Mr.  Hooke  and  in  those  by 
Dr.  Nettis,  on  lamellar  crystals,  no  information  is  conveyed 

1  'Arctic  Regions,'  vol.  i.  p.  431.     2 '  Phil.  Trans.'  part  i.  1755,  p.  674. 
Vol.  III.— No.  27.  n.  s.  m 


110 


ON  SNOW  CRYSTALS. 


respecting  the  state  of  the  atmosphere  at  the  time  any  pecu- 
liar configuration  was  distinguished.  Mr.  Scoresby  on  the 
contrary  has  referred  almost  every  figure  to  a  table,  exhibit- 
ing the  most  obvious  atmospheric  phenomena  at  the  time  each 
crystal  was  observed.  The  portion  of  this  table  which  relates 
to  the  varieties  noticed  by  us,  is  here  extracted  for  the  conve- 
nience of  reference  in  our  remarks  on  the  several  forms  here- 
after recorded. 


DATE. 

6 

THERM. 

BAB. 

WINDS. 

EEMARKS. 

DIRECTION. 

FORCE. 

1809  Apr.  15 
May    2 

1    Apr.  17 
May    1 

1 

6 

10 

15 
20 
22 
24 
38 

41 

59 

95 

21 
10 

19 
12 

23 
10 
21 
27.26 
20 

29.92 
29.84 

29.84 
29.65 

29.95 
29.84 
29.80 
29.80 
29.67 

N.N.E. 
N.N.E. 

Fresh  gale 
do. 

Snow  very  profuse 

Delicate  crystals  floating  in  the  air 

A  considerable  quantity  of  snow 

Occasional  crystals  deposited 

No  observations  recorded 

Do. 

Small  showers  of  fine  crystals 

Delicate  crystals  floating  in, the  air 

Snow  very  profuse 

Various  and  beautiful  figures  vastly 

profuse 
Snow  in  considerable  quantity 

TJto 

4 

N.E. 

N.N.W. 
N.N.E. 
N.N.E. 

S.E. 

N.E. 

Strongbreeze 

TO 

1816  Apr.  29 

1809  May    2 
Apr.  15 

1817  May  6 1 

1810  Apr.  21 

4 
i 

To- 
ll 

Mod.  breeze 
Fresh  gale 

Fresh  breeze 
Strong  gale 

1 

State  of  the  atmosphere  as  observed  at  the  Belfast  Museum,  Jan.  14th,  1838. 
9  A.M.    Therm.  31.50.     Bar.  29.95.    Wind  E.S.E.  calm.)  Sky  generally 


3  P.M. 


32.95. 


■29.86. 


S.E. 


)       overcast. 


No.  I.  This  is  identical  with  No.  1  of  Scoresby.  In  speaking  of  it  he  re- 
marks,— "  It  is  the  most  general  form  met  with.  It  varies  in  size 
from  the  smallest  speck  to  ^  of  an  inch  diameter.  It  seems  in  great- 
est profusion  when  the  temperature  approaches  the  freezing  point." 
This  figure  with  its  various  modifications,  forming  No.  1  to  8  in  our 
list,  was  by  far  the  most  abundant.  Its  size  varied  from  2  to  4  lines 
in  diameter.  Its  radii,  with  their  attendant  ramifications,  recal  im- 
mediately to  the  mind  the  appearance  of  some  vegetable  productions. 
This  idea  occurred  nearly  two  centuries  ago  to  Hooke;  who  remarks, 
"there  is  a  vegetable  which  does  exceedingly  imitate  these  branches, 
and  that  is  Feam,  where  the  main  stem  may  be  observed  to  shoot  out 
branches,  and  the  stems  of  each  of  these  lateral  branches,  to  send 
forth  collateral,"  &c. 

No.  2.  In  this  the  lines  diverging  from  each  ray  increase  in  length  as  they 
approach  the  extremity,  so  that  those  from  the  adjacent  radii  come 
nearly  into  contact.  It  does  not  appear  among  the  numerous  figures 
of  Nettis  or  Scoresby. 

No.  3.  In  this  on  the  contrary  the  lines  gradually  decrease  as  they  approach 
the  extremity,  and  the  figure  precisely  resembles  one  given  in  Hooke's 
Micrographia  (the  largest  in  the  second  line),  except  that  the  six  ra- 
dii presented  a  more  pointed  appearance. 

No.  4.  Here  the  lines  diverging  from  the  radii  were  extremely  irregular  in 
length.    It  is  not  figured  by  the  authors  above  referred  to.* 


ON  SNOW  CRYSTALS.  Ill 

No.  5.  This  had  the  peculiarity  of  possessing  eight  radii,  the  alternate  ones 
little  more  than  half  the  length  of  the  others ;  all  finely  feathered ; 
the  diverging  lines  decreasing  as  they  approach  the  extremity,  as  in 
figure  3.  One  only  of  this  configuration  was  observed.  It  is  not  fi- 
gured in  the  works  before  us. 

Nos.  6,  7,  8.  These  are  identical  with  the  representations  given  by  Nettis, 
numbered  62,  78,  79. 

No.  9.  Identical  with  No.  56  of  Nettis,  but  less  abundant  than  the  preced- 
ing. 

No.  10.  The  spicules  of  this  form  (No.  6  of  Scoresby,  39  ?  of  Nettis)  were 
very  few  in  number  and  about  2i  lines  diameter. 

No.  11.  No.  10  of  Scoresby  is  nearly  but  not  precisely  the  form  which  we 
observed.  In  ours  the  radii,  instead  of  maintaining  a  uniform  thick- 
ness throughout  their  entire  length,  gradually  expand  as  they  ap- 
proach the  terminating  trefoil,  and  merge  into  the  curves  of  that 
figure.  They  were  few  in  number.  Diameter  l£  line.  This  was 
twice  noticed  by  Scoresby :  the  thermometer  in  the  first  instance  be- 
ing 19°,  in  the  latter  10°. 

No.  12.  Identical  with  figure  15  of  Scoresby.  Few  in  number.  Diameter 
2  lines. 

No.  13.  No.  20  of  Scoresby.     One  only  observed  by  us.     Diameter  \\  line 

No.  14.  Vide  figures  22  and  29  of  Scoresby.  Neither  of  these  conveys  an 
accurate  idea  of  the  form  indicated  by  our  No.  14.  It  had  the  mar- 
gin and  points  opaque,  the  disk  filmy  and  transparent,  as  in  fig.  59, 
but  the  points  resembled  those  delineated  in  figure  22.  Diameter 
about  l£  line. 

No.  15.  Here,  as  in  the  preceding,  it  is  necessary  to  combine  two  of  Scores- 
by's  figures,  to  convey  a  correct  idea  of  the  spicula  we  mean  to  re- 
present. In  this  instance  the  radii  were  feathered  as  in  figure  24, 
but  terminated  as  in  figure  15.  One  only  was  observed.  Diameter 
2  lines. 

No.  16.  This  accords  with  figure  38  of  Scoresby,  and  occurred  to  him  at  a 
temperature  as  low  as  10°.  We  observed  but  one  specimen  of  this 
form ;  it  was  somewhat  opaque.     Diameter  2  lines. 

No.  17.  A  few  spicules  presented  themselves  differing  from  No.  41  of  Scores- 
by in  having  three  instead  of  two  leaflets.      Diameter  about  2  lines 

No.  18.  Fig.  69  of  Scoresby.  One  of  this  form  and  opacity  was  remarked. 
Diameter  about  2\  lines. 

No.  19.  Two  of  Scoresby's  figure  95  were  found  united,  forming  by  their 
union  an  irregular  figure . 

The  weather  for  some  days  previous  had  been  frosty,  and 
the  barometer  gradually  falling  from  about  noon  on  the  12th 
inst.  On  the  morning  succeeding  these  observations  there 
was  snow,  followed  by  showers  of  sleet,  and  at  noon  a  heavy 
rain  set  in,  which  continued  without  intermission  the  remain- 
der of  the  day. 

Since  the  preceding  observations  were  made  we  have  found 
that  snow  crystals  are  not  unfrequent  in  Ireland,  although  we 
are  not  aware  of  any  published  record  of  their  occurrence. — 
The  facts  which  have  led  to  this  conclusion  may  be  briefly 
stated. 


112  ON  SNOW  CRYSTALS. 

After  the  crystals  had  been  observed  by  us,  we  mentioned 
the  matter  to  some  friends,  who,  a  few  days  afterwards,  in- 
formed us  that  several  had  fallen  about  four  miles  from  Bel- 
fast, on  a  lake  then  frozen  over.  On  being  shown  Scoresby's 
figures,  they  identified  several  of  them,  and  pointed  out  two 
pyramidal  forms  as  particularly  abundant.  None  of  this  con- 
figuration were  noticed  by  us. 

Robert  Ball  Esq.,  of  Dublin,  informs  us  that  he  has  occa- 
sionally observed  them  at  Youghal  and  Dublin. 

On  the  13th  of  February,  1838,  Mr.  Patterson  travelled  by 
coach  from  Dublin  to  Belfast.  Snow  had  been  falling  heavi- 
ly all  the  morning,  but  had  ceased  before  his  arrival  at  Jones- 
borough.  While  stopping  to  change  horses  he  found  on  the 
low  stone  wall  which  separates  the  road  from  the  adjoining 
fields,  a  number  of  snow  crystals  such  as  he  had  formerly 
seen.  A  few  hundred  yards  farther  on,  the  ground  was  per- 
fectly free  from  snow,  and  continued  so  to  Belfast.  This 
partial  fall  was  the  precursor  of  the  great  snow  storm  which 
commenced  on  the  23rd  of  February,  and  for  some  days  ren- 
dered many  roads  impassable. 

In  the  morning  of  March  23rd,  at  8  o'clock,  Mr.  Patterson 
noticed  at  Belfast,  among  many  small  compact  particles  of 
snow  scattered  over  the  street,  several  hexagonal  crystals,  the 
same  as  before,  and  from  one  to  three  lines  in  diameter.  On 
the  little  pools  of  water  and  ditches  by  the  way- side  towards 
the  Botanic  Garden,  the  crystals  appeared  to  great  advantage 
on  the  dark  surface  of  the  frozen  water. 

The  ensuing  morning  at  9  o'clock  a  very  small  number  of 
snow  crystals  were  falling.  Immediately  afterwards  they  be- 
came more  loose  and  irregular,  and  in  five  minutes  more  be- 
gan to  descend  as  a  gentle  rain.  The  sun  then  broke  out, 
and  an  instantaneous  change  of  temperature  was  apparent. 

Belfast,  March  1838. 

[The  appearance  of  this  article  so  many  months  subsequently  to  the  date 
of  its  reception,  has  arisen  from  the  circumstance  of  the  original  manuscript 
having  been  lost  in  passing  through  the  twopenny  post,  and  we  were  there- 
fore reluctantly  obliged  to  give  the  authors  the  trouble  of  drawing  out  a 
second  copy. — Ed.] 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE   GENUS  SCIURUS.  113 


Art.  Til. — Monograph  of  the  Genus  Sciurus,  with  Descriptions  of 
new  Species  and  their  Varieties,  as  existing  in  North  America, — 
By  J.  Bachman,  D.D.,  President  of  the  Literary  and  Philosophi- 
cal Society,  Charlestown,  South  Carolina,  &c.  &C1 

This  genus  includes  many  species,  of  which  one  or  more  ex- 
ist in  the  various  portions  of  the  globe,  with  the  exception 
perhaps  of  New  Holland.  Several  of  these  are  extensively 
diffused,  and,  from  the  operation  of  climate  and  other  causes, 
are  subject  to  deviate  into  many  varieties.  This  circumstance 
has  given  infinite  perplexity  to  European  naturalists,  in  de- 
signating the  species  existing  in  the  warmer  portions  of 
the  eastern  continent.  Even  the  common  squirrel  of  Europe 
(Sciurus  vulgaris)  varies  so  much  in  colour  in  high  latitudes, 
that  a  doubt  has  for  a  long  time  existed  whether  these  varie- 
ties ought  not  to  be  regarded  as  true  species. 

In  designating  the  species  of  American  squirrels,  and  in 
separating  varieties  from  true  species,  a  still  greater  difficulty 
presents  itself.  Some  of  these  are  scattered  over  a  vast  ter- 
ritory,— presenting  peculiarities  of  colour  in  various  localities. 
The  same  species  often  differs  considerably  in  size,  varying 
also  in  summer  and  winter  pilage.  The  skulls  and  teeth  of 
most  of  the  species  present  a  striking  similarity,  nor  do  they 
differ  very  widely  in  habit.  Much  confusion  has  also  crept 
into  the  accounts  of  different  authors  who  have  written  on 
our  American  squirrels ;  great  uncertainty  exists  respecting 
the  species  alluded  to,  and  all  our  monographs  are  acknow- 
ledgedly  very  imperfect.  In  attempting  to  throw  additional 
light  on  this  genus,  I  am  far  from  supposing  that  I  have  no- 
ticed all  the  true  species  that  may  exist  in  our  extensive  and 
in  many  portions  unexplored  country ;  nor  can  I  say  with 
positive  certainty  that  I  have  in  every  case  been  able  to  draw 
the  line  of  separation  between  varieties  and  true  species. — 
This  difficult  and  perplexing  task,  however,  has  not  been  un- 
dertaken without  due  caution  and  careful  examination.  Se- 
veral hundred  specimens,  procured  from  various  portions  of 
North  America  have  been  compared.  Specimens  of  all  the 
species,  with  the  exception  of  the  great  tailed  squirrel  (Set. 
macrouru-s,  Say),  are  in  my  possession.  The  latter  also  I  had 
an  opportunity  of  examining  in  the  Philadelphia  Museum. — 

1  Communicated  by  the  author.  Specimens  of  nearly  all  the  squirrels 
noticed  in  the  present  Monograph  were  exhibited  by  Dr.  Bachman  at  the 
Zoological  Society's  Meeting,  Aug.  I4th,  1838;  and  in  the  Society's  Pro- 
ceedings under  that  date  a  full  abstract  of  the  characters  &c.  of  the  species 
is  given. — Ed. 


114  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

The  species  existing  in  Louisiana  and  in  the  territories  bor- 
dering on  Texas,  require  a  more  careful  examination,  and  the 
vast  and  varied  regions  between  the  Rocky  Mountains  and 
the  Pacific,  and  especially  those  portions  bordering  on  the 
Mexican  possessions,  will  no  doubt  present  species  not  yet 
enumerated. 

Order  RODENTIA. 

Genus  Sciurus,  Linn.,  Erxleb.,  Cut.,  GeofFr.,  Illiger. 

Eng.  Squirrel.     Gr.  Smugo;.       Fr.  Ecureuil.     Genu.  Eichorn. 

Dental  formula.— Incis.  §.     Can.  fjg.     Grind.  |$  or  ff.—20  or  22. 

Squirrels  are  distinguished  by  large  inferior  incisors  much 
compressed;  by  long  tails  generally  longer  than  the  bo- 
dy, furnished  with  hairs  arranged  on  the  sides  so  as  to  re- 
semble a  feather.  The  tail,  when  the  animal  is  in  a  state  of 
rest,  is  usually  turned  over  the  back  and  head,  and  partially 
conceals  the  body.  All  true  squirrels  are  destitute  of  cheek- 
pouches.  They  have  on  the  fore  feet  four  toes,  with  a  short 
rudimental  thumb,  protected  by  a  blunt  nail.  On  the  palm 
are  five  tubercles,  three  of  which  are  situated  at  the  roots  of 
the  toes,  and  two  larger  ones  behind.  The  third  toe  from  the 
inner  side  is  longer  than  the  second,  which  distinguishes  the 
squirrels  from  the  marmots  and  spermophiles.  In  the  hind 
foot  there  are  five  toes,  with  four  naked  callous  eminences  on 
the  sole  at  their  roots.  They  have  four  large  grinders  on  a 
side  in  each  jaw ;  these  are  variously  tuberculated.  In  young 
animals  there  is  a  small  additional  grinder  above  in  front, 
which,  in  many  of  the  species,  very  soon  drops  out,  but  in 
the  majority  of  our  American  squirrels  this  fifth  grinder  is  ei- 
ther permanent,  or  remains  for  more  than  a  year.  The  mam- 
ma are  eight  in  number,  two  of  which  are  situated  on  the 
chest,  and  six  on  the  sides  of  the  belly.  They  produce  from 
four  to  six  young. 

The  squirrel  is  admirably  adapted  to  a  residence  on  trees, 
for  which  nature  has  designed  it.  Its  fingers  are  long,  slen- 
der, and  deeply  cleft,  and  its  nails  very  acute  and  greatly  com- 
pressed. It  is  enabled  to  leap  from  limb  to  limb,  and  from 
tree  to  tree,  clinging  to  the  smallest  twigs,  and  seldom  miss- 
ing its  hold.  When  this  happens  to  be  the  case,  it  preserves 
its  instinctive  habit  of  grasping  in  its  descent  at  the  first  ob- 
ject which  may  present  itself;  or  if  about  to  fall  to  the  earth 
it  spreads  itself  out  in  the  manner  of  the  flying  squirrel,  and 
thereby  presenting  a  greater  resistance  to  the  air,  is  enabled 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  115 

to  reach  the  ground  without  injury,  and  recovers  itself  so  in- 
stantaneously that  it  often  escapes  the  vigilance  of  the  dog 
that  watches  its  desceut  and  stands  ready  to  seize  upon  it  at 
the  moment  of  its  fall.  It  immediately  ascends  a  neighbour- 
ing tree,  emitting  very  frequently  a  querulous  bark,  which  is 
either  a  note  of  fear  or  of  triumph.  Although  the  squirrel 
moves  with  considerable  rapidity  on  the  ground,  yet  it  rather 
runs  than  leaps  ;  on  trees  however  its  activity  and  agility  are 
surprising,  and  it  is  thus  enabled  often  to  escape  from  its  ene- 
mies, concealing  itself  eventually  either  among  the  thick  fo- 
liage,— in  its  nest, — or  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree. 

The  squirrel  usually  carries  its  food  to  the  mouth  by  the  fore 
paws.  Nuts  and  seeds  of  all  kinds  are  secured  between  the 
rudimental  thumbs  and  the  inner  portions  of  the  palms. — 
When  disturbed  in  this  situation,  it  either  drops  the  nut  and 
makes  a  rapid  retreat,  or  seizes  it  with  the  incisors  and  car- 
ries it  to  its  hole  or  nest. 

All  our  species  of  this  genus,  as  far  as  we  have  been  able 
to  become  acquainted  with  their  habits,  build  their  nests  ei- 
ther in  the  fork  of  a  tree,  or  on  some  secure  portion  of  its 
branches.  The  nest  is  spherical  in  shape,  and  is  composed 
of  sticks,  leaves,  the  bark  of  trees,  and  various  kinds  of  mosses 
and  lichens.  In  the  vicinity  of  these  nests*  however,  they 
have  a  still  more  secure  retreat  in  some  hollow  tree,  where 
they  retire  in  cold  or  in  very  wet  weather,  and  where  their 
young  are  generally  produced. 

Several  species  of  squirrel  collect  more  or  less  food  during 
the  abundant  season  of  autumn,  to  serve  as  a  winter  store. — 
This  hoard  is  composed  of  various  kinds  of  walnuts  {Juglans), 
hickories  (Carya),  chesnuts,  chinquepins,  acorns,  corn,  &c, 
which  may  be  found  in  their  vicinity.  The  species  however 
that  inhabit  the  southern  portions  of  the  United  States,  where 
the  ground  is  seldom  covered  with  snow,  and  where  they  can 
always  derive  a  precarious  support  from  the  seeds,  insects,  and 
worms  which  are  scratched  up  among  the  leaves  &c,  are  less 
provident  in  this  respect ;  and  of  all  our  species  the  chicka- 
ree, or  Hudson's  Bay  squirrel  {Sci.  Hudsonius),  is  by  far  the 
most  industrious,  and  lays  up  the  greatest  quantity  of  food. 

In  the  spring  the  squirrels  shed  their  hair,  which  is  re- 
placed by  a  thinner  and  less  furry  coat ;  during  summer  the 
tails  are  narrower  and  less  feathery  than  in  autumn,  when 
they  either  receive  an  entire  new  coat,  or  a  very  great  acces- 
sion of  fur ;  at  this  season  also  the  outer  surfaces  of  the  ears 
are  more  thickly  and  prominently  clothed  with  fur  than  in  the 
spring  and  summer. 

Squirrels  are  notorious  depredators  on  the  Indian  corn  fields 


110  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

of  the  planter,  consuming  great  quantities  of  grain,  and,  by 
tearing  off' the  husks,  exposing  an  immense  number  of  ears  to 
the  mouldering  influence  of  the  dews  and  rain. 

The  usual  note  emitted  by  this  genus  is  a  kind  of  tremu- 
lous querulous  bark,  not  very  unlike  the  quacking  voice  of  a 
duck.  Although  all  our  larger  squirrels  have  shades  of  differ- 
ence in  their  notes,  which  will  enable  the  practised  ear  to  de- 
signate the  species  even  before  they  are  seen,  yet  this  differ- 
ence cannot  easily  be  described  by  words.  Their  bark  seems 
to  be  the  repetition  of  a  syllable  five  or  six  times, — quack- 
quack-quack-quack-qua, — commencing  low,  and  gradually 
raising  its  voice,  and  ending  with  a  drawl  on  the  la&t  letter  in 
the  syllable.  The  notes  however  of  the  smaller  Hudson's 
Bay  squirrel,  and  its  kindred  species  existing  on  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  differ  considerably  from  those  of  the  larger  squir- 
rels ;  they  are  sharper,  more  rapidly  uttered,  and  of  longer 
continuance ;  seeming  intermediate  between  the  bark  of  the 
larger  squirrels  and  the  chipping  calls  of  the  ground  squir- 
rels (Tamias).  The  bark  of  the  squirrel  may  be  heard  occa- 
sionally in  the  forest  during  all  hours  of  the  day,  but  is  more 
common  in  the  morning  and  afternoon.  Any  sudden  noise, 
or  the  distant  report  of  a  gun,  is  almost  certain,  during  favor- 
able weather,  to  be  succeeded  by  the  barking  of  the  squirrel. 
This  is  either  a  note  of  playfulness  or  of  love.  During  such 
times  it  seats  itself  for  a  few  moments  on  the  limb  of  a  tree, 
— elevates  its  tail  over  its  back  towards  the  head,  and  bend- 
ing the  point  backwards  continues  to  jerk  its  body  and  elevate 
and  depress  the  tail  at  the  repetition  of  each  successive 
note.  Like  the  mocking  bird  and  the  nightingale,  however, 
the  squirrel  no  sooner  begins  to  sing,  (for  to  his  own  ear  at 
least  his  voice  must  be  musical),  than  he  also  commences 
skipping  and  dancing.  He  leaps  playfully  from  limb  to  limb, 
sometimes  pursuing  his  rival  or  his  mate  for  a  few  moments, 
and  then  reiterating  with  renewed  vigour  his  querulous  and 
monotonous  notes. 

One  of  the  most  common  habits  of  the  squirrel,  with  which 
a  mysterious  instinct  has  favoured  it  to  conceal  itself  from  the 
prying  eyes  of  its  enemies,  is  that  of  circling  around  the  tree 
on  the  opposite  side,  so  as  completely  to  evade  the  sight ; 
hence  it  is  almost  essential  to  the  sportsman's  success,  that 
he  should  be  accompanied  by  a  second  person,  who,  in  walk- 
ing slowly  round  the  tree  on  which  the  squirrel  has  been  seen, 
causes  him  to  move  to  the  side  where  the  gunner  is  silently 
stationed.  When  the  squirrel  has  been  seated  on  a  limb  at 
the  approach  of  man,  and  fancies  himself  undiscovered,  he 
immediately  depresses  his  tail,  and  extending  it  along  the 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  117 

limb  behind  him,  presses  his  body  so  closely  to  the  branch, 
that  he  frequently  evades  the  most  practised  eye,  and  is  thus 
enabled  to  escape. 

Notwithstanding  the  agility  of  the  squirrel,  man  is  not  his 
only  nor  even  his  most  formidable  enemy.  The  owl  makes  a 
frequent  meal  of  those  species  which  continue  to  seek  their 
food  late  in  the  evening  and  early  in  the  morning.  Several 
kinds  of  hawk,  especially  the  red-tailed  (Falco  borealis),  and 
the  red-shouldered  {Fal.  lineatus),  pounce  upon  them  by  day. 
The  black  snake,  rattlesnake,  and  other  species,  have  the 
means  of  entrapping  them ;  and  the  ermine,  the  fox,  and  the 
wild  cat  are  incessantly  exerting  their  sagacity  in  lessening 
their  numbers. 

1.  Fox  Squirrel.     Sciurus  capistratus. 

Sciurus  capistratus  ;  Bosc,  'Ann.  du  Mus.'  vol.  i.  p.  281. 

vulpinus  P  Linn.  Ed.  Gmel.,  1788. 

niger ;  Catesby. 

Black  Squirrel;  Bartram's  Travels  in  North  America. 
Sciurus  capistratus;  Desm.  * Mammalogie,'  p.  332. 

variegatus  ;  Desm.  '  Mammalogie,'  p.  333. 

capistratus ;  Cuv.  '  Regne  Animal,'  vol.  i.  p.  193. 

Fox  Squirrel;  Lawson's  Carolina,  p.  124. 

Sciurus  capistratus ;  Harlan. 

vulpinus;  Godman. 

Essent.  Char.— Size  large;  tail  longer  than  the  body;  hair  coarse, 
ears  and  nose  white:  subject  to  great  varieties  in  colour. 

This  is  the  largest  and  most  interesting  species  of  this  ge- 
nus found  in  the  United  States;  and  although  it  is  subject 
to  great  varieties  of  colour,  which  has  occasioned  no  little 
confusion  in  the  creation  of  several  nominal  species,  yet  it 
possesses  several  striking  and  uniform  markings  by  which  the 
species,  through  all  its  varieties,  may  be  distinguished  at  a 
glance  from  any  other. 

Dental  formula.— Incis.  |.    Can.  gg.    Grind.  &— 20. 

Although  I  have  given  to  this  species  but  four  grinders  on 
each  side  in  the  upper  jaw,  and  which  peculiarity  applies  to 
ne?rly  all  the  specimens  that  may  be  examined,  yet  in  a  very 
young  animal  obtained  on  the  5th  of  April  in  South  Carolina, 
and  which  had  apparently  left  the  nest  but  a  day  or  two,  I 
observed  a  very  minute,  round,  deciduous,  anterior  grinder  on 
each  side.     These  teeth  however  must  be  shed  at  a  very  early 

Vol.  III.— No.  27.  n.  s.  n 


118  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIUItUS. 

period,  as  in  two  other  specimens  obtained  on  the  20th  of  the 
same  month,  they  were  entirely  wanting.  The  teeth  of  all 
our  squirrels  present  so  great  a  similarity  that  it  will  be  found 
impossible  to  designate  the  species  from  these  alone,  without 
referring  to  other  peculiarities  which  the  eye  of  the  practical 
naturalist  may  detect.  In  young  animals  of  this  species,  the 
tuberculous  crowns  on  the  molars  are  prominent  and  acute ; 
these  sharp  points  however  are  soon  worn  off,  and  the  tuber- 
cles in  the  adult  are  round  and  blunt.  The  first  molar  in  the 
upper  jaw  is  the  smallest,  and  is  triangular  in  shape ;  the  se- 
cond and  third  are  a  little  larger  and  square ;  and  the  poste- 
rior one,  which  is  about  the  size  of  the  third,  is  rounded  on 
its  posterior  surface.  The  upper  incisors,  which  are  of  a  deep 
orange  colour  anteriorly,  are  strong  and  compressed,  deep  at 
their  roots,  flat  on  their  sides ;  in  some  specimens  there  is  a 
groove  anteriorly,  running  longitudinally  through  the  middle, 
presenting  the  appearance  of  a  double  tooth, — in  others  this 
groove  is  wanting.  In  the  lower  jaw  the  anterior  grinder  is 
the  smallest, — the  rest  increase  in  size  to  the  last,  which  is 
the  largest. 

Form. — Nose  obtuse ;  forehead  slightly  arched ;  whiskers 
black,  a  little  longer  than  the  head ;  ears  rounded,  covered 
with  short  hairs  on  both  surfaces  ;  there  is  scarcely  any  pro- 
jection of  the  fur  beyond  the  outer  surface,  as  is  the  case  in 
nearly  all  the  other  species ;  the  hair  is  very  coarse,  appear- 
ing in  some  specimens  geniculate ;  tail  broad  and  distichous; 
legs  and  feet  stout,  and  the  whole  body  has  more  the  appear- 
ance of  strength  than  of  agility. 

Colour. — In  the  grey  variety  of  this  species,  which  is,  as 
far  as  I  have  observed,  the  most  common,  the  nose,  extend- 
ing to  within  four  or  five  lines  of  the  eyes,  the  ears,  feet,  and 
belly,  are  white ;  forehead  and  cheeks  brownish  black ;  the 
hairs  on  the  back  are  dark  plumbeous  near  the  roots ;  then  a 
broad  line  of  cinereous;  then  black,  and  broadly  tipped  with 
white,  with  an  occasional  black  hair  interspersed,  especially 
on  the  neck  and  fore-shoulder,  giving  the  animal  a  light  grey 
appearance  ;  the  hairs  in  the  tail  are,  for  three  fourths  of  their 
length,  white  from  the  roots,  then  a  ring  of  black,  with  the  tips 
white.  This  is  the  variety  given  by  Bosc  and  other  authors 
as  Sciurus  capistratus. 

Second  variety ;  the  black  fox  squirrel.  Nose  and  ears 
white,  a  few  light-coloured  hairs  on  the  feet,  the  rest  of  the 
body  and  tail  black ;  there  are  occasionally  a  few  white  hairs 
in  the  tail.  This  is  the  original  black  squirrel  of  Catesby  and 
Bartram,  (Sci.  niger). 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  119 

Third  variety.  Nose,  mouth,  under  jaw  and  ears,  white  ; 
head,  thighs,  and  belly,  black  ;  back  and  tail  dark  grey. — 
This  is  the  variety  alluded  to  by  Desmarest,  '  Ency.  Method.' 
— Mammalogie,  333. 

There  is  also  a  fourth  variety,  which  is  very  common  in 
Alabama,  and  also  occasionally  seen  in  the  upper  districts  of 
South  Carolina,  and  has  on  several  occasions  been  sent  to  me 
as  a  distinct  species.  The  ears  and  nose,  as  in  all  the  other 
varieties,  are  white.  This  indeed  is  a  permanent  mark,  run- 
ning through  all  the  varieties,  by  which  this  species  may  be 
easily  distinguished.  Head  and  neck  black  ;  back  a  rusty 
blackish  brown ;  neck,  thighs,  and  belly  bright  rust  colour ; 
tail  annulated  with  black  and  red.  This  is  the  variety  erro- 
neously considered  by  the  author  of  the  notes  on  McMurtrie's 
translation  of  Cuvier  (see  vol.  i.  Appendix,  p.  433)  as  the 
Sciurus  rufiventer. 

The  three  first  varieties  noted  above  are  common  in  the 
lower  and  middle  districts  of  South  Carolina ;  and  although 
they  are  known  to  breed  together,  yet  it  is  very  rare  to  find 
any  specimens  indicating  an  intermediate  variety.  Where 
the  parents  are  both  black,  the  young  are  invariably  of  the 
same  colour ;  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  other  varieties : 
where  on  the  other  hand  there  is  one  parent  of  each  colour, 
an  almost  equal  proportion  of  the  young  are  of  the  colour  of 
the  male  the  other  of  the  female.  On  three  occasions  I  had 
opportunities  of  examining  the  young  produced  by  progeni- 
tors of  different  colours.  The  first  nest  contained  four, — two 
black  and  two  grey ;  the  second,  one  black  and  two  grey ;  and 
the  third,  three  black  and  two  grey.  The  colour  of  the  young 
did  not,  in  a  majority  of  instances,  correspond  with  that  of 
the  parent  of  the  same  sex ;  although  the  male  parent  was 
black,  the  young  males  were  frequently  grey,  and  vice  versa. 

Dimensions  of  the  fox  squirrel. — 

IN.     LIN. 

Length  of  head  and  body 14  5 

Ditto      of  tail,  (vertebra?) 12  4 

Ditto      of  tail  to  the  tip 15  2 

Ditto      of  palm  and  middle  fore  elaw 1  9 

Ditto      of  sole  and  middle  hind  claw 2  11 

Ditto      of  fur  on  the  back „  8 

Height  of  ear  posteriorly „  7 

Geographical  distribution. — This  species  is  said  to  exist 
sparingly  in  New  Jersey :  1  have  not  observed  it  farther  north 
than  Virginia,  nor  could  I  find  it  in  the  mountainous  districts 
of  that  state.  In  the  pine  forests  of  North  Carolina  it  be- 
comes more  common.     In  the  middle  and  maritime  districts 


120  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

of  South  Carolina  it  is  almost  daily  met  with,  although  it  can- 
not be  said  to  be  an  abundant  species  anywhere.  I  have  al- 
so seen  it  in  Georgia,  and  have  received  specimens  from  Mid- 
dle Florida  and  Alabama. 

Habits. — Although  there  is  a  general  similarity  of  habit  in 
all  the  species  of  Sciurus,  yet  the  present  has  some  pe- 
culiarities which  I  have  never  noticed  in  any  other.  The  fox 
squirrel,  instead  of  preferring  the  rich  low  lands,  thickly 
clothed  with  timber,  as  is  the  case  with  the  Carolina  grey 
squirrel,  is  seldom  seen  in  such  situations,  but  prefers  ele- 
vated pine  ridges,  where  the  trees  are  not  crowded  near  each 
other,  and  where  there  is  an  occasional  oak  or  hickory  inter- 
spersed. It  is  also  frequently  found  in  the  vicinity  of  rich 
valleys,  to  which  it  resorts  for  the  nuts,  acorns,  and  chinque- 
pins  [Casianea  pumila)  which  such  soils  produce.  In  some 
aged  and  partially  decayed  oak,  this  squirrel  finds  a  safe  re- 
treat for  itself  and  mate.  A  hollowr  tree  of  this  kind  is  suffi- 
cient for  its  purpose ;  if  nature  has  prepared  a  hole  for  it,  it 
occupies  it ;  if  otherwise,  it  finds  no  difficulty  in  gnawing  a 
hole, — sometimes  several, — for  its  accommodation.  The  tree 
itself  is  however,  in  all  cases,  hollow,  and  it  only  gnaws 
through  the  outer  shell  in  order  to  find  a  residence,  which  re- 
quires but  little  labour  and  skill  to  render  it  secure  and  com- 
fortable. At  other  times  it  takes  possession  of  the  deserted 
hole  of  the  ivory -billed  woodpecker  {Picus  principalis). — 
The  summer  duck  too  is  frequently  a  competitor  for  the  same 
residence;  contests  for  possession  occasionally  take  place 
between  these  three  species,  and  I  have  generally  observed, 
that  the  tenant  that  has  already  deposited  its  eggs  or  young 
in  such  situations  is  seldom  ejected.  The  male  and  female 
summer  duck  unite  in  chasing  and  beating  with  their  wings 
any  squirrel  that  may  approach  their  nests,  nor  are  they  idle 
with  their  bills  and  tongues,  but  continue  biting,  hissing,  and 
napping  their  wings  until  the  intruded  is  expelled.  On  the 
other  hand,  when  the  squirrel  has  its  young  in  the  hole  of  a 
tree,  and  is  intruded  on  either  by  a  woodpecker  or  a  summer 
duck,  it  immediately  rushes  to  its  hole,  and  after  having  en- 
tered, remains  at  the  mouth  of  it,  occasionally  protruding  its 
head,  and  with  a  low  and  angry  bark  keeps  possession  until 
the  intruder,  weary  of  the  contest,  leaves  it  unmolested. — 
Thus,  nature  imparts  to  each  species  additional  spirit  and 
vigour  in  defence  of  its  young  ;  whilst  at  the  same  time  the 
intruder  on  the  possession  of  others,  as  if  conscious  of  the 
injustice  of  his  acts,  evinces  a  spirit  of  pusillanimity  and 
cowardice. 

In  the  vicinity  of  this  permanent  residence  of  the  fox  squir- 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  121 

rel,  several  nests,  composed  of  sticks,  leaves,  and  mosses, 
are  usually  seen  on  the  pine  trees.  These  are  seldom  placed 
on  the  summits,  but  in  the  fork  of  a  tree,  and  more  frequently 
where  several  branches  unite  to  afford  a  sure  resting-place  to 
these  nests.  This  may  be  called  their  summer  home,  for  it 
seems  to  be  occupied  only  in  fine  weather,  and  is  deserted 
during  wintry  and  stormy  seasons. 

The  breeding  season  is  in  December  and  January,  when 
the  male  chases  the  female  for  hours  together  on  the  same 
tree,  running  up  one  side  and  descending  on  the  other,  fol- 
lowing her  from  one  branch  to  the  other,  making  at  the  same 
time  a  low  guttural  noise  that  can  scarcely  be  compared  with 
the  barking  notes  which  they  utter  on  other  occasions.  The 
young  are  produced  from  the  beginning  of  March,  and  some- 
times earlier,  to  April.  The  nests  containing  them  which  I 
have  had  an  opportunity  of  examining,  were  always  in  hol- 
low trees.  They  receive  the  nourishment  of  the  mother  for 
four  or  five  weeks,  when  they  are  left  to  shift  for  themselves, 
but  continue  to  reside  in  the  vicinity  of,  and  even  to  occupy, 
the  same  nests  with  their  parents,  till  autumn.  It  has  been 
asserted  by  several  planters  in  Carolina,  that  this  species  has 
two  broods  during  the  season ;  as  far  however  as  my  person- 
al observations  have  enabled  me  to  judge,  I  have  been  led  to 
believe  that  they  have  no  other  product  than  that  of  early 
spring. 

The  food  of  this  species  is  various ;  besides  acorns  and  the 
different  kinds  of  nuts,  its  principal  subsistence  for  many 
weeks  in  autumn  is  on  the  fruit  extracted  from  the  cones  of 
the  pine,  especially  that  of  our  long-leaved  pitch  pine  [Pinus 
palustris).  Whilst  the  green  corn  is  yet  in  its  milky  state, 
the  fox  squirrel  makes  long  journeys  to  visit  the  fields,  and 
for  the  sake  of  convenience  frequently  builds  a  temporary 
summer-house  in  the  vicinity,  in  order  to  share  with  the  little 
Carolina  squirrel  and  the  crow  a  portion  of  the  delicacies  and 
treasures  of  the  husbandman ;  where  he  is  also  exposed  to 
the  risks  incurred  by  the  thief  and  plunderer  ;  for  these  fields 
are  usually  guarded  by  a  gunner,  and  in  this  way  thousands 
of  squirrels  are  destroyed  during  the  green  corn  season.  It  is 
doubtful  whether  the  fox  squirrel  lays  up  any  winter  stores, 
There  appears  to  be  no  food  in  any  of  his  nests,  nor  does  he. 
like  the  red  squirrel  {Sciurus  Hudsonius),  resort  to  any  hoards 
which,  in  the  season  of  abundance,  were  buried  in  the  earth 
or  concealed  under  logs  and  leaves.  During  this  season  he 
leaves  his  retreat  but  seldom,  and  then  only  for  a  short  time, 
and  in  fine  weather  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  He  has  evi- 
dently the  power,  like  the  marmot  and  racoon,  of  being  sus- 


122  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

tained  for  a  considerable  length  of  time,  without  much  suffer- 
ing, in  the  absence  of  food.  When  this  animal  makes  his 
appearance  in  the  winter,  he  is  seen  searching  among  the 
leaves  where  the  wild  turkey  has  been  busy  at  work,  and 
gleaning  the  refuse  acorns  which  have  escaped  his  search ;  at 
such  times  also  this  species  does  not  reject  worms  and  insects 
which  he  may  detect  beneath  the  bark  of  fallen  or  decayed 
trees.  Towards  spring  he  feeds  on  the  buds  of  the  hickory, 
oak,  and  various  other  trees,  as  well  as  on  several  kinds  of 
roots,  especially  of  the  wild  potato.  As  the  spring  advances 
farther,  he  is  a  constant  visitor  to  the  black  mulberry  tree 
{Morus  rubra),  where  he  finds  a  supply  for  several  weeks. — 
From  this  time  till  winter  the  fruits  of  the  field  and  forests  en- 
able him  to  revel  in  abundance. 

Most  other  species  of  this  genus  when  alarmed  in  the  woods 
immediately  betake  themselves  to  the  first  convenient  tree 
that  presents  itself, — not  so  with  the  fox  squirrel.  When  he 
is  aware  of  being  discovered  whilst  on  the  ground,  he  pushes 
directly  for  a  hollow  tree,  which  is  often  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
distant,  and  it  requires  a  good  dog,  a  man  on  horseback,  or  a 
very  swift  runner,  to  induce  him  to  alter  his  course,  or  com- 
pel him  to  ascend  any  other  tree.  When  he  is  silently  seated 
on  a  tree,  and  imagines  himself  unperceived  by  the  person 
approaching  him,  he  suddenly  spreads  himself  flatly  on  the 
limb,  and  gently  moving  to  the  opposite  side,  often  by  this 
stratagem  escapes  detection.  When  however  he  is  on  a  small 
tree,  and  is  made  aware  of  being  observed,  he  utters  a  few 
querulous,  barking  notes,  and  immediately  leaps  to  the  ground 
and  hastens  to  a  more  secure  retreat.  If  overtaken  by  a  dog 
he  defends  himself  with  great  spirit,  and  is  often  an  over- 
match for  the  small  terriers  which  are  used  for  the  purpose  of 
treeing  him.  He  is  very  tenacious  of  life,  and  an  ordinary 
shot  gun,  although  it  may  wcund  him  repeatedly,  will  seldom 
bring  him  down  from  the  tops  of  the  high  pines  to  which  he 
retreats  when  pursued,  and  in  such  situations  the  rifle  is  the 
only  certain  enemy  he  has  to  dread. 

This  squirrel  is  seldom  seen  out  of  its  retreat  early  in  the 
mornings  and  evenings,  as  is  the  habit  of  the  other  species. 
He  seems  to  be  a  late  riser,  and  usually  makes  his  first  appear- 
ance at  10  or  11  o'clock,  and  retires  to  his  domicile  long  be- 
fore evening.  He  does  not  appear  to  indulge  so  frequently  in 
the  barking  propensities  of  the  genus  as  the  other  and  small- 
er species.  This  note  when  heard  is  not  very  loud  but  hoarse 
and  guttural.  He  is  easily  domesticated,  and  is  occasionally 
seen  in  cages,  but  is  less  active  and  sprightly  than  the  small- 
er species. 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.  123 

As  an  article  of  food  the  fox  squirrel  is  apparently  equally 
good  with  any  other  species,  although  I  have  observed  that 
the  little  Carolina  squirrel  is  usually  preferred,  as  being  more 
tender  and  delicate.  Where  however  squirrels  are  very  abun- 
dant, men  soon  become  surfeited  with  this  kind  of  food,  and 
in  Carolina,  even  among  the  poorer  class,  it  is  not  generally 
preferred. 

This  species,  like  all  the  rest  of  the  squirrels,  is  infested 
during  the  summer  months  with  a  troublesome  larva,  which, 
fastening  itself  on  the  neck  or  shoulders,  must  be  very  annoy- 
ing, as  those  most  affected  in  this  manner  are  usually  poor, 
and  their  fur  appears  thin  and  disordered.  It  is  however  less 
exposed  to  destruction  from  birds  of  prey  and  wild  beasts 
than  the  other  species.  It  leaves  its  retreat  so  late  in  the 
mornings  and  retires  so  early  in  the  afternoons,  that  it  is  wholly 
exempt  from  the  depredations  of  owls,  so  destructive  to  the 
Carolina  squirrel.  I  have  seen  it  bid  defiance  to  the  attacks 
of  the  red-shouldered  hawk  (Falco  lineatus),  the  only  abun- 
dant species  in  the  south,  and  it  frequents  those  high  grounds 
and  open  woods  where  the  fox  and  wild  cat  seldom  resort, 
during  the  middle  of  the  day,  so  that  man  is  almost  the  only 
enemy  it  has  to  dread. 


(To  be  continued.) 


Art.  IV — On  the  Anatomy  of  the  Lamellibranchiate  Conchiferous 
Animals.     By  Robert  Garner,  Esq.  F.L.S. 

(Continued  from  Vol.  ii.  n.  s.  page  583J. 

With  respect  to  the  chemical  composition  of  the  shells  of 
Bivalves  little  has  been  done.  Hatchett1  found  them  to  con- 
sist of  carbonate  of  lime,  and  animal  matter.  In  the  oyster 
shell  Vauquelin*  noticed  animal  matter,  carbonate  and  phos- 
phate of  lime,  carbonate  of  magnesia,  and  oxide  of  iron.  The 
earthy  matter  has  commonly  more  or  less  of  crystalline  struc- 
ture, and  the  membranes  which  support  it,  have,  when  freed 
by  a  weak  acid  from  the  earthy  matter  and  viewed  with  a  lens, 
a  regular  reticulated  appearance.3  The  earthy  matter  is  de- 
posited in  these  membranes,  which  are  themselves  merely 
indurated  mucous  transudations.  The  colorations  of  the 
shells  are  various.     Chemists  have  not  ascertained  the  nature 

1  Home,  Lectures.  2  Malacologie.  3  Poli. 


124  ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 

of  this  colouring  matter.  From  its  easy  destructability  it  has 
been  supposed  not  to  be  of  a  mineral  nature. ■  The  coloured 
markings  on  the  external  surface  of  the  valves  are  of  various 
forms  ;  they  are  dependant  upon  the  disposition  of  the  veins 
of  the  mantle ;  they  are  often  interrupted  from  the  cessation 
of  the  secretion  at  certain  periods.  The  internal  stains  some- 
times seen,  and  which  pervade  the  whole  thickness  of  the 
shells,  are  produced  by  the  contact  of  an  excreting  venous 
organ,2  destined  to  throw  off  the  redundant  colouring  and 
earthy  matter,  &c,  and  from  its  secretion  the  foot  and  extre- 
mities of  the  tubes  also  are  often  brilliantly  stained.  Light 
has  an  effect  on  this  coloration ;  when  one  valve  is  fixed,  or 
is  constantly  buried  in  the  sand,  the  other,  being  most  exposed, 
is  most  coloured ;  and  such  species  as  live  immured  in  the 
interior  of  rocks,  wood,  &c,  are  commonly  destitute  of  colour. 
The  articulation  of  the  valves,  one  with  the  other,  presents 
an  infinite  variety.  The  elastic  substance,  or  cartilage1  is 
so  placed,  as  to  be  compressed  when  the  valves  are  closed  by 
the  muscles  ;  and,  regaining  its  original  state  when  the  mus- 
cular force  ceases,  to  open  the  shell.  In  addition  to  the  car- 
tilage, a  ligament  frequently  adds  to  the  security  of  the  hinge. 
These  two  may  be  conjoined  or  not.  The  cartilage  is  often 
divided.  In  Pema  it  is  perfectly  so,  the  portions  being  situ- 
ated in  parallel  grooves.  In  Area,  &c,  the  portions  are  con- 
joined at  the  point  of  the  beak  and  diverge  from  it.  The 
former  appears  to  be  the  divided  elongated  cartilage  seen  in 
the  generality  of  the  Dimyaria ;  the  latter  the  divided  verti- 
cal cartilage,  common  in  the  Monomyaria.  The  cartilage  is 
composed  of  layers  like  the  shell,  being  secreted,  when  inter- 
nal, in  a  corresponding  sac  of  the  mantle,  or,  when  external, 
by  a  glandular  prominence  of  it  from  a  set  of  minute  glands. 
The  former  is  the  case  in  the  Pecten,  Spondylus,  &c,  the 
latter  in  the  Anadonta,  Bucardium,  &c.  In  the  former  case 
the  layers  are  deposited  from  below ;  in  the  latter  from  behind. 
There  is  no  case  in  which  the  cartilage  is  before  the  beaks, 
unless,  as  in  the  Area,  it  is  divided  and  divergent.  In  all 
cases,  the  cartilage  must  have  its  commencement  apparent 
at  the  very  beaks  of  the  valves,  unless  eroded,  as  it  is  in  Os- 
trea,  Gryphcea,  &c.  This  disunion  of  the  cartilage  may  take 
place  more  from  one  valve  than  the  other,  as  is  seen  in  some 
species  of  the  last  named  genus,  causing  the  great  length  of 

1  Iodine  and  bromine  have  been  found  in  these  shells.      Is  either  of 
them  concerned  in  the  coloration  ? 

2  Not  of  the  liver,  as  supposed  by  Blainville. 

3  Gray  has  shown  the  distinction  between  the  cartilage  and  the  ligament, 
1  Zoolog.  Journal,'  vol.  1. 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.  125 

the  beak  in  the  lower  valve.  The  situation  of  the  ligament 
is  various  ;  in  the  Pecten  it  unites  the  ears  of  the  valves ;  in 
the  Area  it  is  stretched  over  the  wide  space  between  the 
beaks  ;  it  unites  the  edges  of  the  valves  anterior  to  the  beaks, 
or  is  spread  over  the  hmule  in  many  other  Dimyaria.  When 
as  in  the  Bucardium,  &c,  the  cartilage  is  external,  and  con- 
vex and  prominent  above,  its  compression  does  not  happen 
from  the  pressure  of  the  valves,  as  is  the  case  with  the  species 
with  internal  cartilages,  but  from  the  bending  of  it  upon  itself. 
The  elastic  substance  of  the  cartilage  of  this  conformation 
differs  from  that  of  the  Pecten,  &c,  by  its  containing  a  por- 
tion of  carbonate  of  lime  in  its  composition. 

The  hinge  is  likewise  commonly  furnished  with  teeth,  often, 
as  in  the  Trigonia,  of  most  regular  conformation ;  developed 
for  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  sliding  of  the  valves  upon 
each  other ;  fitting  between  their  fellows  of  the  opposite  side 
with  great  harmony.  The  teeth  are  wanting  or  weak  when 
there  is  great  strength  of  muscle  or  cartilage ;  when  the  irre- 
gularity of  the  edges  of  the  valves  prevents  sliding  motion ; 
when  the  shell  is  small,  flat  and  polished,  and  hence  little 
exposed  to  violence ;  or  when  the  hinge  and  cartilage  are 
long.  They  are,  however,  very  numerous  in  the  long  hinge 
of  the  Arcacea,  compensating  for  the  weakness  of  the  carti- 
lage. 

From  the  superior  and  posterior  situation  of  the  cartilage 
in  many  bivalves,  the  anterior  and  inferior  part  of  the  shell 
opens  widest  when  the  ligament  acts,  and  from  this  part  the 
foot  commonly  protrudes.  When  the  foot  protrudes  inferi- 
ority, the  cartilage  is  in  the  middle  of  the  dorsal  edge. 

In  those  genera  which  have  gaping  shells  and  long  fleshy 
syphons,  the  cartilage  is  internal  and  situated  on  a  projecting 
process  of  one  of  the  valves  ;  by  such  a  disposition  the  shell 
is  not  readily  quite  closed  nor  much  opened.  The  shell  is 
only  allowed  to  be  opened  widely  when  the  lobes  of  the  man- 
tle unite  to  a  small  extent ;  as  is  done  by  the  internal  carti- 
lage of  many  of  the  Monomyaria. 

When  the  foot  is  of  a  compressed  form,  from  the  position 
of  the  ligament  and  cartilage,  one  on  each  side  the  beaks, 
much  motion  is  not  provided  for.  When,  as  in  the  Area,  the 
foot  is  thick,  we  see  in  the  linear  hinge  and  in  the  remoteness 
of  the  beaks,  a  provision  for  the  considerable  opening  of  the 
valves  by  that  organ,  and  in  some  species  the  valves  them- 
selves are  gaping  inferiorly  for  its  exsertion.  Besides  the 
teeth,  the  Osteodesma  has  a  loose  calcareous  piece  at  the 
hinge,  before  the  internal  ligament.     In  the  Pholades  there 

Vol.  III.— No.  27.  n.  s.  o 


126  ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 

is  no  cartilage  ;  '  but  a  process  of  the  mantle  overlaps  the 
beaks  of  the  valves,  and  secretes  a  calcareous  plate  upon  them. 
This  reflected  portion  of  the  mantle  covers  the  anterior  mus- 
cle, which  here  goes  from  beak  to  beak ;  in  the  calcareous 
plates  in  the  P.  dactylus,  without  the  insertion  of  the  muscle, 
is  an  external  row  of  large  and  an  internal  one  of  small  cavi- 
ties, into  which  are  inserted  corresponding  fimbriations  of  the 
reflected  portion  of  the  mantle.  This  fleshy  process  is  pro- 
tected and  covered  by  several  thin  calcareous  plates,  imbed- 
ded between  it  and  the  cuticle :  there  are  four  of  these  in  the 
P.  dactylus,  but  one  in  the  P.  candidus,  P.  conoides,  &c. 
There  are  likewise  two  spoon-like  processes  in  the  interior  of 
the  valves,  below  the  beaks  ;  secreted  in  two  reflections  of 
the  mantle,  and  giving  attachment  to  a  few  of  the  fibres  of 
the  foot.  The  Teredo  has  the  valves  joined  by  muscular 
fibres  alone,  as  has  the  Myastropha.  The  teeth  are  of  infi- 
nite diversity,  in  shape  and  position,  and  merit  a  more  minute 
examination  than  they  have  hitherto  had.2 

MUSCULAR  SYSTEM. 

Many  of  these  animals  are  immoveably  fixed  to  the  spots 
on  which  they  are  found.  The  oyster,  for  instance,  in  the 
young  state,  secretes  the  calcareous  matter  of  the  left  valve 
on  rocks,  &c,  and  only  ceases  to  do  so  when  a  firm  attach- 
ment is  formed.  Other  species  are  attached  by  a  set  of  horny 
filaments  called  the  byssus.  This  is  formed  from  the  secretion 
of  a  bilobed  gland,  situated  within  the  base  of  the  foot.  This 
gland,  of  which  the  existence  is  erroneously  denied  by  Blain- 
ville,  is  of  a  brown  granular  appearance  ;  it  may  readily  be 
found  in  the  Mytilus  or  Modiola,  lying  upon  the  nervous 
ganglion  of  the  foot.  Its  duct  opens  into  the  bottom  of  the 
groove  situated  on  the  posterior  surface  of  that  organ.  Its 
fluid  secretion  is  moulded  in  this  groove,  and  the  thread, 
which  rapidly  hardens,  is  fastened  at  one  end  to  the  tendi- 
nous base  of  the  foot,  and  at  the  other,  by  an  expanded  ex- 
tremity, to  the  rocks  to  which  the  animal  adheres.  On  rocky 
shores  we  see  how  firmly  and  immoveably  the  common 
muscles  are  bound  by  these  threads.  The  Modiola  discors 
fixes  itself  to  the  cartilaginous  tunics  of  Phallusia  and  other 
Tunicata,  and  becomes  buried  in  them,  the  anal  extremity 
only  projecting.  Some  species  of  Pecten  are  fixed  by  the 
spinous  processes  of  their  valves,  some  by  a  byssus,  while 

1  In  the  P.  candidus,  however,  the  author  finds  one,  between  the  two 
small  spinous  processes. 

8  See  a  paper  on  the  hinge  of  Bivalves  by  Wood,  '  Linn.  Trans.'  vol.  6. 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.  127 

others,  as  the  P.  maximus,  have  the  convex  valve  commonly 
buried  in  the  sand.  These  free  species  of  Pecten  swim  and 
leap  by  striking  the  water  with  their  valves,  closed  by  the 
action  of  the  voluminous  adductor  muscle.  It  is  evident  in 
opening  an  oyster  how  powerful  this  muscle  is  ;  in  the  Pec- 
ten it  is  much  more  so.  The  principal  organ  of  locomotion, 
however,  in  these  animals  is  the  foot.  The  Monomyaria 
have  it  little  developed,  some,  as  the  oyster,  having  no  trace 
of  it ;  and  in  them  it  seems  of  little  use  as  an  organ  of  loco- 
motion. When  present  in  them  it  is  of  a  cylindrical  figure, 
expanded  at  the  extremity  as  in  Lima,  Pecten,  &c.  In  the 
Spondylus,  from  its  terminal  disk  a  filament  depends,  at  the 
extremity  of  which  is  a  small  oval  body.  In  these  genera  a 
long  slender  muscle  arises  from  the  upper  part  of  the  left 
valve,  and  is  inserted  into  this  organ,  bending  it  when  in 
action,  up  to  the  mouth.  The  byssus,  according  to  Cuvier, 
is  present  in  the  Perna  and  Malleus ;  in  one  species  of  Lima 
the  author  does  not  find  it,  though  Blainville  and  Cuvier  also, 
correctly  says  it  is  present  in  another.  It  exists  also  in  the 
Avicula,  Pinna,  Lithodomus,  Byssomya,  &c.  The  foot, 
which  moulds  it,  receives  several  pairs  of  muscles,  originating 
from  the  valves,  at  different  points,  and  inserted  into  its  base. 
In  the  Pecten  and  the  other  Monomyaria,  there  is  but  one 
adductor  muscle.  In  Avicula,  Pinna,  Mytilus,  &c,  another 
is  added  at  the  anterior  part  of  the  shell ;  in  them,  however, 
yet  small.  In  Lithodomus  the  anterior  one  is  become  equal 
to  the  other ;  in  some  species  of  Solen  it  is  much  the  larger 
of  the  two.  These  muscles  pass  directly  from  one  valve  to 
the  other,  and  are  the  antagonists  to  the  force  of  the  elastic 
cartilage.  The  foot,  in  the  Dimyaria,  varies  in  its  form,  and 
is  occasionally  very  large.  It  has  circular,  longitudinal  and 
oblique  fibres,  and  is  attached  to  the  valves  by  two  or  more 
pairs  of  muscles  as  mentioned  above.  In  Area  it  has  a  horny 
substance  at  its  lower  part,  analogous  to  the  byssus  of  other 
genera.  In  Nucula  it  is  tentacular  at  its  lower  circumference. 
In  the  JJnio  it  is  large,  oval,  and  slightly  compressed  laterally, 
with  anterior  and  posterior  retractile  muscles ;  and  there  is 
an  orifice  at  its  posterior  extremity,  by  which  the  animal  can 
distend  it  with  water ;  as  is  the  case  in  a  greater  degree  in 
others,  as  the  Solen.  In  the  Cyclas  it  is  elongated,  compress- 
ed and  blunt;  in  the  Cardium  round,  and  bent  at  a  right 
angle  in  the  centre,  and  pointed  at  the  extremity.  In  the 
Mactra  it  is  very  long,  large  and  lanceolate.  It  is  broadly 
lanceolate  in  Tellina,  Psammobia,  &c. ;  larger  and  falciform  in 
Donax.  It  is  securiform  and  rather  expanded  below  in  Pec- 
tunculus ;  of  the   same  outline,  but  sharp  inferiorly,  in  the 


128  ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 

orbicular  species  of  Venus.  In  My  a,  Thracia,  Corbula,  Pan- 
dor  a,  &c,  the  muscular  part  is  very  small,  projecting  through 
a  small  opening  of  the  mantle.  It  is  something  like  the  hu- 
man foot  in  Chama ;  very  long  and  attenuated  in  Loripes. I 
It  is  club-shaped  in  Solen ;  in  Pholas,  small,  short  and 
rounded.  The  extremity  of  a  cartilaginous  body,  to  be  de- 
scribed hereafter,  is  contained  within  this  organ ;  and  seems 
to  add  to  its  elasticity  and  resilience.  By  the  action  of  this 
foot  these  animals  can  bore  with  great  facility  in  the  sand, 
where  some  are  found  at  considerable  depth ;  they  can,  like- 
wise, accomplish  a  quick  progression,  by  using  it  as  a  hook, 
or  pushing  themselves  forwards  by  its  means ;  they  also  swim 
on  the  surface  of  the  water,  by  expanding  it  into  a  concave 
dish ;  and  climb  perpendicular  surfaces,  by  fixing  its  extre- 
mity like  a  sucker.2  Some  species  have  the  power  of  secret- 
ing air  into  two  sacs  of  the  mantle,  attached  to  the  excretory 
organs,  by  which  their  specific  gravity  is  diminished,  and 
they  readily  change  their  situation  at  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the 
tides.  The  edge  of  the  mantle  is  muscular ;  in  some  genera 
it  is  strongly  adhesive  to  the  shell ;  in  others  loose,  and  ca- 
pable of  being  considerably  retracted  by  means  of  distinct 
bundles  of  muscular  fibres,  attached  to  the  valves  at  some  dis- 
tance from  their  edge,  as  is  the  case  in  Pecten,  Pinna,  &c. 
In  Lima,  Pecten,  Spondylus,  &c,  its  margin  is  furnished  with 
long  tentacles  ;  and  in  the  two  latter  we  see,  at  regular  dis- 
tances on  this  margin,  small  ocelli,  looking  in  the  fresh  ani- 
mal like  so  many  emeralds,  from  their  green  colour  and  great 
brilliancy.  Each  of  these  ocelli  possesses  a  cornea,  lens,  cho- 
roid, and  nerve :  they  are  without  doubt  organs  of  vision. 3 
There  is,  likewise,  in  these  animals,  a  muscular  flap  at  the 
edge  of  the  mantle,  apparently  for  the  purpose  of  preventing 
the  escape  of  the  water.  When  the  syphons  are  developed, 
a  strong  muscle  takes  its  origin  from  the  impression  seen  in 
many  shells  at  the  posterior  part  of  the  internal  surface,  and 
is  inserted  into  them.  The  external  fibres  of  these  tubes  are 
circular,  the  internal  longitudinal ;  they  are  very  contractile. 
In  the  Anomia  we  find  Jthe  ordinary  muscle  of  the  Monomy- 
aria ;  also  another  which  originates  chiefly  from  the  convex 
valve,  and  is  inserted  into  the  operculum.  This  latter  like- 
wise receives  a  bundle  of  fibres  from  the  articulating  process 


«  Poli. 

2  Bosc  says  the  Venus  genus  comes  to  the  surface,  using  one  valve  as  a 
boat  and  the  other  as  a  sail.     Kirby,  'Bridgewater  Treatise.' 

3  See  Poli. 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.  129 

of  the  flat  valve,  and  sends  others  to  the  foot  and  mantle.  ■ 

NERVOUS  SYSTEM. 

Tn  more  than  twenty  genera,  examined  for  the  purpose,  the 
neivous  system  has  presented  few  differences ;  and  these  dif- 
ferences arise  from  the  greater  or  less  developement  of  certain 
parts,  and  the  greater  or  less  distance  at  which  the  organs  are 
from  each  other.  MangiliV  description  of  the  nerves  of  the 
Anadonta  is  the  only  correct  account  of  this  system  in  these 
animals.  Poli  mistook  the  nerves  for  lacteals,  as  their  sheaths 
are  readily  injected  when  the  nervous  pulp  is  softened  by  in- 
cipient putrescence.  Cuvier  was  not  aware  of  the  existence 
of  the  pedal  ganglion.  Blainville  considers  the  labial  gan- 
glia to  be  infra-cesophageal,  and  does  not  find  the  filament  con- 
necting the  labial  and  pedal  ganglia.  When  a  foot  is  present 
there  are  three  ganglia,  or  pairs  of  ganglia ;  when  absent,  but 
two.  These  ganglia  are  of  an  orange  colour  externally,  and 
white  within.  Two  ganglia  are  situated  at  the  mouth,  more 
or  less  removed  from  each  other,  but  always  connected  by  a 
supra-oesophageal  nerve ;  they  are  sometimes  on  a  level  with 
or  before  the  mouth,  sometimes  behind  it.  They  give  off  on 
each  side  filaments  to  the  anterior  muscle,  tentacles,  lips,  and 
anterior  part  of  the  mantle.  Each  ganglion  likewise  gives 
off  a  twig,  going  to  the  posterior  ganglia,  which  are  situated 
between  the  branchiae,  on  the  posterior  muscle.  These  are 
united  into  one,  when  the  branchiae  are  united  medianly,  as 
in  Mactra,  Mya,  Solen,  &c. ;  but  at  a  distance  from  each 
other  when  the  branchiae  are  remote  ;3  but  when  so,  are  al- 
ways connected  by  a  transverse  nerve  as  in  Modiola,  Avicula, 
Lithodomus,  Area,  &c.  These  ganglia  give  nerves  to  the 
branchiae,  syphons,  viscera,  posterior  muscle,  mantle,  &c. 
The  anterior  ganglia  also  give  off  two  twigs,  which  enter  the 
foot  and  unite  into  a  double  ganglion,  from  which  that  organ 
is  supplied  with  nerves.  The  posterior  and  pedal  ganglia  are 
totally  unconnected  with  each  other.  The  mouth  then  is 
surrounded  by  a  wide  ring,  of  which  the  part  posterior  to  the 
situation  of  the  anterior  ganglia  upon  it  is  double. 

(7b  be  continued.) 

1  See  Reaumur,  'Du  mouvement  de  quelques  coquillages.'  Mem.  Acad. 
Sciences,  par  1710.  Des  differentes  manieres  dont  plusieurs  animaux  s'at- 
tachent,  id.  171. 

2  Archives  fur  Physiol,  b.  9. 

3  In  Venus,  where  the  ganglia  are  united,  the  branchiae,  though  divided 
medianly  are  not  remote. 


130  MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND. 


Art.V. — Observations  on  the  History  and  Classification  of  the 
Marsupial  Quadrupeds  of  New  Holland.  By  W.  Ogilby,  Esq. 
M.A.,  &c.  &c. 

[The  following  "  Observations"  form  the  introduction  to  a  paper  on  the 
"  General  History  and  Description  of  Marsupial  Animals,"  which  was  read 
at  different  meetings  of  the  Linnean  Society,  between  the  6th  of  December 
1831,  and  the  3rd  of  April,  1832.  Its  design  was  to  describe  the  species  of 
Australian  quadrupeds,  at  that  period  very  imperfectly  known  in  this 
country,  and  of  which  the  Linnean  Society  possessed  the  only  collection  at 
all  approaching  to  completeness,  even  in  generic  forms :  but  the  imperfect 
materials  at  my  disposal  for  the  illustration  of  the  genus  Macropus,  first 
induced  me  to  postpone  the  completion  of  my  memoir  till  I  should  have 
an  opportunity  of  examining  the  Continental  Museums ;  and  when  this 
did  happen,  the  advances  which  British  zoologists  had  made  in  the  know- 
ledge of  Marsupial  species,  rendered  my  original  design  in  a  great  measure 
useless.  Great  accessions  had  been  made  in  the  interim,  both  to  the  Bri- 
tish Museum  and  to  that  of  the  Zoological  Society,  especially  to  the  latter, 
at  the  different  meetings  of  which  I  had  repeated  opportunities  of  directing 
the  attention  of  the  Fellows  to  the  generic  characters  of  these  animals,  and 
of  describing  many  new  species. 

During  the  progress  of  my  inquiries,  I  had,  besides,  occasion  to  alter  my 
opinion  as  to  the  integrity  of  the  group  Marsupialia  as  a  natural  order  of 
mammals.  One  of  the  principal  objects  of  my  original  paper  was  to  re- 
form the  very  arbitrary  classification,  or  division  into  minor  groups,  which 
the  French  naturalists  had  introduced  into  this  department  of  mammalogy ; 
and  though  I  am  no  longer  disposed  to  view  the  principal  group  itself  in 
the  same  light  as  formerly,  I  still  think  the  publication  of  my  labours  at 
that  period  may  be  of  advantage  to  science,  not  only  as  a  record  of  the  state 
of  our  knowledge  upon  this  subject  at  the  period  in  question,  but  likewise 
because  a  simple  and  natural  classification,  admitting  of  ready  application  to 
practical  purposes,  is  likely  to  be  of  great  use  to  colonial  enquirers.  In- 
deed I  have  the  satisfaction  to  think  that  this  object  has  been  in  some  mea- 
sure accomplished  already,  though  to  a  limited  extent,  by  means  of  manu- 
script copies  of  the  classification  in  question,  and  lists  of  species,  with  which 
I  furnished  various  gentlemen  about  to  visit  the  different  Australian  colo- 
nies; among  others  Mr.  Allan  Cunningham,  to  whom  I  am  happy  to  have 
this  opportunity  of  acknowledging  my  obligations  for  very  copious  details 
relating  to  the  habits  and  economy  of  these  animals ;  Mr.  George  Bennett, 
(through  the  medium  of  our  mutual  friend  Prof.  Owen) ;  Mr.  Gould,  &c] 

Long  ere  British  enterprise  had  planted  the  arts  and  cultiva- 
tion of  civilized  life  upon  its  solitary  shores,  at  a  period  when 
its  very  existence  was  inferred  only  from  the  conjectures  of 
theoretical  geographers,  or  the  scarcely  less  vague  reports  of 
mariners,  whom  accident  or  misfortune  drove  out  of  their  usu- 
al course,  the  continent  of  New  Holland,  the  Terra  Australia 
Incognita  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  divided 
the  attention  of  Europe  and  the  interest  of  the  curious  with 
the  recently  discovered  Western  Hemisphere,  the  land  at  once 
of  fiction  and  obscurity,  of  boundless  wealth  and  still  more 


MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND.  131 

boundless  cupidity.  Even  at  the  present  day,  when  its  coasts 
have  been  partially  surveyed  and  its  productions  explored, 
the  primitive  interest  which  attended  the  discovery  of  this 
new  world  remains,  in  a  great  measure,  unabated ;  and  the 
statesman  and  the  philosopher  equally  look  towards  the  shores 
of  Australia,  as  the  theatre  upon  which  nature  is  expected  to 
develope  the  most  wonderful  principles  both  of  moral  and 
physical  science.  The  rapid  progress  and  growing  impor- 
tance of  the  colonies  which  have  been  planted  in  that  coun- 
try,— the  repeatedly  baffled  attempts  to  explore  its  internal 
geography, — the  savage  and  degraded  condition  of  its  primi- 
tive inhabitants, — and  finally,  the  strange  and  anomalous 
forms  of  its  natural  productions, — are  well  calculated  to  ar- 
rest the  attention  and  excite  the  surprise  of  the  most  oppo- 
sitely-constituted minds ;  to  gratify  the  philanthropist  by  the 
contemplation  of  the  greatest  and  rarest  of  moral  phenomena, 
— the  most  degraded  vice  and  misery  converted  into  honest 
and  contented  prosperity, — and  that  too,  upon  a  scale  never 
dreamt  of  by  former  ages, — and  to  excite  the  awe  and  reve- 
rence of  the  philosopher  whilst  he  admires,  in  new  forms  and 
unknown  beings,  the  inexhaustible  variety  of  nature's  works, 
and  recognizes  the  infinite  wisdom  and  omnipotence  of  the 
Great  Creator. 

To  gratify  a  small  portion  of  this  very  rational  curiosity, — 
to  trace  the  history  and  describe  the  forms  of  the  most  inte- 
resting, though,  at  the  same  time,  the  most  limited,  class  of 
the  productions  of  this  strange  land, — to  investigate  the  rela- 
tions, and  establish  the  zoological  characters  of  Australian 
Marsupials,1  — is  the  object  of  the  present  essay;  and  if,  in 
this  attempt,  I  have  been  in  some  cases  less  successful  than 
I  could  have  wished, — as  well  from  the  imperfect  opportuni- 
ties which  I  have  enjoyed,  of  examining  these  animals  in  the 
living  state,  as  from  the  brief  and  often  confused  notices  of 
colonial  writers, — I  venture  to  hope  that  my  labours  may  at 
least  have  the  merit  of  directing  the  attention  of  colonial  ob- 
servers to  this  interesting  subject,  and  of  thus  forming  the  ba- 
sis of  more  valuable  researches. 

1 1  have  substituted  this  form  of  the  plural,  throughout  my  paper,  instead 
of  the  more  usual  Latin  terminations,  Mammalia,  and  Marsupialia,  as  more 
congenial  to  the  spirit  of  our  language.  The  word  Mammal,  from  mam- 
ma, a  breast  or  udder,  like  Animal,  from  anima,  mind  or  spirit,  was  formed 
by  Linnaeus  to  denote  those  animals  which  are  furnished  with  mammary 
glands.  As  we  have  no  term  of  similar  import  in  the  English  language,  I 
venture  to  propose  the  adoption  of  this,  with  its  plural,  mammals,  as  of 
equally  classical  formation,  and  more  agreeable  to  the  genius  of  our  verna- 
cular tongue,  than  the  French  word  mammifcres. 


132  MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND. 

In  considering  the  mammals  of  New  Holland  generally, 
the  first  circumstance  that  particularly  attracts  our  attention 
is  that,  with  a  very  few  exceptions,  they  all  appear  to  belong 
to  the  same  natural  group,  and  to  possess  organs,  and  exe- 
cute functions,  different  from  those  of  the  Old  World.     This 
is  a  most  important  as  well  as  a  curious  fact,  and  one  from 
which  we  may  deduce  some  valuable  conclusions,  with  respect 
to  the  origin  and  distribution  of  animals.     If  we  were  told, 
for  example,  that  a  continent  had  been  discovered,  insulated 
from  all  other  parts  of  the  habitable  globe,  and  differing  in  its 
geographical  features  and  natural  productions,  from  all  that 
experience  had  made  familiar  to  us  in  the  Old  World  ; — if  we 
were  told  that  its  plants  were  peculiar,  and  its  animals  of  an 
anomalous  race ;  that, — excepting  the  dog,  which  follows  his 
master,  man,  wherever  he  establishes  his  dominion, — it  had 
not  a  single  species,  and  scarcely  even  a  genus,  of  mammals, 
in  common  with  other  countries ;  that  it  nourished  no  quad- 
ruped with  which  we  were  already  acquainted,  and  that  its 
own  were  absolutely  confined  within  the  circle  of  its  shores ; 
— finally,  if  we  were  told  that  the  mammals  which  it  did  pos- 
sess, were  formed  upon  a  distinct  and  peculiar  model,  and  en- 
dowed with  organs  and  modifications  different  from  those  of 
known  quadrupeds, — what  would  be  our  natural  reflection  ? 
Should  we  not  be  inclined  to  ascribe  the  formation  of  such  an 
insulated  continent  to  a  distinct  plan,  perhaps  to  a  different 
period,  of  creation  ?     Or  rather,  should  we  not  consider  its 
animal  productions  as  affording  evidence  of  a  separate  and 
peculiar  design  in  their  formation  ?     One  conclusion,  at  least, 
forces  itself  upon  our  belief  with  irresistible  certainty ;  viz., 
that,  at  whatever  period  these  animals  were  first  called  into 
existence,  they  must,  necessarily,  have  been  created  upon  the 
insulated  continent  which  they  now  inhabit :  nor  do  I  think 
it  at  all  inconsistent  with  the  idea  which  we  entertain  of  the 
Great  First  Cause  of  all  things,  or  derogatory  either  to  his 
glory  or  power,  to  suppose  that  their  existence  may  be  the 
result  of  a  subsequent  act  of  creation ; — nay,  that  new  species 
like  new  individuals,  maybe  daily  springing  into  being,  to  sup- 
ply the  place  of  those  which  daily  perish,  and  of  which  the 
remains  are  so  abundantly  strewed  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
earth. 

Whatever  degree  of  probability  may  attach  to  these  specu- 
lations, it  is  a  fact  no  less  certain  than  curious,  that  the  con- 
tinent of  Australia,  as  far,  at  least,  as  regards  the  mammals 
hitherto  discovered  upon  its  shores,  is  precisely  placed  in  the 
circumstances  here  described.  With  the  exception  of  the 
American  opossums,  and  a  few  species  of  phalangers,  scat- 


MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND.  138 

tered  over  that  long  chain  of  islands  which  forms  an  almost 
uninterrupted  communication  between  the  northern  shores  of 
Australia  and  the  continent  of  India,  these  animals  possess 
no  organic  type  among  the  quadrupeds  of  the  Old  World; 
and  those,  on  the  other  hand,  have  but  few  representatives 
within  the  boundaries  of  New  Holland  and  its  dependencies. 
What  inferences,  then,  are  we  to  deduce  from  these  singular 
facts  ?  Do  this  vast  continent,  and  the  strange  and  ane- 
malous  productions  which  it  nourishes,  really  owe  their  ex- 
istence to  the  operation  of  peculiar  causes  ?  Are  they  the 
result  of  a  subsequent  act  of  creation  ?  Or,  are  we  to  regard 
them  merely  as  modifications  of  the  same  general  plan  ?  Is 
their  existence,  abstractedly  considered,  independent  of  the 
climate  and  soil  which  they  inhabit  ?  Or  must  we  ascribe 
their  peculiar  and  anomalous  organization  to  the  influence  of 
local  circumstances  ?  These  are  inquiries  which  we  have  no 
means  of  answering  satisfactorily.  The  little  which  we  know 
of  its  Geology,  however,  warrants  us  in  concluding  that  Aus- 
tralia, like  other  parts  of  our  globe,  has  had  its  changes  and 
revolutions  ;  the  osseous  caves  and  breccia  of  Wellington 
Valley,  lately  described  by  Mr.  Clift,  contain  fragments  of 
the  bones  of  mammiferous  animals  in  as  great  perfection  and 
abundance  as  those  of  Germany,  Yorkshire,  and  Gibraltar. — 
These  remains,  sufficiently  important  in  other  respects,  ac- 
quaint us  with  the  singular  and  interesting  fact,  that,  even  at 
that  early  period,  before  the  operation  of  those  causes  which 
swept  them  off  from  the  surface  of  the  earth,  the  mammals  of 
Australia  were,  generally  speaking,  of  the  marsupial  order,  a 
tribe,  of  which,  I  believe,  only  a  single  undoubted  species  has 
been  hitherto  discovered  among  the  fossil  remains  of  the  Old 
World. 

Another  remarkable  circumstance,  connected  with  this  sin- 
gular tribe  of  animals,  is  the  very  limited  number  of  species 
which  have  been  hitherto  discovered,  considering  the  vast  ex- 
tent of  the  continent  over  which  they  are  dispersed,  and  the 
consequent  variety  of  soil  and  climate  to  which  they  are  ex- 
posed. At  the  present  moment  indeed  there  are  not  more 
than  thirty  distinct  species  of  Australian  marsupials  enume- 
rated as  authentic,  in  the  most  correct  and  extensive  cata- 
logues of  Zoology.  To  these  nearly  half  that  number  of  new 
species  will  be  added,  and  described  for  the  first  time,  in  the 
present  paper ;  but,  even  with  this  addition,  our  knowledge 
of  Australian  mammals  will  still  remain  extremely  limited 
and  imperfect.  Nor  are  the  genera  of  these  animals,  as  far  at 
least  as  we  are  at  present  acquainted  with  them,  compara- 
tively more  numerous  than  the  species  :  on  the  contrary,  all 
the  marsupials  hitherto  discovered  upon  the  continent  of  Aus- 

Vol.  III.— No.  27.  n.  s.  p 


134  MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND. 

tralia  and  its  neighbouring  isles,  present  only  eleven  really 
distinct  and  well  defined  types  of  organic  structure,  or,  tech- 
nically speaking,  genera ;  being  on  an  average  not  quite  one 
to  every  three  known  species. 

This  extreme  paucity  both  in  the  number  and  variety  of  its 
mammal  productions,  supposing  it  to  be  really  the  case,  be- 
comes the  more  surprising  when  we  consider  that  the  conti- 
nent of  Australia  alone,  without  reckoning  the  large  islands 
of  New  Guinea,  New  Zealand,  and  Van  Dieman's  Land,  and 
the  numerous  smaller  groups,  its  natural  dependencies,  em- 
braces an  extent  of  nearly  thirty  degrees  of  latitude  by  forty 
degrees  of  longitude,  and  ranges  throughout  an  almost  infi- 
nite variety  of  climate,  from  the  parched  and  barren  sands 
which  border  the  Gulf  of  Carpentaria,  to  the  humid  soil  of 
Tasmania.     But  a  little  farther  consideration  will  convince 
us  that  we  are,  in  all  probability,  only  commencing  our  ac- 
quaintance with  the  animal   productions  of  this  extensive 
country.     In  fact,  when  we  consider  the  circumstances  of  the 
colonies  which  have  been  already  planted  upon  its  shores, 
hitherto  struggling  for  bare  existence,  and  attentive  only  to 
establish  and  secure  themselves  against  the  miseries  of  famine 
and  the  hostility  of  the  natives ;  when  we  consider,  moreover, 
the  comparatively  limited  extent  of  country  which  has  been 
properly  explored,  and  the  extreme  difficulty  of  penetrating 
far  into  the  interior ;  but,  above  all,  when  we  consider  the 
natural  apathy  of  the  settlers  towards  all  subjects  which  do 
not  immediately  concern  their  own  situation  and  prospects, 
and  that  ignorance  of  zoological  information  which  disquali- 
fies common  observers  for  distinguishing  specific  differences, 
or  describing,  with  accuracy,  what  they  examine  but  slightly; 
finally,  when  we  reflect  that  we  are  altogether  ignorant  of  the 
Zoology  of  the  northern  and  western  coasts,  and  that  new 
species  are  daily  added,  even  from  the  limited  extent  of  our 
principal  settlement,  we  have  every  reason  to  conclude  that 
the  zoological  treasures  of  Australia  yet  remain  to  be  explored, 
and  that  the  few  discoveries  already  effected  only  indicate  the 
value  of  the  harvest  which  still  remains  to  be  reaped.     The 
lately  established  settlement  at  the  Swan  River  has  already 
opened  an  easy  and  favourable  path  to  the  investigation  of  the 
western  shores ;  and  as  the  communication  between  the  coast 
and  the  interior  becomes  more  frequent,  in  the  eastern  colo- 
nies, greater  facilities  will  be  afforded  of  obtaining  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  remoter  districts.     The  unexampled  prospe- 
rity of  these  flourishing  colonies  also,  and  the  spirit  of  inquiry 
which  already  begins  to  animate  their  inhabitants,  will  mate- 
rially contribute  to  extend  our  knowledge  of  the  natural  pro- 


MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND.  135 

ductions  of  Australia ;  the  habits  and  economy  of  the  singular 
animals  which  surround  them,  can  only  be  studied  in  their 
native  climate ;  nor  do  I  despair  of  shortly  seeing  new  genera 
and  species  added,  by  colonial  science  and  enterprise,  to  those 
already  known ;  and  that  too  in  numbers  exceeding  our  most 
sanguine  expectations. 

But  if  the  number  of  genera  and  species  be  comparatively 
limited  among  the  quadrupeds  of  New  Holland,  the  number 
of  individuals  of  the  same  species  appears  to  be  still  more  so. 
This  is  a  well-ascertained  fact,  and  arises  from  the  operation 
of  causes  which  are  easily  explained  and  understood ;  some 
depending  upon  the  nature  and  circumstances  of  the  country, 
others  arising  from  physical  causes  connected  with  the  ani- 
mals themselves.  Among  the  former  are  to  be  considered  the 
swampy  nature  of  many  parts  of  the  interior,  and  the  sudden 
and  destructive  floods  to  which  the  most  fertile  districts  are 
so  frequently  exposed ;  in  addition  to  which  vast  numbers 
annually  perish  by  the  hands  of  the  inland  or  bush  natives, 
who  are  chiefly  supported  by  the  produce  of  the  chase ;  as 
well  as  by  their  wanton  and  thoughtless  practice  of  periodi- 
cally firing  the  long  grass,  which  bums  with  the  most  asto- 
nishing rapidity,  and  destroys  the  nocturnal  animals  in  their 
retreats,  before  they  have  time  to  escape  from  its  ravages. — 
But  a  still  more  potent  and  influential  cause  of  the  scarcity 
of  mammals  in  New  Holland,  arises  from  their  physical  con- 
stitution. They  seldom  produce  more  than  two  young  ones 
at  a  birth,  and  that,  in  all  probability,  not  oftener  than  once 
or  twice  in  the  course  of  the  year,  since  their  growth  is  com- 
paratively slow,  and  the  progressive  developement  of  their 
organs  unusually  tardy  among  the  inferior  animals.  All  these 
causes  tend  powerfully  to  check  the  multiplication  and  diffu- 
sion of  Australian  quadrupeds;  and  when  we  add  the  reflec- 
tion that  many  individuals  must  necessarily  perish  before  ar- 
riving at  maturity,  or  employing  their  productive  powers  in 
the  increase  of  the  species,  we  must  cease  to  be  surprised  that 
their  numbers  are  so  limited,  under  circumstances  which,  at 
first  sight,  seem  so  favourable  to  their  multiplication. 

The  anatomy  of  the  marsupials  has  been  diligently  exa- 
mined and  amply  discussed  by  M.  Geoffroy  St.  Hilaire,  Sir 
Everard  Home,  and  other  able  zootomists ;  and  the  late  va- 
luable discoveries  of  Mr.  Morgan  have  thrown  considerable 
light  upon  the  most  interesting,  though,  hitherto,  the  most 
obscure  part  of  their  economy.  The  conjectures  of  this  gen- 
tleman, however,  still  require  to  be  confirmed  by  actual  ob- 
servation, for  as  yet,  we  have  no  certain  knowledge  either  of 
the  manner  in  which  the  young  animal  is  deposited  in  the 


136  MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND. 

abdominal  pouch,  how  it  becomes  attached  to  the  nipple,  or 
of  the  nature  and  circumstances  of  its  subsequent  develope- 
ment.  It  is  not  my  intention  to  enter  at  any  length  into  ana- 
tomical details,  but  the  following  observations  are  rendered 
absolutely  necessary,  as  well  to  preserve  the  uniformity  of  my 
plan,  as  to  put  the  reader  in  possession  of  the  principal  cir- 
cumstances regarding  the  organic  structure  of  these  animals, 
upon  which  their  classification  depends. 

The  most  singular  and  important  of  these  phenomena  is  the 
premature  production  of  the  young,  which  are  brought  forth 
in  a  scarcely  organized  form,  containing,  as  it  were,  the  mere 
germ  of  the  future  animal,  before  its  senses  are  fully  organized 
or  its  members  developed,  and  deposited  in  the  abdominal 
pouch  with  which  nature  has  provided  the  female  parent  for 
its  reception.  In  this  recess,  and  in  all  probability,  without 
the  exercise  of  any  act  of  volition  on  its  own  part,  the  foetus 
is  attached  to  the  nipple  of  its  mother  by  means  of  a  scarcely 
formed  aperture,  which  collapses  closely  round  it,  and  repre- 
sents the  position,  as  it  already  executes  the  functions  of  the 
future  mouth.  Here  it  continues  to  cling  and  imbibe  nou- 
rishment, like  a  plant  engrafted  on  a  strange  stem,  till  the 
gradual  developement  of  its  members,  and  the  more  complete 
organization  of  its  parts,  allow  it  to  drop  off  from  the  nipple 
and  become  an  independent  being.  At  this  instant,  it  is  pre- 
cisely on  a  par,  in  point  of  organic  developement,  with  the 
young  of  ordinary  quadrupeds  when  first  brought  forth ;  that 
is  to  say,  though  a  separate  being  and  possessed  of  indepen- 
dent volition,  it  is,  nevertheless  incapable  of  providing  for  its 
own  wants,  but  depends,  for  education  aud  nourishment,  upon 
the  care  and  assiduity  of  its  parent.  Accordingly,  it  conti- 
nues, for  a  considerable  time,  to  occupy  the  abdominal  pouch 
of  its  mother,  and  to  be  supported  by  her  milk ;  occasionally 
coming  out  as  it  acquires  size  and  strength ;  and  it  is  only 
when  its  increasing  growth  renders  that  retreat  too  small  for 
its  reception,  that  it  finally  abandons  it. 

The  next  circumstance  to  be  noted  in  the  organization  of 
marsupial  quadrupeds,  and  the  last  which  I  consider  it  ne- 
cessary to  mention  for  the  elucidation  of  my  present  purpose, 
is  closely  connected  with  the  phenomenon  of  premature  foetal 
production,  and  may  be  considered,  in  some  degree,  as  a  ne- 
cessary consequence  of  that  singular  economy.  It  consists  in 
the  existence  of  two  supernumerary  bones,  articulated  with 
the  pubis,  and  serving  to  support  the  abdominal  pouch,  and 
to  give  attachment  to  the  muscles  by  which  it  is  expanded 
and  contracted.  These  bones  exist  even  in  the  males,  which 
have  no  abdominal  pouches ;  and  as  they  are  altogether  pe- 


BOTANY  OF  SELBORNE.  137 

culiar  to  the  present  order,  and,  at  the  same  time,  common  to 
all  the  species  which  it  contains,  they  form  the  best  and 
surest  characteristic  by  which  to  distinguish  it  from  other 
groups  of  equal  value. 

(To  be  continued). 


Art.  VI. — Remarks  on  the  Botany  of  Selborne.    By  Mr.  William 
Pamplin,  jun.,  A.L.S. 

Having  visited  Selborne  several  different  times  in  the  course 
of  my  botanical  researches  in  the  county  of  Hants,  I  am  en- 
abled to  give  the  accompanying  short  and  confessedly  imper- 
fect sketch  of  the  Botany  of  that  truly  delightful  spot, — a  spot 
not  less  dear  to  the  admirers  of  its  amiable  natural  historian 
and  topographer,  the  Rev.  Gilbert  White, — than  to  the  lovers 
of  rural  retirement,  or  the  cultivators  of  either  branch  of  na- 
tural knowledge,  with  whom  this  romantic  district  will  always 
be  esteemed  as  truly  classic  ground. 

In  preparing  this  rough  draft  of  the  Flora  Selbornensis, 
two  separate  objects  have  been  aimed  at : — First  I  have  enu- 
merated such  of  the  plants  as  are  recorded  by  Mr.  WTiite  as 
growing  there  in  his  time  ;  so  far  as,  from  my  own  actual  ob- 
servation, I  have  succeeded  in  verifying  their  present  existence 
in  the  localities  which  he  has  pointed  out :  and  secondly,  I 
have  given  a  catalogue  of  a  few  other  plants  of  rather  rare 
occurrence,  or  otherwise  interesting,  which  I  have  met  with 
at  various  times  in  the  immediately  surrounding  neighbour- 
hood. 

A  list  of  so  many  of  Mr.  White's  plants  mentioned  in  letter 
lxxxiii,  as  have  come  under  my  observation  at  different  times 
between  1829  and  1836. 

Chrysosplenium  oppositifolium.  Abundantly  in  the  moist  rocky  lanes, 
particularly  in  the  very  deep  lane  near  Norton  farm,  where  it  grows 
luxuriantly. 

Daphne  Laureola. 

Mezereum.     I  did  not  perceive  it  in  the  spot  mentioned  by  Mr. 

White ;  it  however  grows,  to  all  appearance  perfectly  wild,  and  not 
sparingly,  in  the  beech  woods  between  West  Meon  and  Bramdean. 
I  am  indebted  for  this  locality  to  Mrs.  W.  Moody,  of  West  Meon, 
who  showed  me  specimens  collected  there. 

Dips ac us  pilosus.     In  sufficient  plenty  in  1836. 

Drosera  rotundifolia. )    And  in  bogs  on  the  Common  between  Oakhang- 

longifolia.      j        er  and  Kingsley. 

Epipactis  (Serapias  in  White)  latifolia. 

Helleborus  viridis.  I  was  unable  to  find  this  plant,  although  I  dili- 
gently sought  it  in  Mr.  White's  recorded  station,  May,  183(3. 


138 


BOTANY  OF  SELBORNE. 


Hypericum  Androseemum. 

Lathiuea  squamaria  I  saw  not. 

Listera  {Ophrys  in  White)  Nidus-avis.     In  sufficient  plenty. 

Monotropa  Hypopitys.  It  also  occurs  in  many  other  parts  of  this  coun- 
ty, in  woods  of  beech  or  fir. 

Paris  quadrifolia.  I  gathered  some  remarkably  strong  specimens  of  it 
here  in  May,  1836. 

Sambucus  Ebulus. 

Vaccinium  Myrtillus. 

Oxy coccus  is  said  to  grow  also  in  the  bogs  of  Hind  Head 

Heath,  near  where  the  Osmunda  regalis  grows. 

A  catalogue  of  the  rarer  species  of  indigenous  plants  which 
have  been  observed  growing  near  Selborne. 


Adoxa  moschatellina,  plentifully 

Arab  is  hirsuta 

Aspidium,  many  species,  including 

lobatum 

aculeatum 

spinulosum  and  its  vari- 
eties 

Blechnum  boreale 

Campanula patula,  on  the  dry  gra- 
velly banks  of  a  lane  near  Bram- 
shot,  plentifully,  1829 ;  and  I 
have  specimens  gathered  there 
in  1835,  by  Miss  Frances  Pamp- 
lin. 

Chenopodium  Bonus  Henricus, 
about  the  Priory,  plentifully 

Epilobium  angustifolium 

Eriophorum,  two  species  grow 
together  in  the  bogs  at  Oak- 
hanger 

Hesperis  inodora,  in  the  hedge  of 
the  orchard  field  adjoining  Mr. 
White's  garden,  whence  it  may 
possibly  have  originally  escaped. 
I  have  however,  in  the  present 
year  (1836),  seen  it  in  three  dis- 
tant spots  in  this  county,  appa- 
rently wild 

Hypericum  elodes,  bogs  on  the 
various  Commons,  plentifully 

Lathyrus  latifolius,  Long  Lithe, 
Selborne,  1837 ;  Mr.  Al.  Irvine 

Lithospermum  officinale 

Littorella  lacustris,  Woolmer 
pond  is  in  a  manner  paved  with 
it ;  also  Frensham  ponds 

Lycopodium  inundatum,  bogsnear 
Oakhanger 


duced  to  notice  here  this  beau- 
tiful and  rare  plant,  although 
strictly  it  would  not  come  within 
the  present  limits.  I  found  it 
in  August  1828,  most  abundant- 
ly in  the  large  woods  between 
East  Meon  and  Clanfield,  a  few 
miles  S.W.  by  W.  of  Petersfield 

Mentha  rotundifolia 

Mcenchia  erecta 

Narthecium  ossifragum 

Radiola  millegrana 

Ranunculus  parviflorus,  on  the 
stony  banks  in  and  near  the  vil- 
lage 

Ribes  grossularia,  hedge-banks; 
also  at  Prior's  Dean,  near  Sel- 
borne 

rubrum,  near  the 


towards  Oakhanger 
Spergula  nodosa 
Tax  us  baccata.    There  are  two  re- 
markably fine  and  large  old  trees 
in  this  neighbourhood ;  the  one 
in  Selborne  and  the  other  in  Pri- 
or's Dean    Church-yards;    the 
stem  of  the  latter  measures  near- 
ly 30  feet  in  circumference,  and 
that  of  the  former  scarcely  less. 
Both   equal   in   appearance,  if 
they  do  not  surpass,  the  famous 
venerable  tree  at  Aldworth,  in 
Berkshire. 
Teesdalia  nudieaulis,  most  abun- 
dant all  over  the  sandy  district. 
Turritis  glabra,  bank  near  Frox- 

field,  sparingly 
ViOLAjlavicornis,  not  unfrequent 
Melampyrum  cratete.   I  am  in- 
The  district  is  rich  in  Ferns,  Willows,  &c,  the  former  in- 
deed flourish  in  the  deep  shady  lanes  in  wonderful  variety 
and  unusual  beauty. 


ENTOMOLOGICAL  WRITINGS  OF  THOMAS  SAY.  139 


Art.  VII. — List  of  the  Entomological  Writings  of  Thomas  Say. 
By  Edward  Doubleday,  Esq. 

Since  my  return  from  the  United  States,  several  of  my  friends 
have  suggested  to  me  that  the  publication  of  a  list  of  the  ento- 
mological writings  of  Thos.  Say,  especially  if  that  list  indica- 
ted the  works  in  which  they  can  be  found,  would  render  a  ser- 
vice to  Entomology,  and  be  in  part  the  means  of  doing  justice, 
or  causing  it  to  be  done,  to  the  merits  of  that  indefatigable  na- 
turalist, whose  labours  are  far  less  known  than  they  ought  to 
be,  partly  from  the  vast  variety  of  publications  through  which 
his  papers  were  given  to  the  public,  and  partly  from  the  little 
attention  which  has  been  paid  in  England  to  the  labours  of 
our  transatlantic  brethren. 

We  are,  it  is  true,  accustomed  to  look  on  Say  as,  par  ex- 
cellence, the  American  entomologist ;  but  how  few  form  an 
adequate  idea  of  that  ardent  zeal,  that  untiring  energy,  that 
perseverence  under  the  most  depressing  circumstances,  that 
indefatigable  industry  in  collecting,  that  laborious  accuracy  in 
describing  with  clearness  and  precision,  and  above  all,  of  that 
high  moral  worth,  that  kindness  of  heart  and  gentleness  of 
disposition,  which  make  him  an  object  of  veneration  to  all 
who  knew  him,  and  cause  his  memory  to  be  cherished  with 
fondness  by  all  who  had  once  the  happiness  of  calling  him 
their  friend  ! 

Thomas  Say  is  no  more.  Science  mourns  yet  over  the  no- 
blest of  her  votaries  in  the  Western  World.  Long  has  he 
been  robbed  of  much  of  the  merit  due  to  him,  by  some,  through 
ignorance,  by  others,  wilfully.  There  are  those,  shame  be  up- 
on them  !  there  are  those  to  whom  he  sent  specimens,  label- 
led with  his  own  hand,  with  names  given  them  by  himself, 
to  whom  he  pointed  out  when  and  where  he  had  described 
those  species, — there  are  those  who  yet  have  wantonly  disre- 
garded his  names,  and,  taking  advantage  of  the  difficulty  of 
procuring  his  writings,  described  these  very  specimens  under 
others,  for  the  sake  of  a  claim  to  an  apparent  priority  in  nam- 
ing them,  false  though  that  claim  were.  Let  us,  in  England, 
for  the  future,  strive  to  do  him  justice.  From  English  natu- 
ralists he  has  experienced  no  wilful  injury  ;  by  neglect  how- 
ever he  has  suffered. 

By  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Harris  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  I  am 
enabled  to  publish  a  more  complete  list  of  Say's  entomologi- 
cal writings  than  has  yet  appeared.     They  are  as  follows. — 


140  ENTOMOLOGICAL  WRITINGS  OF  THOMAS  SAY. 

1.  Description  of  several  new  species  of  North  American  Insects.     Jour- 

nal of  the  Academy  of  Nat.  Sciences  of  Philadelphia ;  vol.  i.  pp.  19 — 
23.     Published  in  June,  1817. 

This  paper  contains  5  Cicindelce,  1  Nemognatha,  1  Zonitis  and  1  Di- 
opsis. 

2.  Some  account  of  the  Insect  known  by  the  name  of  the  Hessian  Fly, 

and  of  a  parasitic  insect  that  feeds  on  it.  Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  vol. 
i.  pp.  45 — 48,  and  63—64.     Published  July  and  August,  1817. 

3.  Monograph  of  the  North  American  Insects  of  the  genus  Cicindela. — 

American  Philosophical  Transactions,  New  Series,  vol.  i.  pp.  401 — 
426.     Published  in  1818. 

4.  Descriptions  of  the  Thysanource  of  the  United  States.     Journ.  Acad. 

Nat.  Sci.  vol.  ii.  pp.  1 1  —14.     Published  in  1 821. 

5.  On  a  South  American  species  of  OEstrus  which  infests  the  human  body- 
Jour.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  vol.  ii.  pp.  353 — 360.     Published  Decemb.  1822 

6.  Descriptions  of  Insects  of  the  Families  Carabici  and  Hydrocanthaci 
inhabiting  North  America.  Am.  Phil.  Trans.  New  Ser.  vol.  ii.  p.  1 — 
109.     Published  in  1823. 

7.  Descriptions  of  some  new  species  of  Hymenopterous  Insects,  collected 

during  the  expedition  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  under  the  command  of 
Major  Long,  in  1819-20.  Western  Quarterly  Reporter,  Vol.  ii.  No.  1 
for  Jany.  Feby.  &  March,  1823,  pp.  71 — 82 ;  8vo.  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

8.  Descriptions  of  Insects  belonging  to  the  Order  Neuroptera,  Linn,  and 

Latreille,  collected  by  the  Expedition  under  the  command  of  Major 
Long.  West.  Quart.  Reporter,  Vol.  ii.,  No.  2,  for  April,  May,  &  June, 
1823,  pp.  160—165. 

9.  Descriptions  of  Dipterous  Insects  of  the  United  States.  Jour.  Acad 
Nat.  Sci.  vol.  iii.  pp.  9—54,  and  73—104.     Published  in  1823. 

10.  Descriptions  of  Coleopterous  Insects  collected  in  the  Expedition  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains ;  (356  species).  Jour.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  vol.  iii.  pp. 
139—216,  238—282,  298—331,  403 — 162 ;  and  vol.  iv.  p.  83— 99. 
Published  in  1823-4. 

11.  Account  of  the  Insect  (JEgeria  exitiosa)  so  injurious  to  the  Peach-tree 

Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  vol.  iii.  pp.  216—217.     Published  1823. 

12.  Keating's  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  to  the  Source  of  St.  Peter's  Ri- 
ver, &c.     8vo.  Philadelphia,  1824. 

The  Appendix  contains  descriptions  by  Say  of  47  Coleopterous,  1 
Orthopterous,  7  Hemipterous,  11  Neuropterous,  74  Hymenopterous 
and  39  Dipterous  Insects. 

13.  American  Entomology,  3  vols.     Published  1817—1828. 

14.  Descriptions  of  New  American  species  of  the  genera  Buprestis,  Trackys 

and  Elater.  Annals  of  the  Lyceum  of  New  York,  vol.  i.  pp.  249 — 
268.     Published  February  and  June,  1825. 

15.  Descriptions  of  new  Hemipterous  (and  Orthopterous)  Insects  collected 
in  the  Expedition  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Jour.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci. 
vol.  iv.  p.  307—345.     Published  March  and  April,  1825. 

16.  Descriptions  of  new  species  of  Hister  and  Hololepta  inhabiting  the  Unit- 
ed States.  Journ.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  vol.  v.  p.  32 — 47.  Published  J  une 
and  July,  1825. 

17.  Descriptions  of  new  speeies  of  Coleopterous  Insects  inhabiting  the 


ENTOMOLOGICAL  WRITINGS  OF  THOMAS  SAY.  141 

United  States.     Jour.  Acad  Nat.  Sci.  vol.  v.  pp.  160—204,  237—284, 
293—304.     Published  Dec.  1825,  Nov.  and  Dec.  1826. 

18.  Note  on  LeConte's  Coleopterous  Insects  of  North  America. 

19.  Descriptions  of  new  species  of  Hymenoptera  of  the  United  States. 

These  two  papers  were  published  in  a  periodical  which  expired  at 
the  third  number,  entitled  '  Contributions  to  the  Maclurean  Lyceum 
of  Philadelphia,'  the  former  in  July,  1827,  and  the  latter  in  Jan.  1828. 

20.  Descriptions  of  North  American  Dipterous  Insects.   Journ.  Acad.  Nat. 

Sci.  vol.  vi.  part  1.  p.  149—178,  and  vol.  vi.  part  2,  p.  183—188.— 
Published  in  1829-30. 

21.  Correspondence  relative  to  the  Insect  that  destroys  the  Cotton  Plant. 

From  the  New  Harmony  Disseminator,  1830. 

22.  Descriptions  of  new  North  American  Insects,  and  Observations  on  some 

already  described. 

This  paper  contains  only  Coleoptera,  and  ends  with  part  of  the  Ela- 
teridce.  It  was  printed  at  New  Harmony,  at  different  intervals  be- 
tween March  17th,  1830,  and  August  1st,  1834,  forming  an  8vo.  vo- 
lume of  81  pages.  Part  of  this  paper  was  reprinted  in  the  fourth  vol. 
of  the  new  series  of  the  Transactions  of  the  Philosophical  Society  of 
Philadelphia,  in  1834.  The  remainder  of  the  part  already  published 
at  New  Harmony,  and  a  continuation  from  Say's  MSS.  will  appear  in 
the  next  volume  of  their  Transactions.  It  ends  with  Eucnemis  and 
Throscus. 

23.  Descriptions  of  new  species  of  Curculionites  of  North  America,  with 
Observations  on  some  of  the  species  already  known.  8vo.  pp.  30. — 
New  Harmony,  Indiana,  1831. 

24.  Descriptions  of  new  species  of  Heteropterous  Hemiptera  of  North  Ame- 

rica.   8vo.  pp.  39.     New  Harmony,  Dec.  1831. 

25.  New  species  of  North  American  Insects  found  by  Joseph  Barabino, 

chiefly  in  Louisiana.     8vo.  pp.  16.    New  Harmony,  Jany.  1832. 

26.  Descriptions  of  new  North  American  Hemipterous  Insects,  belonging 
to  the  first  family  of  the  section  Homoptera  of  Latreille.  Jour.  Acad. 
Nat.  Sci.  vol.  vi.  pp.  235—244,  and  291—314.     Published  1830-1. 

27.  Descriptions  of  new  North  American  Coleopterous  Insects,  with  Ob- 

servations on  some  already  described.    Boston  Journal  of  Natural  His- 
tory, Vol.  i.  No.  2,  for  May,  1835. 

28.  Descriptions  of  new  species  of  North  American  Hymenoptera,  and  Ob- 
servations on  some  already  described.  Boston  Journal  of  Nat.  Hist. 
Vol.  i.  No.  3,  May  1836,  and  No.  4,  May,  1837. 

29.  Descriptions  of  new  North  American  Neuropterous  Insects,  (Libelluli- 
dce,  Ephemerides,  and  Megaloptera),  and  Observations  on  others  already 
described. 

This  paper  was  not  published  when  I  was  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  in 
October,  but  Dr.  Harris  informed  me  that  it  would  appear  in  the  forth- 
coming volume  of  the  Journal  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of 
Philadelphia.  A  few  manuscript  descriptions  are  still  in  Dr.  Harris's 
hands. 

Epping,  Feb.  ISth,  1839. 
Vol.  III.— -No.  27.  n.  s.  q 


142  REMARKS  ON  THE  RED-LEGGED  PARTRIDGE. 


Art.  VIII. — Remarks  on  the  Red-Legged  Partridge   (Perdix  rubra, 
Briss.)     By  W.  Bernard  Clarke,  M.D. 

Thinking  some  remarks  upon  the  red-legged  partridge,  which 
is  now  rapidly  spreading  over  our  island,  may  prove  interest- 
ing to  some  of  your  many  readers,  I  venture  to  send  them  for 
insertion  in  your  '  Magazine  of  Natural  History.' 

Red-legged  Partridge. 

Perdix  rubra; Brisson. 

barbarica;  

rufa  major  ; Gesner,  &  Jonston. 

— alba;  Brisson. 

grceca ; Ray. 

Tetrao  rufus;  Gmelin. 

Red  Partridge  ; Albin. 

Greek  or  Great  red  Partridge  ; Willughby . 

Greek  Partridge,  and  Guernsey  Partridge  ;  Latham. 

Red-legged  Partridge  ;  Ray,  Willughby,  & 

from  Barbary ;  Edwards.      [Albin. 

Barbary  Partridge  ; Shaw's  Travels. 

Bartavelle  ;   Buffon. 

This  partridge  is  called  the  "  red-legged  bird  "  by  sports- 
men, to  distinguish  it  from  the  common  species,  which  is  de- 
signated the  "grey  bird." 

The  red-legged  partridge  is  found  in  France  and  the  south- 
ern parts  of  Europe,  in  Italy,  Greece,  and  the  islands  of  Jersey 
and  Guernsey ;  it  is  also  said  to  frequent  the  woody  moun- 
tains of  Asia  and  Africa.  It  is  generally  about  half  as  large 
again  as  the  common  species,  from  which  it  is  at  once  dis- 
tinguished by  the  variety  of  the  plumage.  The  colour  of  the 
crown  of  the  head  and  back  is  a  reddish  brown  ;  throat  of  a 
pure  white,  bordered  by  a  dense  black  band,  which  passes 
upwards  as  far  as  the  eyes ;  breast  of  a  bluish  ash  colour,  the 
upper  part  of  which  is  beautifully  mottled  with  black  ;  abdo- 
minal surface  of  a  reddish  tint :  the  feathers  on  the  sides  of 
the  body,  which  overlap  the  wings  when  closed,  are  marked 
with  bluish-ash,  white,  black,  and  chestnut,  so  disposed  as  to 
present  a  series  of  somewhat  crescent-like  spots,  giving  to  the 
whole  a  very  elegant  appearance :  the  bill  and  tarsi  are  red, 
the  latter,  in  the  adult  male,  are  furnished  with  a  strong  tu- 
bercle on  the  inner  surface. 

This  species  was  introduced  into  England  about  the  year 
1790,  by  the  Marquis  of  Hertford  and  Lord  Rendlesham,  each 


REMARKS  ON  THE  RED-LEGGED  PARTRIDGE.  143 

of  whom  had  eggs  procured  on  the  continent,  carefully  brought 
to  England,  and  placed  under  domestic  fowls ;  the  former  at 
Sudbourn  (near  Orford,  in  Suffolk),  one  of  his  shooting  resi- 
dences ;  the  latter  on  his  estates  at  Rendlesham,  a  few  miles 
distant  from  Sudbourn :  from  the  above-mentioned  places  the 
birds  have  been  gradually  extending  themselves  over  the  ad- 
jacent counties,  and  in  the  ratio  of  their  increase  the  grey 
partridge  appears  to  have  diminished,  and  from  the  pugna- 
ceous  character  of  the  former  species,  it  threatens  ultimate 
destruction  to  the  latter;  for  wherever  it  establishes  itself, 
the  grey  bird  is  driven  from  the  inclosures. 

For  several  years  after  its  first  introduction  it  was  much 
prized  and  sought  after  by  sportsmen,  as  it  was  a  larger  bird 
for  the  table,  although  very  far  inferior  in  richness  of  flavour 
to  the  common  grey  partridge;  and  it  is  still  preferred  by  some 
from  its  flesh  being  whiter  and  more  delicate.  Being  also  a 
bolder  bird  in  habits,  more  alert,  and  rising  at  a  greater  dis- 
tance than  the  common  species,  it  was  consequently  more 
difficult  to  secure,  and  was  thought  to  reflect  more  sportsman- 
like credit  upon  him  who  possessed  the  skill  required  to  bring 
down  the  object  of  his  pursuit.  At  length  its  habits  became 
better  known,  and  it  was  then  found  that  one  great  difficulty 
attending  the  shooting  this  species  of  game  arose  from  the 
peculiar  habit  which  it  possessed  of  running  to  a  distance  af- 
ter alighting  from  its  flight;  on  which  account  the  dogs,  com- 
ing upon  the  scent,  were  baffled,  being  induced  to  draw  upon 
their  game,  and  even  then  the  birds  would  not  rise  except  at 
a  very  considerable  distance,  generally  far  out  of  gun-range. 
As  it  is  the  habit  of  the  bird  to  run  to  a  distance  upon  being 
disturbed,  very  little  sport  can  be  expected  in  the  pursuit,  un- 
less the  weather  is  extremely  wet,  when  they  appear  less  in- 
clined to  run ;  they  rise  at  a  less  distance,  and  the  sportsman 
consequently  secures  a  greater  number  of  shots.  But  the  most 
effectual  means  of  securing  them,  and  one  which  is  resorted 
to  by  many  sportsmen,  who  are  anxious  to  exterminate  the 
breed,  finding  they  are  destroying  their  sport  and  rapidly  re- 
ducing the  numbers  of  grey  birds,  is  to  attack  them  during 
severe  weather,  in  the  snow,  when  the  birds  resort  to  the 
hedge-rows  for  shelter,  whence  they  may  be  dislodged,  and 
thus  made  to  present  easy  shots  for  the  sportsman.  Instan- 
ces have  been  known  of  these  birds  alighting  in  the  midst  of 
a  field  deeply  covered  with  snow,  into  the  depths  of  which 
they  sunk,  and  were  afterwards  taken  out  alive  by  hand.  In 
the  shooting  season,  when  they  have  been  disturbed,  I  have 
observed  them  to  rise  from  one  field,  fly,  and  alight  in  the 
midst  of  the  next,  run  over  the  remainder  of  that  field,  take 


144  REMARKS  ON  THE  RED-LEGGED  PARTRIDGE. 

wing,  fly  over  the  adjacent  hedge,  and  alight  in  the  field  be- 
yond :  this  they  will  repeatedly  do,  effectually  baffling  the 
party  who  had  marked  them  down  in  the  first  field,  and  sup- 
posing them  secure,  had  followed  them  up  to  get  shots  upon 
their  next  rising.  These  birds  run  with  great  rapidity,  with 
the  head  and  neck  erect :  thus  being  able  to  observe  their 
pursuers  at  a  distance,  they  can  the  more  effectually  escape 
the  threatening  danger.  They  frequent  corn-fields,  preferring 
the  upper  land,  amid  the  security  and  shelter  of  which  they 
breed :  during  harvest,  when  the  fields  are  occupied  by  the 
reapers,  they  retire  to  the  adjacent  fallow  fields,  or  the  neigh- 
bouring copses  ;  and  in  the  evening,  when  all  is  still,  return 
to  the  corn-fields  and  feed  on  the  ears  of  corn  in  the  sheaves, 
both  late  in  the  evening  and  early  in  the  morning.  After  the 
corn  is  cut  they  frequent  the  same  fields,  then  in  stubble, 
night  and  morning,  where  they  regale  themselves  upon  the 
grain  which  has  fallen  from  the  sheaves  during  harvest.  In 
the  middle  of  the  day  they  retire  to  the  fields  of  turnips,  by 
the  leaves  of  which  they  are  sheltered  from  the  heat  of  the  sun, 
or  to  the  lowland  meadows,  where  they  delight  in  the  humid- 
ity of  such  situations.  They  also  occasionally  bask  in  the 
sun,  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  by  the  side  of  some  sandy  bank, 
where,  like  many  of  the  feathered  tribes,  with  outstretched 
leg  and  fluttering  wing,  they  shake  the  dry  warm  sand  into 
their  feathers,  occasionally  preying  upon  the  numerous  in- 
sects which  they  find  around  them ;  in  such  situations  they 
often  assemble  their  young  broods,  which  sport  around  the 
parent  birds,  essaying  to  capture  their  insect  prey.  In  the 
winter,  when  the  stubble  fields  are  ploughed  up,  they  retire 
to  the  upland  meadows,  or  to  the  hedge-rows  or  copses,  where 
they  are  sheltered  from  much  of  the  inclemency  of  the  sea- 
son. The  female  lays  from  fifteen  to  twenty  eggs,  of  a  light 
stone  colour,  freckled  with  very  minute  reddish  brown  spots, 
and  varied,  here  and  there,  with  spots  of  a  larger  size,  and  of 
a  rather  darker  colour.  The  nest  is  constructed  of  dried  grass 
and  leaves,  upon  the  ground,  in  some  warm  and  sheltered 
part  of  a  field  of  growing  corn,  grass,  or  clover,  where  the  pa- 
rent bird  sits  with  much  assiduity  until  the  young  are  hatch- 
ed, which,  like  those  of  the  grey  partridge,  are  capable  of 
running  as  soon  as  they  are  fairly  excluded  from  the  shell. 

Since  the  introduction  of  these  birds  into  England,  they 
have  spread  throughout  Suffolk,  into  Norfolk,  Essex,  and 
Cambridgeshire ;  it  appears  they  are  now  making  their  ap- 
pearance in  Lincolnshire,  and  probably  will  soon  extend 
themselves  over  the  adjacent  counties. 

Ipswich,  Feb.  ISth,  1839. 


FALL  OF  METEOROLITES  AT  THE  CAPE.  145 


SHORT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

Fall  of  Meteorolites  at  the  Cape.1 — Knowing  your  intima- 
cy with  Mr.  Charlesworth,  the  Editor  of  the  '■  Magazine  of 
Natural  History,'  it  has  occurred  to  me  that  some  account  of 
an  extraordinary  phenomenon  that  took  place  on  my  return 
from  the  interior,  may  not  prove  wholly  uninteresting  to  him. 
On  the  morning  of  the  13th  October,  about  9  o'clock,  a  fall  of 
stones  (of  which  a  specimen  is  herewith  sent)  occurred  in  the 
Bokkeveld,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Tulbagh,  attended  with 
the  most  awful  noise,  louder  and  more  appalling  than  the 
strongest  artillery,  causing  the  air  to  vibrate  for  upwards  of 
eighty  miles  in  every  direction.  Indeed  it  was  felt  from  the 
Cape  Flats  to  the  edge  of  the  Great  Karroo,  and  again  from 
Clan  William  to  the  River  Zonderend,  near  Swellendam. — 
The  noise  was  awful ;  and  by  those  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  spot  where  the  stones  fell,  is  described  as 
something  similar  to  the  discharge  of  artillery, — by  those  at  a 
greater  distance  as  rocks  rolling  from  a  mountain ;  which  was 
the  sensation  at  Worcester,  some  forty  miles  from  the  chief 
site  of  the  phenomenon.  Many  felt  a  curious  sensation,  es- 
pecially about  the  knees,  as  if  they  had  been  electrified.  At 
the  time  of  the  occurrence  I  was  on  the  very  skirts  of  its  in- 
fluence, on  the  edge  of  the  Karroo,  in  company  with  the  Hon. 
Mr.  Justice  Menzies.  At  the  moment  of  the  explosion  I  wit- 
nessed a  volume  of  the  electric  fluid  forcing  its  way  from  the 
west  in  the  form  of  a  Congreve  rocket ;  it  exploded  almost 
immediately  over  my  head,  into  apparent  globules  of  fire,  or 
transparent  glass.  Throughout  the  region  of  the  phenome- 
non the  air  was  highly  charged  with  the  electric  fluid,  espe- 
cially the  night  prior  to  the  fall  of  the  stones.  The  moimtains 
around  Worcester  and  the  Bokkeveld  being  in  one  continued 
blaze  of  lightening,  and  some  of  the  inhabitants  described 
the  fire  as  rising  from  the  earth.  The  stones  (the  quantity 
I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain,  but  supposed  several  cwts.) 
fell  in  the  presence  of  a  farmer,  who  had  with  him  a  Hotten- 
tot, who  stood  so  near  the  shower  as  to  become  perfectly  in- 
sensible for  some  time,  either  from  the  electricity  or  from  the 
effects  of  fright.  The  stones  fell  in  three  spots,  but  all  with- 
in a  square  of  forty  or  fifty  yards.  Some  fell  on  hard  ground 
when  they  were  smashed  into  small  particles  ;  others  in  soft 

1  In  a  letter  addressed  to  Robert  Thompson.  Esq.,  of  the  Admiralty,  by 
George  Thompson,  Esq.,  author  of  the  well  known  "  Travels  in  South  Af- 
rica."—Ed. 


146  SINGULAR  PROCESSION  OF  CATERPILLARS. 

ground,  where  they  were  dug  out.  Prior  to  the  real  cause  of 
the  phenomenon  being  known,  it  was  taken  for  an  earthquake. 
Mr.  MacLear  our  Astronomer  Royal,  considers  the  accom- 
panying specimen  as  an  exceedingly  fine  one,  as  it  shows 
distinctly  the  action  of  fire  upon  it,  and  will  help  to  bear  out 
the  opinion  that  such  stones  are  formed  in  the  air,  and  that 
we  are  not  indebted  to  some  of  the  planets  for  them,  as  has 
been  imagined. —  George  Thompson. —  Cape  Town,  Nov.  2&th, 
1838. 

[In  a  succeeding  number  we  may  probably  be  able  to  furnish  some  ad- 
ditional information  respecting  the  meteorolite  which  was  transmitted  with 
the  above  notice.  We  understand  from  Prof.  Faraday,  that  one  of  the 
same  shower  has  been  received  by  Sir  John  Herschell  — Ed.] 

Singular  Procession  of  Caterpillars.  — *  My  engagements 
have  been  too  close  to  admit  of  even  a  day's  entomologizing, 
but  when  returning  from  business  excursions  to  the  port  I 
have  taken  my  forceps  with  me  and  caught  everything  that 
came  in  my  way,  the  results  1  shall  send  you  by  the  Goshawk 
if  possible  ;  most  of  the  insects  I  find  under  bark  which  here 
peels  off  annually.  One  day  last  week  I  chased  a  moth  for 
full  ten  minutes,  and  when  1  at  last  secured  it,  I  found  it  to 
be  Deispeia  pulchella,  or  so  nearly  allied  to  that  species  that 
I  can  detect  no  difference,  but  you  must  judge  when  you  re- 
ceive the  specimen.  Cynthia  cardui  is  abundant,  also  a  Po- 
lyommatus,  very  like  one  of  ours  but  not  identical.  The  moths 
I  have  seen  are  in  no  respect  un-English,  and  in  beetles  I 
have  seen  no  forms  that  are  new  to  me.  I  have  obtained  one 
very  fine  Ichneumon  out  of  a  split  pine-tree.  Hymenoptera 
are  now  tolerably  abundant. 

On  the  3rd  of  May  I  saw  a  procession  of  caterpillars.  They 
were  evidently  Bombyces,  and  in  form  somewhat  resembling 
Arctia  caia,  very  hairy  but  the  hairs  white  ;  the  body  dark 
brown  but  marked  with  paler  lines.  These  caterpillars  were 
crossing  the  road  in  single  file,  each  so  close  to  its  predeces- 
sor as  to  convey  the  idea  that  they  were  united  together, 
moving  like  a  living  cord  in  a  continuous  undulating  line. 
At  about  fifty  from  the  end  of  the  line  I  ejected  one  from  his 
station — the  caterpillar  immediately  before  him  suddenly 
stood  still,  then  the  next,  and  then  the  next,  and  so  on  to  the 
leader;  the  same  result  took  place  to  the  other  extremity. 
After  a  pause  of  a  few  moments  the  first  after  the  break  in 
the  line  attempted  to  recover  the  communication;  this  was  a 
work  of  time  and  difficulty,  but  the  moment  it  was  accom- 

1  Extract  from  a  letter  addressed  to  Edw.  Newman,  Esq.  by  A.  H.  Davis 
Esq.,  F.L.S. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  A  NEW  SPECIES  OF  LAMIA.  147 

plished  by  his  touching  the  one  before  him,  this  one  commu- 
nicated the  fact  to  the  next  in  advance,  and  so  on  till  the  in- 
formation reached  the  leader,  when  the  whole  line  was  again 
put  in  motion.  On  counting  the  number  of  caterpillars  I 
found  it  te  be  154,  and  the  length  of  the  line  27  feet.  I  next 
took  the  one  which  I  had  abstracted  from  the  line,  and  which 
remained  coiled  up,  across  the  line  ;  he  immediately  unrolled 
himself,  and  made  every  attempt  to  get  admitted  into  the  pro- 
cession, after  many  endeavours  he  succeeded  and  crawled  in, 
the  one  below  falling  into  the  rear  of  the  interloper.  I  sub- 
sequently took  out  two  caterpillars  about  fifty  from  the  head 
of  the  procession  ;  by  my  watch  I  found  the  intelligence  was 
conveyed  to  the  leader  in  thirty  seconds,  each  caterpillar 
stopping  at  the  signal  of  the  one  in  his  rear ;  the  same  effect 
was  observable  behind  the  break,  each  stopping  at  a  signal 
from  the  one  in  advance ;  the  leader  of  the  second  division 
then  attempted  to  recover  the  lost  connection ;  that  they  are 
unprovided  with  the  senses  of  sight  and  smell  appeared  evi- 
dent, since  the  leader  turned  right  and  left  and  often  in  a 
wrong  direction  when  within  half  an  inch  of  the  one  imme- 
diately before  him  :  when  he  at  last  touched  the  object  of  his 
search,  the  fact  was  communicated  again  by  signal,  and  in 
thirty  seconds  the  whole  line  was  in  rapid  march,  leaving  the 
two  unfortunates  behind,  who  remained  perfectly  quiet  with- 
out making  any  attempt  to  unroll  themselves.  I  learn  from 
a  medical  gentleman  here  that  these  caterpillars  feed  on  the 
Eucalyptus,  and  that  when  they  have  completely  stripped  a 
tree  of  its  leaves  they  congregate  on  the  trunk  and  proceed 
in  the  order  here  described  to  another  tree.  The  caterpillars 
I  saw  must  be  nearly  full  grown,  measuring  about  2j  inches 
each  in  length. 

I  have  seen  the  empty  shells  of  chrysalides  four  inches 
long ;  the  moths  from  them  must  be  as  large  as  Erebus  Strix. 
We  have  some  very  beautiful  flowers.  Orchidea  have  been 
very  numerous.  Mimosas,  and  Epacrida?  are  just  now  fading. 
In  the  plains  there  are  Ranunculi  in  full  bloom,  and  an  ex- 
tremely beautiful  double  Centaurea.  There  are  tree  mallows 
by  the  river  six  or  eight  feet  high.  T  shall  send  a  few  lizards, 
a  fine  snake  sixty-one  inches  long,  and  a  few  scorpions. — A. 
H.  Davis. — Adelaide,  South  Australia,  6th  September,  1838. 

Description  of  a  new  species  of  Lamia. — 
Lamia  Lucia.     Lanuginosa,  brunnea,  capite  obscuriori,  prothoracis  maculae 
tres  laete  flavi ;  elytra  lsete  flava,  marginibus  scutellari  et  costati  brunneis; 
caetera  brunnea.     (Corp.  long.  1.5  unc.  lat.  .35  unc.) 

Clothed  with  a  thick  coating  of  short  hairs.  The  antenna  are  ra- 
ther shorter  than  the  body,  and,  together  with  the  head,  are  of  a  deep 


148  BOTANICAL  SOCIETY  OF  LONDON. 

brown  colour  approaching  to  black.  The  prothorax  is  slightly  broad- 
er than  the  head,  and  has  a  short  and  very  obscure  spine  situated 
near  the  middle  of  each  side  ;  the  sides  are  moreover  a  little  wrinkled ; 
it  is  of  a  rich  velvetty  brown  colour,  with  three  large  yellow  spots  on 
the  upper  side ;  one  of  these  is  situated  centrally,  is  broad  anteriorly 
and  narrow  posteriorly  but  does  not  quite  reach  either  of  the  margins  ; 
the  other  spots  are  situated  one  on  each  side,  are  of  an  oblong  shape, 
rather  wider  posteriorly.  The  scutellum  and  the  parts  of  the  elytra 
immediately  adjoining  it,  are  brown.  The  elytra  are  yellow,  the  late- 
ral margins  being  bordered  by  a  somewhat  flexuose  brown  line,  which 
ceases  before  the  apex.     The  underside  and  legs  are  brown. 

Inhabits  Congo. 

This  magnificent  insect  I  believe  to  be  unique  in  the  Bri- 
tish Museum ;  it  was  brought  to  this  country  by  Tuckey's 
expedition. — Edw.  Newman. — Deptford,  Feb.  22nd,  1839. 

Botanical  Society  of  London. — The  number  of  Members 
amounts  to  100,  of  which  42  are  resident,  34  corresponding, 
and  24  foreign, — 47  having  been  elected  since  the  last  Anni- 
versary :  and  the  Council  are  happy  to  state  that  they  have 
received  no  notice  of  secession  of  Members. 

The  number  of  Specimens  of  British  Plants  received, 
amounts  to  18,592,  including  1050  species,  from  which  the 
Society's  collection  has  been  considerably  enriched ;  espe- 
cially through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Baxter,  who  has  presented 
a  valuable  collection  of  British  Salices,  comprising  44  species, 
from  specimens  presented  by  Mr.  Borrer  to  the  Oxford  Bota- 
nic Garden.  The  Society  has  also  received  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  British  Carices;  and  solicit  the  attention  of  members 
in  completing  the  genera  Rosa  and  Rubus,  and  the  Crypto- 
gamia. 

The  number  of  foreign  plants  received  is  10,000  specimens. 
The  Council  have  much  gratification  in  stating  that  they  have 
made  arrangements  with  the  Botanical  Society  of  Edinburgh, 
who  have  promised  them  every  assistance,  and  have  contri- 
buted largely  to  the  Society's  British  and  foreign  herbaria, 
and  to  the  library.  A  mutual  exchange  of  specimens  will  an- 
nually take  place  between  the  two  Societies,  which  cannot 
fail  to  be  advantageous  to  the  members  of  both. 

The  Council  have  caused  to  be  published  a  sheet  contain- 
ing the  whole  of '  DeCandolle's  Natural  Orders  and  Genera,' 
and  the  '  Linnaean  Classes  and  Orders.'  It  is  intended  to  an- 
swer the  purpose  of  arranging  British  collections. — Extract 
from  the  Second  Annual  Report,  read  29th  November,  1838. 


THE  MAGAZINE 


NATURAL   HISTORY. 


APRIL,  1839. 


Art.  I. — Observations  on  the  Poulp  of  the  Argonaut.    By  Madame 
Jeannette  Power. 

(Concluded  from  Page  106). 

Coming  now  to  the  most  essential  point  of  my  researches, 
that  is,  to  verify,  by  unequivocal  proofs,  that  the  poulp  con- 
structs the  shell  of  the  argonaut,  I  can  assert  that  my  design 
was  at  first  to  repeat  the  experiments  of  the  celebrated  Poli 
on  the  eggs  of  this  cephalopod,  in  which  he  discovered  the 
embrio  of  the  shell.  But  I  must  confess  that  here  I  was  un- 
successful ;  and  indeed  I  obtained  very  different  results  from 
my  investigations. 

I  repeated  the  experiments  of  the  illustrious  Neapolitan 
physician,  in  company  with  my  learned  friend  Dr.  Anastasio 
Cocco,  of  Messina,  (famous  for  his  ichthyological  works),  and 
other  persons,  but  nothing  more  was  found  than  a  group  of 
eggs  in  each  individual,  similar  to  millet  seed,  perfectly  white 
and  transparent,  attached  by  filaments  of  a  brilliant  gluten  to 
a  common  stem  of  the  same  substance.  Three  days  after  the 
first  observation,  on  visiting  an  argonaut,  the  little  poulps 
were  found  in  it,  already  developed,  but  without  shell,  and 
resembling  worms ;  and  having  at  the  inferior  extremity  a 
spot  of  a  brown  colour,  with  some  smaller  ones  disposed  lat- 
erally. These,  when  looked  at  in  the  microscope,  were  con- 
cluded to  be  the  viscera  of  the  animal.  This  was  their  form 
at  the  age  of  three  days ;  then  they  gradually  began  to  show 
prominences  of  a  bud-like  appearance,  with  two  series  of  ob- 
scure points,  which  are  the  rudiments  of  the  arms  and  suck- 
ers.   The  arms  began  to  be  distinguishable  as  such  some  days 

Vol.  III.— No.  28.  n.  s.  r 


150  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  ARGONAUT. 

after  the  sailing  ones,  and  on  the  sixth  day  they  had  already 
formed  the  first  lamina  of  the  shell,  exceedingly  soft  to  the 
least  pressure  of  the  finger. 

The  eggs  are  attached  to  the  interior  of  the  spire,  and  when 
excluded  by  the  above-named  animals,  remain  between  the 
roof  of  the  spire  and  the  mantle  of  the  mother.  From  these 
observations  the  result  is  that  the  newly-born  poulp  has  no 
shell,  and,  it  may  be  concluded,  has  none  in  the  egg.  The 
observations  of  Poli  therefore  do  not  correspond  with  the  ex- 
periments made  by  me  on  purpose ;  and  if  not  speaking  of 
so  celebrated  a  man,  I  should  venture  to  say  that  the  internal 
membrane  of  the  egg  was  mistaken  by  him  for  the  supposed 
rudiment  of  the  shell. 

I  much  wished  to  discover  whether  the  little  poulp  could 
by  itself,  without  extraneous  aid,  begin  to  work  the  struc- 
ture of  its  shell,  or  whether  the  parent  took  part  in  the  origi- 
nal formation,  the  proper  organs  for  secreting  calcareous  mat- 
ter in  the  former  not  being  as  yet  developed.  With  this  view 
I  took  divers  argonauts  at  the  time  of  their  fecundation,  and 
cautiously  cut  off  the  spire.  In  the  direction  of  its  axis  I 
found,  in  one,  a  little  poulp  rolled  up,  and  near  the  apex. — 
Observing  it  attentively  I  perceived  that  between  it  and  the 
bottom  of  the  spire  of  the  parent  shell  there  was  a  thin  mem- 
brane, disposed  in  the  same  form  as  the  curve  of  the  spire, 
and  fitted  to  the  rolled-up  little  poulp,  as  if  the  gluten  in 
which  the  whole  mollusc  was  embedded,  pressed  between  it 
and  the  end  of  the  spire,  became  consolidated  into  a  fine 
membrane  in  the  same  form  as  the  spire,  and  embraced 
the  new  little  poulp. 

The  10th  of  September  1835,  wishing  to  continue  my  ex- 
periments, I  inclosed  in  the  cage  some  argonauts  at  the  time 
of  their  fecundation,  taking  care  to  examine  them  every  fourth 
day,  and  with  the  usual  precautions  in  handling  them,  for 
they  are  very  irritable,  and  suffer  so  much  from  being  dis- 
turbed that  they  soon  die  after  it.  I  therefore  took  them  up 
in  a  basin,  by  immersing  it  in  the  water  underneath,  which  I 
thus  brought  up  together  with  them,  and  posted  myself  so 
that  I  might  observe  all  their  movements  without  their  seeing 
me. 

On  the  14th  I  found  in  one  of  the  shells  a  little  poulp  four- 
teen lines  in  length.  Searched  others,  and  in  some  found 
little  poulps,  in  others  none. 

On  the  18th  of  the  same  month,  visiting  them  as  usual, 
found  two  parent  poulps  dead.  In  the  one  in  which  I  had 
first  seen  the  little  poulp  I  found  it  had  already  passed  into 
the  spire. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  ARGONAUT.  151 

On  the  24th  returned  to  examine  the  same  shell,  and  there 
found  the  little  mollusc  already  covered  by  its  thin  shell, 
which  was  3j  lines  long.  The  mollusc  was  completely  form- 
ed, and  its  shell  had  the  form  of  the  spire  in  which  it  had 
been  framed. 

All  the  experiments  made  by  me  on  this  head  have  always 
had  the  same  results ;  from  which  I  have  deduced  that  the 
mollusc  when  born,  is  naked  and  incomplete  at  the  time  of 
exclusion  from  the  egg ;  that  it  becomes  progressively  deve- 
loped in  the  end  of  the  spire  of  the  parent  argonaut;  and 
that  after  a  given  time  it  goes  on  forming  its  shell. 

As  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  make  out,  not  more  than  two 
or  three  eggs  develope  themselves  at  the  same  time;  and 
when  the  young  have  grown  to  the  length  of  9  lines,  they  suc- 
cessively inclose  themselves  in  the  spiral  of  the  parent  shell, 
where  the  other  seven  arms  are  thrown  out  in  the  manner  of 
buds.  The  young  poulp  takes  three  days  to  arrive  at  the 
length  of  9  lines ;  and  four  in  the  spiral  to  develope  itself. — 
The  parent  retains  it  three  days  more  under  her,  and  then 
throws  it  forth  from  the  shell. 

I  attempted  to  produce  the  developement  of  the  eggs  as  far 
as  the  production  of  the  young  poulp,  without  the  aid  of  the 
mother,  by  suspending  them  in  a  fine  linen  bag  in  a  phial  of 
sea  water,  taking  care  to  change  it  three  times  a  day ;  but 
this  attempt  did  not  succeed,  having  no  other  result  than  the 
swelling  of  the  eggs,  and  this  alone  from  their  beginning  to 
putrify. 

I  have  concluded  from  this  that  the  glutinous  material  in 
which  they  are  enveloped  in  the  spire  of  the  parent  con- 
duces to  their  developement;  and  this  material  being  evi- 
dently a  secretion  of  the  parent,  it  may  be  said  that  without 
her  aid  the  eggs  could  not  be  developed,  and  the  young  shell 
could  not  have  its  foundation  laid  in  the  end  of  the  spire. 

In  spite  of  all  these  successful  experiments  in  favour  of  the 
shell  being  the  property  of  the  poulp  of  the  argonaut,  I  wish- 
ed to  assure  myself  of  it  in  a  manner  never  yet  attempted  by 
others.  "  If  the  argonaut "  I  said  "  be  the  constructor  of  its 
shell,  it  should  be  able  to  repair  the  damage  in  case  of  frac- 
ture." Although  Signor  Ranzani  had  said,  "  It  is  not  to  be 
believed  that  these  poulps  of  the  argonaut  should  be  so  ill 
provided  with  means  wherewith  to  preserve  their  existence, 
that  if  the  first  habitation  be  broken  or  lost,  they  cannot  con- 
struct another."  Still  I  thought  from  his  manner  of  express- 
ing himself,  it  was  very  evident  that  he  had  never  made  ex- 
periments to  this  end.  Moreover,  I,  who  have  experimented 
on  a  hundred  of  these  molluscs,  have  found  that  having  lost 


152  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  ARGONAUT. 

their  shell  they  are  not  capable  of  forming  another,  but  die. 
Certain,  now,  that  the  experiment  I  intended  to  make  was 
new,  I  broke  in  several  places  the  shells  of  twenty-six  indivi- 
duals, and  to  my  great  satisfaction  found  after  thirteen  days 
the  fractures  healed  in  all  those  which  survived,  which  were 
not  more  than  three.  The  newly  secreted  portion  is  stouter 
than  the  shell  itself,  but  it  is  not  so  white,  and  also  looks  a 
little  rough  and  disturbed,  neither  does  it  present  the  usual 
risings,  and  instead  of  ribs,  it  has  some  longitudinal  furrows. 

Being  desirous  of  observing  in  what  manner  the  poulp  op- 
erated in  repairing  the  broken  shell,  I  took  one  the  day  after 
the  first  experiment,  and  found  that  the  aperture  was  covered 
by  a  thin  glutinous  lamina,  which,  somewhat  in  the  way  of  a 
cobweb,  unites  the  two  margins  of  the  broken  shell.  The 
next  day  the  lamina  became  thickened  to  a  certain  degree, 
and  more  opaque,  till  at  the  end  of  ten  or  twelve  days  the  new 
piece  had  become  quite  calcareous.  Whilst  in  the  act  of 
mending  the  fractures  in  the  shell,  I  am  quite  sure  the  argo- 
naut applied  the  sails  to  the  shell,  and  wrinkled  them  upon 
it,  and  by  this  movement  I  considered  the  glutinous  secretion, 
which  finally  became  calcareous  substance,  to  be  verified. 

As  yet  I  have  shewn  the  argonaut  to  be  the  constructor 
of  its  shell,  because  it  can  repair  it,  is  like  other  Testacea, 
which  are  not  more  expert  than  the  argonaut  in  hiding  the 
appearance  of  the  patch  mended :  but  a  circumstance  in  my 
mollusc  has  appeared  new  to  me,  and  I  do  not  know  that  it 
has  ever  been  observed  in  other  Testacea.  This  is,  that  when- 
ever the  poulp  can  find  pieces  of  other  argonaut  shells  in  the 
place  where  it  is  going  to  mend  its  own,  by  means  of  its  sail 
arm  it  takes  the  piece  of  broken  shell  which  it  believes  capa- 
ble of  filling  up  the  space  fractured,  and  holds  it  there  till 
it  has  excreted  the  material  necessary  to  attach  it  firmly, 
thus  sparing  itself  the  trouble  of  filling  up  a  large  aperture  by 
its  own  secretion. 

After  such  a  series  of  experiments  it  seems  to  me  to  be  suf- 
ficiently proved  that  the  poulp  of  the  argonaut  is  the  fabrica- 
tor of  the  shell  in  which  it  lives,  and  out  of  which  it  cannot 
long  exist. 

In  presenting  to  you,  gentlemen,  a  succinct  account  of  the 
results  of  my  experiments,  I  have  claimed  no  more  than  to 
merit  your  indulgence,  and  shall  feel  pleased  if  I  have  obtain- 
ed it,  if  only  for  my  good  intentions. 

The  illustrious  members  Prof.  Carmelo  Maravigna,  Prof. 
Anastasio  Cocco,  and  Prof.  Carlo  Gemmellaro,  encouraged 
me  to  prosecute  my  researches  so  far,  and  having  been  ho- 
noured by  this  illustrious  society  with  the  title  of  Correspond- 


OBSERVATIONS    ON  THE  ARGONAUT.  153 

ing  Member,  I  am  encouraged  still  farther  to  make  my  re- 
searches prove  useful.  My  principal  aim,  which  was  to  prove 
that  the  argonaut,  like  other  Testacea,  had  the  power  of  form- 
ing its  own  shell,  has  been  fully  attained  by  successful  expe- 
riments, the  results  of  which  I  have  not  failed  to  send  to  you, 
whether  proved  by  the  broken  shells  mended  by  the  molluscs 
themselves ;  or  by  means  of  the  shells  and  animals  preserved 
in  spirits ;  or  by  the  eggs  and  young  poulps  in  different 
stages  of  developement  ;  or  finally  by  means  of  coloured 
drawings :  and  you  are  now  in  possession  of  all  that  I  am 
able  to  explain. 

I  have  sent  you  other  notices  respecting  the  physiology  and 
history  of  this  mollusc,  having  thought  them  worthy  of  your 
study  and  attention  ;  and  if  they  meet  the  approbation  of  men 
like  you,  illustrious  in  science,  I  intend  to  institute  many  other 
researches,  not  only  upon  the  argonaut,  but  on  other  mol- 
luscs, upon  which  I  have  already  commenced  some  experi- 
ments to  prove  whether  any  of  the  parts  of  the  animal  are 
capable  of  being  reproduced,  and  which  I  shall  have  the 
honour  before  long  to  submit  to  your  attention. 


ADDITIONAL  REMARKS. l 

Madame  Power  commences  her  account  of  this  new  series 
of  observations  on  the  argonaut,  by  stating  that  they  were 
made  on  her  return  to  Sicily  after  a  visit  to  London,  where, 
having  exhibited  her  collection  of  argonauts  to  Mr.  Gray  and 
Mr.  Charlesworth,  she  was  made  acquainted  with  the  true 
nature  of  the  little  parasite2  which  she  had  previously  mista- 
ken for  the  young  of  the  argonaut  itself.  Madame  Power 
then  proceeds  to  say,  — "  The  vermicule  believed  by  me  to  be 
a  poulp  might  have  misled  others  better  versed  than  myself 
in  Malacology ;  for  it  had  two  rows  of  suckers  along  its  bo- 
dy, and  resembled  one  of  the  arms  of  the  poulp :  it  is 
not,  therefore,  to  be  wondered  at  that  I  mistook  it  for  a 
poulp,  because  many  animals  at  their  birth  present  one  form, 
and  another  when  fully  developed ;  and  besides,  from  the  ex- 
treme irritability  and  delicacy  of  the  poulp,  it  is  not  so  easy 
for  the  naturalist  to  examine  it.     Having,  in  fact,  seen  these 

1 "  Nuove  Osservazione  sulle  uovo  del  Polpo  dell'  Argonauta  Argo.  Di 
Madame  Jeannette  Power,  Soeia  Corresp.  dell'  Acad.  Gioenia,  &c." 

2  The  specimens  alluded  to  by  Madame  Power,  preserved  in  spirits,  were 
by  that  lady  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Editor  of  this  Journal,  and 
first  examined  by  Prof.  Owen,  who,  in  the  supposed  young  poulps,  imme- 
diately recognised  the  parasitic  genus  Hectocolt/tus  of  Cuvier. — Ed. 

R  3 


154  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

animalcules,  of  a  few  lines  in  length,  in  the  shell  of  a  living 
argonaut, — then,  on  the  following  day,  finding  them  consi- 
derably increased  in  size, — two  or  three  days  after  not  find- 
ing any  in  the  shell, — again,  upon  re-examining  the  parent 
shell  five  or  six  days  afterwards,  and  finding  therein  a  very 
young  poulp  with  its  little  shell,  both  perfectly  formed ; — and 
having  several  times  repeated  these  observations  on  other  ar- 
gonauts, and  always  finding  the  vermiculi  before  observing 
the  little  poulp, — I  was  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  vermi- 
cule  became  transformed  into  a  poulp.  Having,  moreover, 
shown  these  vermiculi  to  some  savans,  who  affirmed  them  to 
be  what  I  conjectured,  viz.,  young  poulps,  I  became  the  more 
persuaded  of  it,  and  no  longer  took  care  to  observe  the  ova 
themselves.  This  year,  however,  T  have  made  the  following 
observations  on  the  progressive  developement  of  the  poulp  of 
the  argonaut.  The  egg  is  at  first  white  and  transparent,  and 
no  structure  can  be  discerned  in  it.  Fifteen  days  after  the 
egg  presented  some  spots  of  a  beautiful  red  colour,  without 
anything  more.  In  ten  days  more  the  perfect  poulp  could  be 
discerned  through  the  epidermis  of  the  egg.  Then  the  poulp 
began  to  break  through  this  involucrum,  and  appeared 
to  the  naked  eye  of  an  elliptical  form,  with  the  eyes  and 
mouth ;  a  very  transparent  membrane  is  also  observed,  which 
forms  the  mantle.  Towards  the  mouth  some  small  and  al- 
most imperceptible  filaments  are  to  be  observed,  which  I  sup- 
pose to  be  the  rudiments  of  the  branchiae.  The  poulps  are 
now  naked,  but  in  twelve  days  from  this  time,  on  visiting  them 
again,  some  were  found  which  had  already  formed  their  shell, 
and  the  parent  retained  them  and  nourished  them  with  her 
gelatinous  secretion,  as  I  have  already  described  in  my  Me- 
moir inserted  in  the  12th  vol.  of  the  'Transactions  of  the 
Gioenian  Academy.' " 


Art.  T-T. — Monograph  of  the  Genus  Sciurus,  with  Descriptions  of 
New  Species  and  their  Varieties.  By  J.  Bachman,  D.D.,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society,  Charlestown,  South 
Carolina,  &c. 

{  (  Continued  from  Page  123^. 

2.  Texian  Squirrel.     Sciurus  Texianus,  (n.  s.) 

In  the  Museum  at  Paris  I  observed  a  species  of  squirrel  of 
which  I  can  find  no  description.  It  was  said  to  have  been 
received  from  Mexico.     In  the  Museums  of  Berlin  and  Zu- 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIUltUS.  155 

rich  I  also  found  what  I  conceive  to  be  the  same  species; 
and  in  the  British  Museum  there  is  a  specimen  obtained  at 
Texas  by  Douglass,  agreeing  with  the  others  in  almost  every 
particular.  I  find  also  among  my  notes  a  description  of  a 
specimen  received  by  a  friend  from  the  south-western  parts 
of  Louisiana,  which,  on  a  comparison  with  memoranda  taken 
of  the  other  specimens,  I  do  not  find  to  differ  in  any  impor- 
tant particular.  It  is  probable  therefore  that  this  species  has 
a  pretty  extensive  range,  from  the  south-western  portions  of 
Louisiana,  through  Texas,  into  Mexico.  Of  its  habits  I  pos- 
sess no  information. 

The  Texian  squirrel  is  about  the  size  of  the  fox  squirrel. 
On  the  upper  surface  there  is  a  mixture  of  black  and  yellow, 
and  on  the  under  parts  deep  yellow.  The  under  sides  of  the 
limbs,  and  also  the  parts  of  the  body  contiguous,  are  whitish 
at  the  base.  Fore  legs  externally,  and  the  feet,  rich  yellow. 
Ears  on  both  surfaces  yellow,  with  interspersed  white  hairs. 
Nose  and  lips  brownish  white.  Hairs  of  tail  rich  rusty  yel- 
low at  base,  with  a  broad  black  space  near  the  extremity, 
and  finally  tipt  with  yellow. 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.     LIN. 

Length  of  body 13  6 

Ditto     of  tail  to  end  of  hair 15  0 

Ditto      of  tarsus 3  0 

Height  of  ears  to  end  of  fur „  6| 

The  Texian  squirrel  bears  some  resemblance  to  the  Sciu- 
rus  capistratus ;  the  latter  species  however  in  all  the  varie- 
ties I  have  examined,  has  uniformly  the  white  ears  and  nose. 
I  am  moreover  not  aware  that  the  Set.  capistratus  exists  in 
the  south-western  parts  of  America,  where  it  seems  to  be  re- 
placed by  the  present  species. 


3.  Golden-bellied  Squirrel.    Sciurus  sub-auratus,  (n  s.) 

Essent.  Char. — Size  intermediate  between  the  Northern  Grey  and  the 
Little  Carolina  Squirrel ;  tail  longer  than  the  body ;  colour  above  grey, 
with  a  wash  of  yellow,  beneath  deep  golden  yellow. 

Dental  formula.— Incis.  §.    Can.  {jg.    Mol.  ||. — 20. 

In  the  two  specimens  now  before  me,  and  which  are  very 
similar  in  size  and  markings,  there  is  no  appearance  of  the 
small  anterior  upper  molar  found  in  several  other  species  of 
this  genus.  I  conclude  therefore  that  it  either  does  not  ex- 
ist at  all,  or  drops  out  at  a  very  early  period ;  and  have  ac- 


156  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

cordingly  set  down  this  species  as  having  only  20  teeth. — 
The  upper  incisors,  which  are  of  a  deep  orange-brown  colour, 
are  of  moderate  size ;  the  lower  incisors  a  little  paler  than 
those  above ;  head  of  moderate  size ;  whiskers  longer  than 
the  head ;  ears  short  and  pointed,  clothed  with  hair  on  both 
surfaces.  The  body  seems  more  formed  for  sprightliness  and 
agility  than  that  of  the  small  Carolina  squirrel,  and  in  this 
respect  comes  nearest  to  the  northern  grey  squirrel :  the  tail 
is  long,  and  nearly  as  broad  as  that  of  the  last-named  species. 
Colour. — The  whole  upper  surface  grey,  with  a  distinct 
yellow  wash.  The  hairs  which  give  this  outward  appearance 
are  greyish  slate  colour  at  their  base,  then  very  broadly  annu- 
lated  with  yellow,  then  black,  and  near  the  apex  annulated 
with  yellow- white.  The  sides  of  the  face  and  neck,  the  whole 
of  the  inner  side  of  the  limbs,  feet,  and  the  under  parts  of  a 
deep  golden  yellow;  on  the  cheeks  and  sides  of  the  neck,  how- 
ever, the  hairs  are  obscurely  annulated  with  black  and  whitish; 
the  ears  are  well  clothed  on  both  surfaces  with  tolerably  long 
hair,  of  the  same  deep  golden  hue  as  the  sides  of  the  face ; 
hairs  of  the  feet  mostly  blackish  at  the  root,  and  some  are 
obscurely  tipt  with  black;  hairs  of  the  tail  black  at  the  root, 
and  the  remaining  portion  of  a  bright  rusty  yellow,  each  hair, 
three  times  in  its  length,  annulated  with  black  ;  the  under 
surface  of  the  tail  is  chiefly  bright  rusty  yellow ;  whiskers 
longer  than  the  head,  black. 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.      LIN. 

Length  of  head  and  body 10  6 

Ditto     of  tail,  (vertebra) 9  2 

Ditto  including  fur 12  0 

Ditto     of  palm  to  end  of  middle  fore  claw 1  7 

Ditto     of  heel  to  point  of  middle  nail 2  7 

Ditto     of  fur  on  the  back „  7 

Height  of  ear  posteriorly „  5 

Breadth  of  tail  with  hair  extended 8  6 

Weight  H  R>- 

The  two  specimens  from  which  the  above  description  was 
taken  were  procured  in  the  markets  of  New  Orleans,  by  J.  J. 
Audubon,  Esq.  I  possess  no  information  with  regard  to  their 
habits. 

4.  Great-tailed  Squirrel.     Sciurus  magnicaudatus. 

Sciurus  macrourus  ;  Say,  Long's  Expedition,  vol.  i.  p.  115. 

— magnicaudatus  ;  Harlan's  Fauna,  p.  170. 

macrourus;  Godmaii's  Nat.  Hist.  vol.  ii.  p.  134. 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  157 

Esse nt.  Char. — Intermediate  in  size  between  the  Sciurus  cinereus  and 
Sci.  leucotis  ;  body  above,  a  mixed  grey  and  black;  ears  long;  tail  very 
broad. 


In  a  number  of  Museums  both  in  England  and  on  the  con- 
tinent, I  have  observed  squirrels  labelled  with  the  above 
name,  but  which  must  be  referred  to  the  varieties  of  other 
species.  The  only  genuine  specimen  that  has  come  under 
my  notice  is  the  one  now  existing  in  the  Philadelphia  Muse- 
um, and  which  was,  I  believe,  brought  by  Say,  the  original  dis- 
coverer. Having  at  present  no  access  to  my  notes  with  a  de- 
scription of  this  species  made  two  years  ago,  I  am  obliged  to 
copy  the  original  description  of  Say,  which  I  found,  on  com- 
parison, to  be  very  accurate.  I  regret,  however,  that  T  am 
unable  to  annex  an  interesting  account  of  the  habits  of  this 
species,  which  was  communicated  to  me  by  Mr.  Peale. 

"  The  body  above,  and  on  each  side,  is  of  a  mixed  grey 
and  black ;  the  fur  is  plumbeous,  black  at  base,  then  pale 
cinnamon  colour,  then  black,  and  finally  cinereous,  with  a 
long  black  tip ;  the  ears,  f  of  an  inch  long,  are  behind  of  a 
bright  ferruginous  colour,  extending  to  the  base  of  the  fur, 
which,  in  the  winter  dress,  is  prominent  beyond  the  edge ; 
on  the  inside  of  the  ear  the  fur  is  of  a  dull  ferruginous  hue, 
slightly  tipped  with  black ;  the  sides  of  the  head  and  orbits 
of  the  eyes  are  pale  ferruginous :  beneath  the  ears  and  eyes 
the  cheeks  are  dusky ;  the  whiskers  are  composed  of  about 
five  series  of  rather  flattened  hairs,  the  inferior  ones  are  more 
distinct ;  the  mouth  is  margined  with  black ;  the  teeth  are  of 
a  reddish  yellow  colour  ;  the  under  part  of  the  head  and  neck, 
and  the  upper  part  of  the  feet,  are  ferruginous ;  the  belly  is 
paler,  the  fur  being  plumbeous  at  base ;  the  tail  is  of  a  bright 
ferruginous  colour  below,  and  this  colour  extends  to  the  base 
of  the  fur  with  a  sub-marginal  black  line ;  on  its  upper  part 
it  is  ferruginous  and  black;  the  fur  within  is  of  a  pale  cinna- 
mon colour,  with  the  base  and  three  bands  black ;  the  tip  is 
ferruginous ;  the  palms  of  the  fore  feet  are  black,  and  the  m- 
dimental  thumb,  which  is  very  short,  is  covered  by  a  broad 
flat  nail. 

"  The  fur  of  the  back  in  the  summer  dress  is  from  -§-  to  -^ 
of  an  inch  long ;  but  in  the  winter  dress  the  longest  hairs  of 
the  middle  of  the  back  are  from  1  inch  to  1|  in  length  ;  this 
difference  in  the  length  of  the  hairs,  combined  with  a  greater 
portion  of  fat,  gives  to  the  animal  a  thicker  and  shorter  ap- 
pearance, but  the  colour  continues  the  same  ;  and  it  is  only 
in  the  latter  season  that  the  ears  are  fringed,  which  is  the  ne- 
cessary consequence  of  the  elongation  of  the  hair.     This  spe- 


158  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

cies  was  not  an  unfrequent  article  of  food  at  our  frugal  yet 
social  meals  at  Engineer  cantonment,  and  we  could  always 
immediately  distinguish  the  bones  from  those  of  other  animals 
by  their  remarkably  red  colour.  The  tail  is  even  more  volu- 
minous than  that  of  the  Sciurus  cinereus,  (cat  squirrel).'1 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.      LIN. 

Length  of  head  and  body 11       1 

Ditto      of  tail  to  the  end  of  hair 11       3 

Height  of  ear,  fur  included „      9 

5.  Californian  Squirrel.     Sciurus  aureogaster. 

Sciurus  aureogaster ;  F.  Cuv.  and  Geoff.  Mamm. 
Ecureuil  de  la  Calafornie  ;  Id. 

General  hue  above  deep  grey  grizzled  with  yellow ;  under 
parts  and  inner  side  of  limbs  deep  rusty  red  ;  chin,  throat  and 
cheeks  pale  grey ;  limbs  externally  and  feet  coloured  as  the 
body  above ;  hairs  on  the  toes  chiefly  dirty  white ;  tail  large 
and  very  bushy ;  hairs  of  the  tail  black,  twice  annulated  with 
dirty  yellow,  and  broadly  tipped  with  white,  the  white  very 
conspicuous  where  the  hairs  are  in  their  natural  position ; 
ears  thickly  clothed,  chiefly  with  blackish  hairs,  the  hinder 
basal  part  externally  with  long  white  hairs,  extending  slight- 
ly on  the  neck  ;  all  the  hairs  of  the  body  are  grey  at  the  base, 
those  of  the  upper  parts  annulated  first  with  yellow,  then 
black,  and  then  white ;  whiskers  black,  the  hairs  very  long 
and  bristly ;  the  under  incisors  almost  as  deep  an  orange  co- 
lour as  the  upper. 

Habitat  Mexico  and  California. 

dimensions. 

IN.      LIN. 

Length  from  nose  to  root  of  tail 12  0 

Ditto     of  tail  to  end  of  hair 10  6 

Ditto     of  heel  to  end  of  claws 2  5£ 

Ditto     from  nose  to  ear 2  l£ 

Height  of  ear  posteriorly „  1\ 

A  second  specimen,  the  locality  of  which  was  not  given, 
differed  from  the  above  in  having  a  much  richer  colouring. 
The  belly  was  of  a  very  bright  rust  colour ;  hairs  on  the  tail 
black  at  the  roots,  then  broadly  annulated  with  rusty  yellow, 
then  a  considerable  space  occupied  by  black,  the  apical  por- 
tion white ;  but  when  viewed  from  beneath,  a  bright  rust  co- 
lour, like  that  of  the  belly,  was  very  conspicuous,  occupying 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIDRUS.  159 

the  basal  half  of  the  hair :  the  upper  parts  of  the  body  were 
grizzled  with  black  and  white,  and  many  of  the  hairs  were 
annulated  with  rust  colour ;  over  the  haunches  and  rump  the 
hairs  are  annulated  with  rusty  yellow  and  black  ;  the  hairs  of 
the  feet  are  chiefly  black. 

The  original  specimen  on  which  this  species  was  founded 
is  in  the  Museum  at  Paris,  and  Mr.  Waterhouse  supplied  me 
with  the  following  description  from  his  own  manuscript  notes. 

"  General  colour,  grizzled  black  and  white ;  throat,  chest, 
belly,  inner  side  of  legs,  nearly  the  whole  of  the  fore  legs  and 
the  fore  part  of  the  hind  legs  rusty  red  ;  tail  very  broad ;  the 
hairs  black,  red  at  the  base  and  white  at  the  apex ;  lips  white; 
feet  black,  with  a  few  white  hairs  intermixed ;  fore  part  of 
head  also  black,  with  a  few  intermixed  white  hairs ;  chin 
blackish  in  front,  shading  into  grey. 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.      LIN. 

Nose  to  root  of  tail 11       6 

Tail  to  end  of  hair 11       0 

Tarsus 2       4j, 

In  the  Museum  of  the  Zoological  Society  are  three  speci- 
mens, one  of  which  is  from  Mexico,  and  the  others  are,  un- 
fortunately, not  named.  If  they  should  prove  the  same,  they 
exhibit  considerable  variations  in  colour.  In  one  specimen 
the  chin  and  throat  are  grey  ;  the  animal  appears  to  be  chang- 
ing its  colour,  over  the  haunches  there  is  a  considerable  ad- 
mixture of  rusty  red  colour ;  the  general  hue  of  the  back  was 
deep  grey ;  the  hairs  at  base  plumbeous,  the  apical  portion 
annulated  with  first  black,  then  rust  colour,  then  black,  vary- 
ing in  some  hairs. 


6.  Cat  Squirrel.     Sciurus  cinereus. 

Sciurus  cinereus;  Linn.,  Gmel. 

Cat  Squirrel;  B.  Penn.  'Arct.  Zool.'  i.  137. 

Essent.  Char. — A  little  smaller  than  the  Fox  Squirrel,  larger  than  the 
Northern  Grey  Squirrel ;  "body  stout ;  legs  rather  short ;  nose  and  ears  not 
white  ;  tail  longer  than  the  hody. 

This  species  has  been  sometimes  confounded  with  the  fox 
squirrel,  and  at  other  times  with  the  northern  grey  squirrel ; 
it  is,  however,  in  size  intermediate  between  the  two,  and  has 
some  distinctive  marks  by  which  it  may  be  known  from  ei- 


100  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

ther.  The  northern  grey  sqnirrel  has,  as  far  as  I  have  been 
able  to  ascertain  from  an  examination  of  many  specimens, 
permanently  five  grinders  in  each  upper  jaw,  and  the  present 
species  has  but  four.  Whether,  at  a  very  early  age,  the  cat 
squirrel  may  not,  like  the  young  fox  squirrel,  have  a  small 
deciduous  tooth,  I  have  had  no  means  of  ascertaining ;  all  the 
specimens  before  me  having  been  obtained  in  autumn  or  win- 
ter, and  being  adults,  present  the  dental  formula  as  given 
above.  The  fox  squirrel  is  permanently  marked  with  white 
ears  and  nose,  which  is  not  the  case  with  the  cat  squirrel : 
the  former  is  a  southern  species, — the  latter  is  found  in  the 
middle  and  northern  states. 

Description. — The  head  is  less  elongated  than  that  of  the 
fox  squirrel,  the  nose  more  obtuse ;  incisors  rather  narrower, 
shorter,  and  less  prominent ;  molars,  with  the  exception  of 
their  being  a  little  smaller,  bear  a  strong  resemblance  to,  and 
are  similarly  arranged  to  those  of  the  former  species.  The 
neck  is  short ;  legs  short  and  stout ;  nails  narrower  at  base 
than  those  of  the  fox  squirrel,  shorter  and  less  arched;  the 
tail  also  is  shorter  and  less  distichous ;  the  body,  although 
shorter  is  thicker,  and  the  whole  animal  has  a  heavy,  clumsy 
appearance.  The  fur  is  not  so  soft  as  that  of  the  northern 
grey  squirrel,  but  finer  than  that  of  the  fox  squirrel. 

This  species,  as  well  as  the  last,  is  subject  to  great  varie- 
ties of  colour.  I  have  observed  in  Peale's  Museum  speci- 
mens of  every  shade  of  colour,  from  light  grey  to  nearly  black. 
I  have  also  seen  two  in  cages  which  were  nearly  white,  but 
without  the  red  eyes  which  form  a  characteristic  mark  in  the 
albino.  There  appears  however  to  be  this  difference  between 
the  varieties  of  the  present  species  and  those  of  the  fox  squir- 
rel ; — the  latter  are  permanent  varieties ;  scarcely  any  speci- 
mens being  found  in  intermediate  colours:  in  the  present 
there  is  every  shade  of  colour,  scarcely  two  being  found  pre- 
cisely alike. 

The  most  common  variety  however  is  the  grey  cat  squirrel, 
which  I  shall  describe  from  a  specimen  now  before  me. 

Teeth  orange ;  nails  dark  brown  near  the  base,  lighter  at 
the  extremities ;  on  the  cheeks  there  is  a  slight  tinge  of  yel- 
lowish brown,  extending  to  the  neck  at  the  insertion  of  the 
head ;  the  inner  surface  of  the  ears  of  the  same  colour,  the 
outer  surface  of  the  fur  on  the  ear,  which  extends  a  little 
beyond  the  outer  edge,  and  is  of  a  soft  woolly  appearance,  is 
light  cinereous  edged  with  rusty  brown ;  whiskers  black  and 
white,  the  former  colour  predominating.  Under  the  throat, 
the  inner  surface  of  the  legs  and  thighs,  and  the  whole  under 
surface,  white ;  on  the  back  the  fur  is  dark  cinereous  near 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  161 

the  roots,  then  light  ash,  then  a  line  of  black  and  tipt  with 
white,  giving  it  on  the  outer  surface  an  iron-grey  appearance. 
The  tail,  which  does  not  present  the  flat  distichous  appear- 
ance of  the  majority  of  the  other  species,  but  is  more  rounded 
and  narrower,  is  composed  of  hairs  which,  separately  exa- 
mined, are  of  a  soiled  white  tint  near  the  roots,  then  a  narrow 
marking  of  black,  then  white,  then  a  broad  line  of  black,  and 
finally  broadly  edged  with  white. 

Another  specimen  is  dark  grey  on  the  back  and  head,  and 
a  mixture  of  black  and  cinereous  on  the  feet,  thighs,  and  un- 
der surface.  Whiskers  nearly  all  white.  The  markings  on 
the  tail  are  similar  to  those  on  the  other  specimen. 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.     LIN. 

Length  of  head  and  body 11  3 

Ditto     of  tail,  (vertebra) 9  6 

Ditto  to  the  tips 12  6 

Height  of  ear  posteriorly „  6 

Palm  and  middle  fore  claw 1  6 

Heel  and  middle  hind  claw 2  9 

Length  of  fur  on  the  back „  7 

Geographical  Distribution. — This  has  been  to  me  a  rare 
species.  It  is  said  to  be  common  in  the  oak  and  hickory 
woods  of  Pennsylvania,  and  I  have  occasionally  met  with  it 
near  Easton  and  York ;  I  also  observed  one  in  the  hands  of  a 
gunner  near  Fredericksburgh,  Virginia.  In  the  northern  part 
of  New  York  it  is  exceedingly  rare,  as  I  only  saw  two  pair 
during  fifteen  years  of  close  observation.  In  the  lower  part 
of  that  state,  however,  it  appears  to  be  more  common,  as  I 
recently  received  several  specimens  procured  in  the  county  of 
Orange. 

This  squirrel  has  many  habits  in  common  with  other  spe- 
cies, residing  in  the  hollows  of  trees,  and  building  in  summer 
its  nest  of  leaves  in  some  convenient  crutch,  and  subsisting 
on  the  same  variety  of  food.  It  is,  however,  the  most  inac- 
tive of  all  our  known  species :  it  mounts  a  tree,  not  with  the 
lightness  and  agility  of  the  northern  grey  squirrel,  but  with 
the  slowness  and  apparent  reluctance  of  the  little  striped 
squirrel  [Tamias  Lysteri).  After  ascending  it  does  not  mount 
to  the  top,  as  is  the  case  with  other  species,  but  clings  to  the 
body  of  the  the  tree,  on  the  side  opposite  to  you,  or  tries  to 
conceal  itself  behind  the  first  convenient  limb.  I  have  never 
observed  it  leaping  from  branch  to  branch.  When  it  is  in- 
duced in  search  of  food  to  proceed  to  the  extremity  of  a  limb, 
it  moves  cautiously  and  heavily,  and  returns  the  same  way. 
On  the  ground  it  runs  clumsily,  and  makes  slower  progress 
than  the  grey    squirrel.     It  is  usually  fat,  especially  in  au- 


162 


HOTALIA  ATTACHED  TO  VERMETUS  BOGNORIENSIS. 


tumn,  and  the  flesh  is  said  to  be  preferable  to  that  of  any  of 
our  other  species. 

The  cat  squirrel  does  not  appear  to  be  migratory  in  its  ha- 
bits.    The  same  pair,  if  undisturbed,  may  be  found  taking  up 
their  residence  in  a  particular  vicinity  for  a  number  of  years 
in  succession ;  and  the  sexes  seem  mated  for  life. 
(To  be  continued). 


Art.  TIT.  Notice  of  a  species  of  Y&o\n\x&.  fowid  attached  to  specimens 
of  Vermetus  Bognoriensis.  By  Nathaniel  Wethereil,  Esq., 
M.R.C.S.,  F.G.S.,  &c. 

When  I  first  observed  some  specimens  of  Rotalia  upon  the 
whorls  of  the  Vermetus  Bognoriensis,  I  imagined  that  these 
minute  fossil  bodies  had  been  casually  lodged  in  some  of  the 
small  furrows  upon  its  external  surface ;  further  observations 
and  additional  specimens,  however,  convinced  me  to  the  con- 
trary, and  I  perceived,  on  a  careful  microscopic  examination, 
that  not  only  were  the  Rotalia  attached  to  the  Vermetus,  but 
that  in  several  instances  they  were  absolutely  imbedded  in  the 
substance  of  the  shell  itself. 

27 


On  my  first  discovery  of  these  remains,  I  briefly  alluded  to 
the  circumstance  in  a  paper  read  before  the  Camden  Literary 
and  Scientific  Institution,  (April  26th,  1836),  subsequently 
published  in  the  'London  and  Edinburgh  Philosophical  Ma- 
gazine.' *  I  have  since  considered  that  it  would  be  an  inte- 
resting record  to  have  them  engraved,  exhibiting  the  fossils  of 
the  natural  size,  together  with  magnified  figures,  as  annexed. 

'  "Observations  on  some  of  the  Fossils  of  the  London  Clay,  and  in  parti- 
cular those  Organic  Remains  which  have  been  recently  discovered  in  the 
Tunnel  of  the  London  and  Birmingham  Rail-road.  By  Nath.  Thos.  We- 
therell, Esq.,  F.G.S.,  M.R.C.S.,  &c."  The  London  and  Edinburgh  Phi- 
losophical Magazine  and  Journal  of  Science,  Vol.  ix.,  Dec.  1836,  No.  56. 


NEW  FOSSIL  AVICUIA. 


163 


Fig.  27,  #,  which  is  exceedingly  minute,  is  accompanied 
with  three  magnified  views ;  and  Jig,  27,  b,  with  the  same. 

I  was  induced  to  have  both  specimens  represented,  as  there 
are  some  slight  differences  between  them,  which,  unless  de- 
pending upon  particular  periods  of  growth,  may  be  considered 
sufficient  to  constitute  them  different  species  or  varieties. 

The  locality  whence  I  obtained  my  specimens  is  the  tun- 
nel of  the  London  and  Birmingham  rail-road,  near  Chalk  farm. 
Although  I  have  examined  several  hundreds  from  this  place, 
I  have  only  found  about  eight  or  nine  with  the  Rotalia  at- 
tached. 1  have  had  in  my  possession  at  different  times  some 
thousand  specimens  of  Vermetus  Bognoriensis,  from  High- 
gate,  Bognor,  and  Sheppey,  but  I  have  never  before  noticed 
any  minute  shell  or  coral  attached  to  them. 

It  was  at  first  my  intention  to  have  given  a  specific  name ; 
the  present  fossil  however  appears  so  closely  to  resemble  a 
species  found  at  Grignon,  that  I  have  thought  it  better  not  to 
do  so. 

Highgate,  March  12th,  1839. 


Art.  IV. — Description  of  a  new  fossil  Avdcula,/rom  the  Lias  Shale 
of  Somersetshire.  By  Samuel  Stutchbury,  Esq.,  Curator  to 
the  Bristol  Philosophical  Institution,  &c. 

^;  28 


"Avicula  longicostata,  Stutchb. 


164  ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 

Avicula  longicostata. 

Shell  inequilateral,  with  six  raised  casta  radiating  from  the  umbo,  each 
rib  extending  far  beyond  the  margin  of  the  valve;  minutely  striated  between 
the  ribs. 

This  very  elegant  fossil  is  remarkable  from  the  great  ex- 
tension of  the  ribs  which  radiate  from  the  umbo,  in  several 
instances  extending  more  than  an  inch  beyond  the  margin  of 
the  valve.  In  the  five  specimens  which  have  come  nnder  my 
observation,  there  appears  to  have  been  a  determinate  stop- 
page of  growth,  which  is  evidenced  by  a  raised  line  crossing 
the  disc  of  the  shell  and  spinous  terminations  of  the  first- 
formed  ribs. 

The  internal  characters  determine  the  genus  to  which  it 
belongs,  while  the  external  characters  alone  would  have  left 
me  in  doubt  to  which  of  the  following  genera  it  most  proba- 
bly belonged ;  viz.  Avicula,  Pecten,  or  Plagiostoma.  The 
number  of  ribs  (six)  appears  to  be  a  constant  character,  at 
least  judging  from  the  specimens  which  have  already  come  to 
hand. 

For  this  beautiful  fossil  we  are  indebted  to  the  excavations 
made  through  the  lias  shales  along  the  line  of  the  great  west- 
ern railway,  at  Saltford,  between  Bristol  and  Bath.  Avicula 
Cygnipes,  figured  in  Phillips's  'Geology  of  Yorkshire'  resem- 
bles it,  but  the  two  are  sufficiently  distinct  to  justify  their 
separation. 

Bristol,  January  16th,  1839. 


Art.  V. — On  the  Anatomy  of  the  Lamellibranchiate  Conchiferous 

Animals.     By  Robert  Garner,  Esq.,  F.L.S., 

(  Continued  from  Page  \29). 

DIGESTIVE  SYSTEM. 

All  these  animals  derive  their  nourishment  from  the  ani- 
malcules and  other  nutrient  particles  drawn  in  with  the  water, 
by  means  of  the  currents  excited  by  the  ciliated  branchiw  and 
tentacles.  The  particles  are  collected  at  the  anterior  part  of 
the  cavity  of  the  mantle,  and  are  conveyed  into  the  oesophagus 
by  means  of  tentacles  and  lips,  strongly  ciliated  internally  for 
that  purpose.  In  some  species,  as  the  Pecten,  the  foot  seems 
a  prehensile  organ  of  the  food,  and  the  curious  foot  of  the 
Spondylus  is  perhaps  of  some  use  in  this  way.  The  tentacles 
are  precisely  similar  to  the  branchice  in  structure,  being 
commonly  membranous,  striated  by  the  vessels,  and  ciliated ; 
and  their  vascular  system  is  often  continuous  with  that  of  the 
branchice,  so  that  they  probably  serve  the  purpose  of  respira- 
tion also.  They  are  generally  triangular  in  shape.  In  the 
Nucula,  the  external  one  is  large  and  spiral ;  in  the  Corbula 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.  165 

they  are  long  and  volute.  They  are  large  in  the  Tellina  and 
similar  genera;  small  in  Modiola,  Mya,  Psammobia,  &c. 
When  lips  are  developed  the  tentacles  are  small.  These  are 
of  a  fringed  appearance  in  Pecten,  Spondylus,  &c,  more  foli- 
ated in  Chama.1  The  mouth  is  small  in  Venus,  &c, 
larger  in  several  of  the  Monomyaria.  The  oesophagus,  gene- 
rally very  short,  is  however  occasionally  pretty  long,  as  in  the 
Pholas.  Home  describes  salivary  glands  in  the  Teredo,  but 
these  I  have  not  been  able  to  find ;  and  Poli,  bodies  which 
he  supposes  to  be  such  in  the  Pinna.  The  stomach  is 
always  in  the  centre  of  the  liver,  and  the  bile  ducts  enter  it 
by  one  or  more  orifices.  Into  the  stomach  projects  the 
extremity  of  a  lengthened  cartilage,  the  "  crystalline  style" 
of  Poli.  The  other  extremity  has  been  described  as  going  to 
the  foot,  and  adding  to  the  elasticity  of  that  organ.  This 
body  is  of  various  shapes,  and  has  at  its  superior  extremity 
a  cartilaginous  membrane,  the  "  tricuspid  body"  of  Poli. 
This  lies  at  the  inferior  surface  of  the  stomach,  and  its  extre- 
mities enter  the  bile  ducts.  The  crystalline  style  is  wanting 
when  the  foot  is  small;  the  membrane  is  always  present. 
The  former  is  evidently  analogous  to  the  tongue  of  the  Pa- 
tella and  other  cephalous  Mollusca  ;  it  is  secreted  from  be- 
hind and  comes  forward  into  the  stomach ;  the  membrane  at 
its  extremity  is  analogous  to  the  membrane  always  found  in 
a  similar  situation  at  the  end  of  the  tongue  in  other  Mollusca. 
The  apparatus  of  mastication  in  the  Gasteropoda  is  then  in 
the  Lamellibranchiata  partly  subservient  to  digestion,  but 
has  also  another  use  assigned  to  it — the  giving  elasticity 
to  the  foot,  or,  in  the  Anomia,  where  its  extremity  is  seen  in 
the  mantle,  the  preserving  in  its  situation  the  free  extre- 
mity of  the  left  lobe  of  the  latter  part. 

These  organs  have  been  supposed  by  Poli  to  regulate  the 
flow  of  bile;  which  appears  probable.  By  Cams2  they  are 
imagined  to  be  concerned  in  the  function  of  generation,  which 
supposition  is  not  warranted  by  the  facts ;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, there  are  grounds  on  which  we  may  infer  that  it  is  un- 
likely. The  duodenum  or  first  part  of  the  intestine  is  wider 
than  the  remainder  and  is  by  some  called  a  second  stomach. 
It  sometimes  originates  from  the  true  stomach  distinct  from 
the  style,  as  in  Mactra,  Pholas,2  some  species  of  Solen,  &c. 
Sometimes  the  style  lies  in  a  groove  of  the  duodenum,  which 


1  Poli.  2  Lehrbuch,  v.  2. 

3  The  digestive  system  of  the  Teredo  only  differs  from  that  of  the  Pholas 
in  its  greater  length. 

Vol.  III.— No.  28.  n.  s.  s 


166  ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 

leaves  its  extremity,  as  in  some  Tellium,  &c,  or  diverges 
from  its  side  at  a  greater  or  less  distance  from  the  end,  as  in 
Cardium,  Solen  vagina,  &c.  The  parietes  of  the  duodenum 
are  glandular.  The  remainder  of  the  canal  has  many  veins 
originating  from  it,  which  perhaps  act  the  part  also  of  lacteals. 
The  extremity  of  the  duodenum  is  always  near  the  pedal  pore 
and  perhaps  the  vitellus  of  the  embryo  so  enters.  The  intes- 
tine varies  much  in  length.  As  shewn  by  Poli,  those  species 
which  are  fixed  have  it  shortest.  In  Anomia  it  is  not  an  inch 
long,  and  makes  no  turn ;  it  has  a  rounded  projecting  process 
in  its  whole  length.  A  similar  projection  is  seen  in  other 
genera.  The  convolutions  of  the  intestine  interwoven  with 
the  liver  and  ovaries,  are  generally  contained  in  great  part  in 
the  foot.  In  the  Monomyaria,  in  the  Mytilus,  Pinna,  &c, 
it  makes  only  two  or  three  turns,  the  last  often  surrounding 
the  stomach.  In  the  fresh  water  species  it  is  longer  by  a 
turn  or  two  ;  longer  still  in  Pholas,  Mya,  Venerupis,  Tellina, 
&c.  ;  but  longest  of  all  in  Cardium,  Donax,  Venus,  Mactra, 
and  some  other  genera,  where  it  is  sometimes  ten  or  twelve 
times  the  length  of  the  animal.  The  intestine,  having  made 
its  convolutions,  is  directed  towards  the  heart,  through  the 
ventricle  of  which  it  commonly  passes,  and  ends  on  the  pos- 
terior muscle  by  an  opening,  which,  in  some  species,  has  a 
divided  margin.  This  anus  is  situated  between  the  lobes  of 
the  mantle,  and  opens  into  the  superior  of  the  two  tubes, 
when  they  exist.  In  the  oyster  the  ventricle  is  not  perfo- 
rated by  the  intestine,  the  heart  being  in  a  different  situation. 
In  the  Anomia  the  heart  lies  upon  it.  When  there  are  two 
ventricles,  as  in  Area,  Lima,  and  certain  Pectunculi,  the  in- 
testine passes  between  them.  In  the  Unio  it  has  been  de- 
scribed that  the  intestine  makes  its  escape  from  the  cavity  of 
the  heart  to  re-enter  it  again  ;  such  a  description  is  not  taken 
from  the  normal  disposition  of  the  animal.  The  curious  cir- 
cumstance of  the  perforation  of  the  ventricle  by  the  intestinal 
tube  appears  to  be  a  result  merely  of  the  disposition  of  the 
parts. 

The  liver,  in  all  the  Lamellibranchiata,  surrounds  the  ca- 
vity of  the  stomach,  into  which  its  secretion  of  greenish  bile 
is  poured  by  one  or  more  ducts.  It  has  no  vena  porta  going 
to  it,  but  its  arteries,  and  hepatic  veins  are  large.  Its  situa- 
tion is  at  the  anterior  and  superior  part  of  the  animal,  and  it 
is  composed  of  a  multitude  of  oval  granules,  differing  in  size 
in  different  species,  opening  into  the  termination  of  the  ra- 
muscules  of  the  duct. 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.  107 


CIRCULATING  SYSTEM. 

This  system  is  not  so  simple  as  it  is  described  by  Cuvier, 
Poli,  &c.  Bojanus1  in  the  Anadonta  first  described  its  cor- 
rect anatomy.  By  means  of  mercurial  injections  it  may  bt 
readily  made  out  in  the  common  scallop  or  Pecten  maximus 
The  venous  blood  from  the  liver,  ovaries  and  intestine,  does 
not  go  to  the  branchice  immediately,  but  a  portion  of  it  en- 
ters, on  each  side,  a  sinus  or  system  of  veins  situated  upon 
the  adductor  muscle,  the  remainder  is  poured  into  a  large 
vessel,  which  is  distributed  to  a  dark  coloured  excretory  or- 
gan, situated  at  the  base  of  the  branchice  on  each  side. 
These  organs  have  other  veins  which  open  either  into 
the  sinus  or  into  the  branchial  arteries.  The  sinus  receives 
likewise  the  veins  of  the  muscle,  and  also  in  part  the  blood 
of  the  mantle.  It  opens  into  the  branchial  arteries  by  two 
valvular  openings.  The  blood  from  the  viscera  must  in  great 
part  pass  through  the  tissue  of  the  excretory  organs  to  enter 
the  branchial  artery,  and  the  tissue  itself  appears  to  be 
entirely  formed  by  these  veins.  Bojanus  from  this  considers 
these  bodies  as  the  organs  of  respiration.  The  auricles, 
besides  the  branchial  veins,  receive  the  extremities  of  the 
large  veins  of  the  mantle,  small  hepatic  branches,  and 
other  veins  from  the  neighbouring  parts.  Poli  has  figured 
this  circumstance  in  the  Area,  Spondylus,  fyc.  The  branchial 
artery  then  has  its  principal  origin  from  the  large  veins  or 
venous  sinus,  situated  upon  the  adductor  muscle;  it  then 
receives  veins  from  the  organs  above  mentioned,  also  others 
from  the  root  of  the  branchiae  and  from  the  mantle  :  it 
then  at  regular  distances  gives  branches  to  the  processes 
of  the  branchice,  which  run  into  the  corresponding  ramuscu- 
les  of  the  branchial  vein.  The  branchial  vein,  formed 
by  these  ramuscules,  lies  nearer  to  the  processes  of  the  two 
vessels,  and  is  crossed  by  the  divisions  of  the  artery ;  it  is 
joined  by  the  extremity  of  the  great  vein  of  the  mantle,  and 
by  small  veins  from  the  liver,  &c,  as  described  above,  and 
forms  the  auricle.  No  valve  exists  between  the  veins  and 
auricles.  The  latter  have  projecting  processes  upon  them, 
secreting  perhaps  the  fluid  of  the  pericardium.  They  are 
connected  by  a  transverse  vein,  receiving  some  small  ves- 
sels from  the  pericardium,  &c.  A  valve  formed  by  two 
semilunar  membranes  exists  at  the  entry  of  each  auricle  into 
the  ventricle.      The  pericardium,    always  situated  in   the 

1  A  translation  of  his  paper  may  be  found,  '  Journ.  de  Physique,'  t.  89, 
witli  observations  upon  it  by  M.  Blainville. 


168  ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 

back  of  the  animal,  except  in  the  oyster,  contains  a  thickish, 
transparent  fluid.  The  ventricle  is  muscular,  and  is  pierced 
by  the  rectum,  which,  in  some  species,  though  not  in  the 
animal  whose  circulation  is  now  described,  likewise  traverses 
more  or  less  of  the  aorta.  The  ventricle  gives  off  an  anterior 
and  a  posterior  aorta,  and  a  valve  exists  at  the  com- 
mencement of  each.  The  former  runs  over  the  liver,  giving 
hepatic  arteries,  and  surrounding  the  mouth  with  a  ring,  fur- 
nishes the  labial,  ovarian,  intestinal,  pedal,  and  other  arteries. 
The  latter  goes  backwards,  and  furnishes,  principally,  the 
muscle  and  mantle  with  arteries.  The  coats  of  the  veins  are 
thin,  but  they  are  readily  injected ;  those  of  the  arteries 
thicker,  but  these  vessels  are  not  easily  filled  with  mercury. 
Blood  taken  from  the  auricles  is  almost  colourless,1  separates 
on  standing  into  a  liquid  and  solid  part,  and,  microscopically 
examined,  its  globules,  which  are  about  a  thousandth  part  of 
an  inch  in  diameter,  show  some  appearance  of  movement, 
even  out  of  the  vessels.  This  fact  appears  to  have  been  ob- 
served by  Mayer. 2  The  heart  is  slow  in  its  pulsations ;  they 
are  generally  from  twenty  to  thirty  in  the  minute. 

In  the  Vnio  and  Anadonta  the  sinus,  corresponding  to  that 
of  the  Pecten,  lies  under  the  pericardium,  receiving  anteri- 
orly large  veins  from  the  mantle,  viscera,  &c,  and  posteriorly 
other  vessels  from  the  posterior  part  of  the  body.  Part  of  its 
blood  goes  to  the  branchial  artery  on  each  side,  a  few  twigs 
enter  the  auricles  and  the  remainder  goes  to  the  excretory 
organs.  The  vein  of  the  mantle,  at  one  extremity,  is  con- 
nected with  the  excretory  organ.  This  organ  on  each  side 
has  a  few  small  veins  entering  the  auricles,  but  the  mass  of 
its  blood  enters  the  branchial  artery.  The  branches  of  this 
vessel  are  found  on  the  outer  side  of  the  inner  branchial  la- 
mina, and  on  the  inner  side  of  the  external  one.  The  cor- 
responding venous  ramuscules  enter  three  veins,  one  lying 
between  the  two  internal  bronchia,  which  sends  its  blood  to 
the  two  others,  situated  at  the  superior  margin  of  the  external 
lamina.  These  last  form  the  auricles.  There  is  nothing 
remarkable  in  the  distribution  of  the  arteries. 

Poli  found  two  ventricles  in  the  Area ;  there  are  two  like- 
wise in  some  other  genera,  the  shells  of  which  have  their 
beaks  remote.  There  are  never  more  than  two  real  auricles  ; 
but  dilatations  at  the  commencement  of  the  aorta  have  been 
so  called.  In  the  Cardium  echinatum,  where  there  are  two 
posterior  aorta,  each  at  its  commencement  is  considerably  di- 

1  It  is  rather  red  in  Teredo,  according  to  Home. 

2  Mayer,  Supplem.  zur  Lehre  vom  Kreiselaufe,  1827. 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.  169 

lated,  and  the  cavities  thus  formed  have  strong  muscular  co- 
lumns on  their  internal  parietes. 

The  communication  between  the  auricles,  effected  by  a 
transverse  vein  in  the  Pecten,  Spondylus,  fyc,  is  more  com- 
plete in  the  oyster,  where  they  are  united  into  one,  but  there 
are  still  two  auriculo-ventricular  openings. 

The  veins,  then,  do  not  all  enter  the  branchial  artery,  some 
joining  the  branchial  vein,  where  it  forms  the  auricles.  In 
the  Pecten  we  see  the  visceral  blood  circulating  through  the 
excreting  organs,  which  return  it  to  the  branchial  arteries. 
The  veins  between  the  excreting  organs  and  the  sinus,  may 
be  the  channels  by  which  the  former  receive  blood  from,  or 
remit  it  to  the  latter.  The  first  supposition  is  perhaps  the 
correct  one,  and  in  this  case,  this  part  of  the  circulation  in 
the  Anadonta,  &c,  only  differs  by  the  visceral  blood  entering 
the  sinus  before  it  circulates  through  the  excreting  organs ; 
and  by  more  of  the  blood  of  the  sinus  going  to  them.  This 
distribution  is  something  like  a  portal  system.  There  is  a  free 
passage  from  the  veins  of  the  mantle  into  the  auricles  and 
sinus  in  the  Pecten,  and  into  the  sinus  and  tissue  of  the  ex- 
cretory organs  in  the  Anadonta,  &c. * 

RESPIRATORY  SYSTEM. 

As  is  known  to  zootomists,  the  branchiae  of  the  Lamelli- 
branchiata  are  ciliated  for  the  purpose  of  exciting  currents  in 
the  water.  In  the  Monomyaria  and  Arcacece  there  are  no 
orifices  or  siphons  to  the  mantle  for  the  inlet  and  exit  of  the 
water  &c.  In  the  Pecten,  Spondylus,  and  Lima  the  branchiae 
of  each  side  are  situated  on  a  triangular  membrane,  at  a  dis- 
tance from  those  of  the  other.  The  two  branchice  of  the  same 
side  are  not  distinct  from  each  other,  and  their  processes  are 
disunited,  and  do  not  form  a  continuous  membrane  as  is  ge- 
nerally the  case,  but  are  kept  in  contact  with  each  other  by 
lateral  processes.  In  the  oyster  the  branchice  have  not  only 
their  processes  conjoined  into  a  membrane,  but  the  several 
laminae  are  united  at  their  bases.  In  the  Area,  Pectunculus, 
&c.  the  branchiae  of  each  side  are  separate  from  those  of  the 
other;  as  they  are  in  Modiola,  Mytilus,  Lithodomus,  and 
other  genera;  but  in  these  latter,  the  water  enters  by  the  pos- 
terior fringed  extremity  of  the  mantle,  and  makes  its  exit  by 
the  separate  orifice  situated  higher  up.     There  is  a  valve  be- 

1  Treviranus  considers  the  blood  from  the  branchial  veins  to  pass  through 
the  excretory  organs  before  it  enters  the  auricles.  Vanderhoeven  was  aware 
that  the  venous  blood  circulated  through  them,  in  opposition  to  the  erro- 
neous opinion  of  the  former,  according  to  Prof.  Grant.     Vid.  Lancet. 

s3 


170  ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 

low  this  orifice,  and  another  above,  to  regulate  the  currents 
in  the  proper  direction.  The  orifice  is  lengthened  into  a  tube 
in  the  Lithodomus ;  and  in  the  Pinna  the  anal  valve  has  ta- 
ken a  lengthened  ligulate  form.  The  Uniones  only  differ  from 
this  in  having  the  branchiae  united,  and  the  water  appears  to 
make  its  exit  by  insinuating  itself  between  them  and  the  foot, 
and  so  through  the  orifice.  In  the  Cardium  we  see  two  dis- 
tinct openings  behind ;  the  water  enters  by  the  lower  one, 
distends  the  mantle,  and  this  orifice  being  then  closed  by  the 
valve,  it  gets  between  the  foot  and  the  branchice,  and  is  dis- 
charged through  the  superior  orifice.  In  this  animal  the  pos- 
terior extremity  of  the  branchiae  is  united  to  the  septum  be- 
tween the  orifices,  so  that  the  two  respiratory  cavities  only 
communicate  by  the  side  of  the  foot.  In  the  Cyclas  both  the 
short  tubes  open  internally  below  the  branchiae,  and  there  is 
no  passage  required  between  the  latter  and  the  foot.  The 
water  in  this  and  similar  cases  has  only  access  to  the  spaces 
left  internally  between  the  lamince  of  the  branchiae  (oviducts 
of  Home)  from  behind :  it  is  over  these  spaces  that  the  secre- 
tory organs  and  oviducts  commonly  open.  We  find  this  last 
disposition,  only  with  the  siphons  more  developed,  in  Donax, 
Tellina,  Psammobia,  and  many  others.  There  is  in  these 
commonly  a  valve  between  the  internal  orifices  ;  but  the  wa- 
ter is  frequently  ejected  from  both  tubes.  In  the  Mactra,  Cy- 
therea,  Venus,  and  Venerupis,  the  tubes  are  more  muscular 
than  in  the  Tellinidae,  &c,  and  they  are  more  or  less  united ; 
the  branchiae  are  in  these  often  medianly  separated.  In  the 
Solen,  Hyatella,  Mya,  Pholas,  Teredo,  &c,  a  different  dispo- 
sition takes  place.  Here  the  branchiae  are  prolonged  into  the 
inferior  siphon,  and  as  they  are  not  separated  from  the  base 
of  the  foot  within,  nor  from  the  mantle  without,  the  water 
drawn  in  through  the  inferior  orifice  must  make  its  exit  by 
the  same,  or  by  the  anterior  opening.  But  water  is  likewise 
drawn  in  by  the  other,  and  so  gets  access  to  the  interior  in- 
ter-laminar spaces  of  the  branchiae ;  and  by  this  superior  si- 
phon the  ova,  faeces,  and  secretions  are  discharged.1  Here 
the  branchiae  are  often  very  long,  and  the  siphons  very  mus- 
cular. We  sometimes  find  small  supplementary  branchiae,  as 
in  the  Psammobia,  Pholas,  &c,  or  the  external  pair  may  be 
shortened  in  front,  as  in  Mya,  Venerupis,  and  many  other  ge- 
nera.    In  the  Pandora  the  only  appearance  of  the  external 

1  We  see  this  also  in  the  Tunicata.  By  one  orifice  water  enters  the  re- 
spiratory sac,  by  the  other  it  is  drawn  into  the  external  meshes  of  the  bran- 
chice. The  water  drawn  in  by  each  opening  must  make  its  exit  by  the  same. 
Those  writers  who  say  the  contrary  must  be  incorrect,  unless  the  water  pass 
through  the  stomach  and  intestine. 


ON  THE  LAMELLICORNS  OF  OLIVIER. 


171 


lamince  consists  of  two  very  narrow  strips  at  the  base  of  the 
others  ;  this  is  the  case  also,  according  to  Blainville,  in  the 
Osteodesma,  allied  to  the  former.  Though  it  is  not  by  the 
action  of  the  orifices  or  siphons,  or  by  the  relaxation  of  the 
shell-muscles,  and  the  opening  of  the  valves,  that  the  water 
is  drawn  into  the  mantle,  yet  these  accompany  the  occurrence; 
and  though  the  water  commonly  escapes  in  a  continuous 
stream  from  the  action  of  the  cilia,  a  sudden  ejection  of  it 
frequently  takes  place,  accompanied  by  a  closing  of  the  valves 
and  a  contraction  of  the  siphons.  These  latter  parts  have 
frequently  at  their  extremities  circles  of  ciliated  fringed  pro- 


cesses. 


(To  be  continued.) 


Art.  VI. — Observations  on  the  Lamellicoms  of  Olivier.      By  The 
Rev.  F.  W.  Hope,  F.R.S.,  F.L.S.,  F.Z.S.,  &c. 


GENUS. 

Cetonia. 


(  Continued  from  Page  24.J 


SPECIES. 

1  Goliathus 

2  Cacicus 

3  Polyphemus 

4  micans 

5  Chinensis 

6  nigrita 

7  aurata 

8  corticina 

9  bimaculata 

10  guttata 

11  aulica 

12  fas cicularis 

13  martnorea 

14  nitida 

15  lanius 

16  carnifex 

17  fuliginea 

18  pubescens 

19  hepatica 

20  tristis 

21  lobata 

22  irrorata 

23  elongata 

24  sinuata 

25  Gagates 

26  marginatum 

27  morio 

28  Capensis 

29  signata 

30  elegam 


Sierra  Leone 

Guinea 

Africa 

Senegal 

China 

Ceylon 

England 

Senegal 

C.  Good  Hope 

Sierra  Leone 

C.  Good  Hope 

Ditto 

Tobago 

North  America 

Carolina 

C.  Good  Hope 

Senegal 

C.  Good  Hope 

St.  Domingo 

Florida 

South  America 

Ditto 

Cayenne 

C.  Good  Hope 

Ditto 

Senegal 

South  of  France 

C.  Good  Hope 

Ditto 

Coromandcl 


ARRANGEMENT  OP  AUTHORS. 

Goliathus,  Lamarck 

Mecynorhina,  Hope 
Dicronorhina,  Hope 
Agestrata,  Escholtz 

Cetonia,  Fabricius 

Coryphe,  Gory 

Cetonia,  Fabricius 

Gymnetis,  MacLeay 


Diplognatha,  Goiy. 
Oplostomus,  MacLeay 
Cetonia,  Fabricius 
Chasmodia,  MacLeay 
Gymnetis,  MacLeay 

Cetonia,  Fabricius 
Cyclidius,  MacLeay 
Cetonia,  Fabricius 
Diplognatha,  Gory 
Cetonia.  Fabricius 


Coryphe,  Gory 


172 


OBSERVATIONS   ON 


C  ETON  I  A. 


31  4-maculata 

32  Africana 

33  Iris 

34  suturalis 

35  fulgida 

36  5-lineata 

37  Philippensis 

38  herbacea 

39  sulcata 

40  maculata 

41  olivacea 

42  interrupta 

43  bifida 

44  crucifera 

45  impressa 

46  inda 

47  cyanea 

48  acuminata 

49  aurichalcea 

50  lurida 

51  stolata 

52  lugubris 

53  histrio 

54  versicolor 

55  carulea 

56  variegata 

57  bipunctata 

58  areata 

59  sanguinolenta 

60  (Bquinoctialis 

61  argentea 

62  irregularis 

63  Airto 

64  stictica 

65  punctulata 
66hcemorrhoidalis 

67  nitidula 

68  Hottentotta 

69  cruenta 

70  pulverulenta 

71  eremita 

72  nobilis 

73  variabilis 

74  fasciata 

75  bidens 

76  viridula 

77  lunulata 

78  jM<7ra 

79  de'/fo 

80  hemiptera 

81  lineata 

82  nigripes 

83  crassipes 

84  canaliculata 

85  i<7mto 


Guinea 
Sierra  Leone 
Surinam 
Senegal 
Pennsylvania 
East  Indies 
China 

North  America 
Madagascar 
Coromandel 
Sierra  Leone 
C.  Good  Hope 
East  Indies 
Bombay- 
East  Indies 
North  America 
Java 

C.  Good  Hope 
Surat 
Brazils 
Sierra  Leone 
C.  Good  Hope 
Egypt 
East  Indies 
Ditto 

Tranquebar 
Senegal 
Virginia 
Senegal 
Ditto 
Mauritius 
Mexico 
Europe 
France 
Senegal 
C.  Good  Hope 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Brazils 
Europe 
England 
Germany 
England 
North  America 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Carolina 
Virginia 
England 
C.  Good  Hope 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Surinam 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  AUTHORS. 

Dicronorhina,  Hope 
Chlorocala,  Kirby 

Schuppelii,  MacLeay 
Cetonia,  Fabricius 
Macronota,  Hoffmans. 
Cetonia,  Fabricius 
Macraspis  P  MacLeay 
Cetonia,  Fabricius 


Schizorhina,  Kirby 
Diplognatha,  Fabricius 
Macronota,  Hoffmans. 
Cetonia,  Fabricius 
Schizorhina,  Kirby 
Cetonia,  Fabricius 


Polybaphes,  Kirby 

Gymnetis,  MacLeay 
Cetonia,  Fabricius 
Agenius,  Gory 
Cetonia,  Fabricius 
Polybaphes,  Kirby 

Cetonia,  Fabricius 


Genuchus,  Kirby 

Incas,fcem.,  Serville 
Osmoderma,  Serville 
Gnorimus,  Serville 
Gnorimus,  Serville 
Trichius,  Fabricius 


Archimedius,  Kirby 
Valgus,  Scriba 
Lepitrix,  Serville 

Pachycnema,  Serville 
Valgus,  Scriba 
Chrysophora  P  Dejean? 


THE  LAMELLICORNS  OF  OLIVIER. 


173 


GENUS. 

C ETON  I  A. 


Hexodon. 


86  gtabrata 

87  bicolor 

88  emerita 

89  clavata 

90  convexa 

91  smaragdula 

92  4-vittata 

93  tetradactyla 

94  lucida 

95  splendida 

96  chrysis 

97  brunnipes 

98  lineola 

99  Surinama 

100  striata 

101  4  -punctata 

102  lateralis 

103  pustulata 

104  bifrons 

105  Bajula 

106  holosericea 

107  strigosa 

108  undata 

109  picta 

110  maculosa 

111  liturata 

112  eiweto 

113  marginella 

114  tricolor 

115  tridentata 

116  Hebrcea 

117  velutina 

118  hispida 

119  ciliata 

120  tigrina 

1  reticulatum 

2  unicolor 


East  Indies  ? 

South  America 

Ditto 

Ditto 

St.  Domingo 

South  America 

Brazils 

Jamaica 

Guadaloupe 

Cayenne 

Surinam 

South  America 

Cayenne 

Surinam 

Guadaloupe 

East  Indies 

South  America 

Guadaloupe 

South  America 

Ditto 

Surinam 

South  America 

Cayenne 

Surinam 

South  America 

Brazils 

South  America 

Sierra  Leone 

East  Indies 

Senegal 

Equin.  Africa 

Caffraria 

C.  Good  Hope 

South  America? 

C.  Good  Hope 

Madagascar 
Ditto. 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  AUTHORS. 

Rutela,  Latreille 

Chrysophora  P 
Macraspis,  Macleay 


Chasmodia,  MacLeay 
Rutela,  Latreille 


Popillia,  Leach 
Macraspis,  MacLeay 
Cnemida,  Kirby 
Incas,  Serville 
Gymnetis,  MacLeay 


Rhomborhina,  Hope 
Cetonia,  Fabricius 
Polybaphes,  Kirby 
Cetonia,  Fabricius 
Diplognatha,  Gory 
Polybaphes,  Kirby 
Cetonia,  Fabricius 
Rutela  P 
Cetonia,  Fabricius 

Hexodon,  Fabricius 


Genus  6.  Cetonia. 


Sp.  1.  Goliathus.  Now  the  type  of  the  genus  Goliath  us: 
it  is  named  Drurii  by  Mr.  Westwood.  For  the  genera  be- 
longing to  this  important  group  the  reader  is  referred  to  the 
'  Illustrations  of  the  Annulosa  of  South  Africa,'  lately  pub- 
lished by  Mr.  W.  S.  MacLeay,  and  to  my  observations  in 
the  'Coleopterist's  Manual.' 

Sp.  2.  Cacicus.  Now  a  Goliathus  of  Lamarck.  Olivier, 
with  his  usual  inaccuracy  with  regard  to  country,  makes 


174  OBSERVATIONS  ON 

this  species  an  inhabitant  of  South  America ;  it  comes  from 
the  Old  World, — from  Guinea. 

Sp.  4.  micans.  Now  a  Dicronorhina  of  Hope.  Mr.  Strachan 
has  brought  to  England  with  him  a  new  species  of  this 
genus  from  the  vicinity  of  Sierra  Leone.  It  most  probably 
will  appear  in  an  early  number  of  the  'Entomological 
Transactions'  of  London. ■ 

Sp-  6.  nigrita.  Olivier  states  his  belief  that  this  insect  is 
only  a  variety  of  Macronota  Chinensis ;  Col.  Whithill  ob- 
tained it  from  the  Concan,  and  from  an  examination  of  the 
specimen  in  the  British  Museum  I  consider  it  as  a  distinct 
species. 

Sp.  7.  corticina.  This  is  still  a  Cetonia,  and  is  the  Cet.  pur- 
purascens  of  Fabricius. 

Sp.  9.  bimaculata.  This  insect  is  not  a  Gnathocera,  but  a 
Coryphe  of  Gory;  the  specific  name  of \flavomaculata  Fab., 
should  take  precedence  of  bimaculata. 

Sp.  10.  guttata.  Olivier  describes  this  species  as  inhabiting 
South  America.     I  have  received  it  from  Sierra  Leone. 

Sp.  11.  aulica.  Still  a  Cetonia.  It  appears,  however,  to 
afford  ample  characters  for  a  sub-genus. 

Sp.  13.  marmorea.  This  is  now  a  Gymnetis,  MacLeay.  Mr. 
Kirby  has  suggested  the  adoption  of  another  genus,  named 
by  him  Marmorina,  to  which  this  species  with  several 
others  ought  to  be  attached. 

Sp.  16.  carnifex.  Olivier's  locality  for  this  species  is  South 
America ;  it  inhabits  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  belongs 
to  the  genus  Diplognatha. 

Sp.  1 7.  fuliginea.  This  is  now  an  Oplostomus  of  MacLeay. 
For  the  details  consult  his  '  Illustrations  of  the  Zoology  of 
South  Africa,'  lately  published.  Olivier  gives  no  locality ; 
I  have  received  it  from  the  banks  of  the  Gambia,  and  Mr. 
MacLeay  from  the  Cape. 

Sp.  23.  elongata.  Now  a  Cyclidius  of  MacLeay,  of  which 
this  species  is  the  type.  Cetonia  axillaris,  Dupont,  be- 
longs to  the  same  genus.  Olivier  does  not  mention  the 
country  from  which  he  received  it :  Mr.  MacLeay  and 
Mons.  Gory  give  it  as  a  South  American  insect. 

Sp.  31.  quadrimaculata.  A  Dicronorhina,  Mihi.  The  ori- 
ginal specimen  from  which  Fabricius  and  Olivier  described 
the  above  insect  is  now  in  my  possession,  and  I  consider 
it  as  the  female  of  Goliathus  Daphnis  of  Buquet ;  Mr. 
MacLeay  however,  regards  it  as  distinct. 

1  The  insect  alluded  to  at  Cetonia  4,  appears  to  be  one  of  the  Goliatidce, 
and  is  the  male  of  Cet.  torquata,  Fab. ;  in  its  characters  it  seems  mediate 
between  Meet/norhina  and  Dicronorhina. 


THE  LAMELLICORNS  OF  OLIVIER.  175 

Sp.  33.  Iris.  This  species  is  not  mentioned  in  Percheron's 
and  Gory's  Cetoriiidce  ;  according  to  Mr.  Kirby  it  belongs 
to  his  genus  Chlorocala,  and  is  the  typical  species. 

Sp.  35.  fulgida.  No  locality  is  stated  by  Olivier ;  it  is  well 
known  however  to  be  a  North  American  insect. 

Sp.  36.  quinquelineata.  Two  species  have  been  described 
with  the  above  name,  both  of  them  I  believe  are  from  the 
East  Indies. 

Sp.  38.  herbacea.  This  insect  is  not  noticed  in  Percheron's 
and  Gory's  Monograph  ;  it  is  apparently  allied  to  Macraspis 

Sp.  44.  crucifera.  Now  a  Diploynatha.  This  insect  was 
called  by  Fabricius,  Cet.  atromaculaia,  and  is  properly 
preferred  by  Gory  to  the  former  name.  I  have  repeatedly 
received  it  from  Poona  and  Bombay. 

Sp.  46.  Inda.  The  locality  of  the  East  Indies  is  given  by 
Olivier ;  it  appears  peculiar  to  North  America. 

Sp.  47.  cyanea.  According  to  Gory  this  is  a  Schizorhina ; 
the  clypeus  is  bind  certainly,  but  it  deviates  however  from 
the  type  of  the  genus,  and  should  be  separated  from  Schi- 
zorhina, as  well  as  other  Asiatic  species.  Its  true  locality 
is  Java. 

Sp.  49.  aurichalcea.  This  as  well  as  other  species  recorded 
by  Olivier,  are  omitted  in  the  *  Monographic  des  Cetoines.' 

Sp.  51.  stolata.  Olivier  mentions  New  Holland  and  Senegal 
as  the  localities  of  the  above  insect;  with  respect  to  the 
former  he  is  in  error,  it  may  however  occur  in  Senegal,  as 
T  have  received  it  from  Sierra  Leone. 

Sp  55.  ccerulea.  Fabricius  originally  named  this  insect 
quadrimaculata  :  there  are  several  oriental  species  closely 
allied  to  it.  They  ought  to  be  formed  into  a  sub- genus 
allied  to  Gymnetis.  The  Asiatic  Gymnetidce  require  fur- 
ther sub-division. 

Sp.  62.  irregularis.  Olivier  does  not  mention  the  locality  of 
this  species ;  it  is  evidently  a  Mexican  insect. 

Sp.  63.  hirta.  This  insect  was  originally  called  Scarabceus 
hirtellusbj  Linnaeus ;  the  Sc.  squalidus  of  the  same  author, 
is  only  a  spotless  variety  of  the  above. 

Sp.  70.  pulverulenta.  As  Olivier  does  not  state  the  country 
from  which  this  insect  was  received  he  was  probably  un- 
acquainted with  it.     The  Brazils  abound  with  them. 

Sp.  76.  viridula.  Olivier  gives  a  wrong  locality  to  this  insect, 
viz.  the  East  Indies ;  it  occurs  only  in  Northern  America. 

Sp.  79.  Delta.  Now  an  Archimedius  of  Kirby,  one  of  the 
Tricliiida.  For  an  account  of  the  natural  groups  into 
which  this  genus  may  be  resolved,  the  reader  should  con- 
sult the  third  volume  of  the  'Zoological  Journal,' p.  136, 


176  OBSERVATIONS  ON 

where  there  is  an  excellent  paper  by  my  friend  Mr.  Kirby. 

Sp.  85.  ignita.  This  is  most  likely  a  Chrysophora ;  if  not 
it  is  a  Pelidnota  of  MacLeay. 

Sp.  86.  glabrata.  Olivier  gives  his  opinion  that  this  is  an 
East  Indian  insect ;  I  believe  it  to  belong  to  South  America 
and  to  be  one  of  the  Rutelidae. 

Sp.  88.  emerita.     Most  likely  a  true  Chrysophora. 

Sp.  91.  smaragdula.  Now  a  Macraspis  of  MacLeay.  Mr. 
Westwood  in  the  new  edition  of  Drury  considers  this  insect 
as  a  Chasmodia.  As  no  mention  in  the  description  is  made 
respecting  a  divided  clypeus,  a  peculiarity  of  Chasmodia, 
I  consider  it  a  Macraspis. 

Sp.  92.  quadrivittata.  The  name  offucata,  Fab.,  should  be 
used  instead  of  the  above.  The  Scarabceus  ductus  of 
Drury,  is  the  same  insect. 

Sp.  97.  brunuipes.  Now  a  Chasmodia  of  MacLeay.  It  is 
probable  that  Chasm,  castanea  De  Jean,  is  only  an  imma- 
ture variety  of  this  species.  Olivier  gives  no  locality  ;  it 
abounds  in  the  Brazils. 

Sp.  98.  lineola.  Now  a  Iiutela.  This  insect  is  subject  to 
vary  considerably,  several  of  the  varieties  are  considered 
as  species.     Sc.  Hesperus  of  Drury  is  one  of  them. 

Sp.   101.  quadripunctata.     Certainly  a  Popillia  of  Leach. 

Sp.  107.  strigosa.  This  species  is  apparently  unknown  to 
M.M.  Percheron  and  Gory,  as  it  is  omitted  in  their  mono- 
graph ;  so  also  is  the  following  species  of  Olivier,  named 
Undata. 

Sp.  109.  picta.  This  is  a  true  Gymnetis.  A  specimen  is  in 
my  collection,  others  I  have  seen  which  vary  much  in  the 
yellow  markings. 

Sp.  110.  maculosa.  The  name  of  Gracula  used  by  Fabricius 
should  take  the  place  of  maculosa,  on  the  ground  of  prio- 
rity. 

Sp.  111.  liturata.  Now  a  Gymnetis.  As  Olivier  has  omit- 
ted it,  I  give  the  Brazils  as  its  true  locality. 

Sp.  112.  cincta.  This  is  now  a  Rhomborhina  of  my  '  Ma- 
nual.'    Cet.  Taenia  of  Palisot  Beauvois,  is  the  same  insect. 

Sp.  113.  marginella.  A  Cetonia  of  authors.  Three  species 
in  the  European  Cabinets  are  confounded  together  under 
the  above  name ;  they  certainly  cannot  be  considered  as 
mere  varieties,  their  form  and  proportions  being  very  diffe- 
rent. 

Sp.  117.  velutina.  Now  a  Polybaphes  of  Kirby.  The  name 
of  velutina  must  be  changed  :  the  following  are  the  syno- 
nyms of  the  species. 


THE  LAMELLICORNS  OF  OLIVIER.  177 

discoidea  Fab.,  '  Syst.  Elect.'  2,  158,  116 
Cetonia-  velutina  Oliv.,  tab.  14,  fig.  121 

jiammea  Vigors,  'Zool.  Jour.,  vol.  2,  p.  237,  tab.  9. 
Sp.  119.  ciliata.     Most  likely  a  Kutela;  if  so,  its  country 

will  be  South  America. 

In  concluding  these  remarks  on  the  species  of  Lamellicorns 
mentioned  by  Olivier,  two  observations  will  occur  to  most 
entomologists.  The  first  is  Olivier's  want  of  a  better  ac- 
quaintance with  the  Fabrician  species ;  this  is  remarkable.  It 
certainly  should  not  have  occurred  respecting  the  species  de- 
scribed from  our  English  cabinets,  as  Fabricius  and  Olivier 
described  from  the  self-same  specimens ;  every  species  was 
labelled  by  Fabricius,  and  there  ought  not,  therefore,  to  have 
occurred  so  many  glaring  instances  of  decided  neglect.  The 
second  great  error  of  Olivier  was  an  indifference  about  stating 
the  countries  from  which  the  insects  were  received.  This 
blame  attaches  equally  to  Linnaeus,  Fabricius,  and  other  writ- 
ers of  the  same  period,  and  was  the  fault  of  the  age  in  which 
they  lived :  geographical  distribution  is  of  mere  modern 
growth,  it  is  however  of  very  great  importance,  and  will  even- 
tually be  found  the  best  clue  to  conduct  us  out  of  the  laby- 
rinths of  doubt  and  error,  and  without  it  we  never  can  satis- 
factorily arrange  the  families,  genera,  or  even  the  species  of 
Insecta. 

Olivier's  work,  as  a  whole,  is  one  of  the  best  which  has 
appeared  in  France  or  Europe ;  although  many  of  the  figures 
are  bad,  many  again  are  tolerably  faithful  portraits  of  the 
species.  A.  wretchedly  miserable  work,  with  Olivier's  figures 
was  published  at  Nuremberg  about  1800,  under  the  title  of 
'  Abbeldungen  zuk.  Illigeri,  Uebersetzung,  von  Olivier's  En- 
tomologie.'  The  plates  are  so  bad  that  it  is  rarely  admitted 
by  entomologists  into  their  libraries.  Faulty  indeed  as  the 
above  works  may  be,  they  are  yet  better  than  none.  It  is 
remarkable,  that  with  the  exception  of  Drury's  '  Illustrations 
of  Exotic  Entomology,'  the  English  authors  have  scarcely 
ever  published  a  general  work  of  any  magnitude,  with  plates. 
As  far  as  our  British  Fauna  goes  however,  we  greatly  sur- 
pass the  continental  writers,  as  no  where  in  Europe  will  be 
found  more  valuable  Faunas  than  those  of  Messrs.  Stephens 
and  Curtis.  A  publication  on  the  same  scale  as  that  of  Oli- 
vier's would  do  much  to  advance  the  science  of  Entomology, 
and  is  at  the  present  moment  a  great  desideratum.  There 
are  in  England  several  magnificent  collections,  able  artists, 
and  unrivalled  comparative  anatomists,  but  where  is  patronage 
to  stimulate  to  exertion  ?  How  little  is  science  encouraged, 
— how  weakly  is  it  supported  ! 


178  STRUCTURAL  DIFFERENCES 


Art.  VII. — On  the  structural  differences  observable  in  the  Crania 
of  the  four  British  Species  of  the  Genus  Cygnus.  By  W.  G. 
Pelerin,  Esq. 

It  may  be  considered  by  many  that  structural  variation  in 
the  crania  of  birds  is  of  little  importance ;  but  I  am  inclined 
to  think,  from  an  attentive  study  of  the  comparative  anatomy 
of  the  class  for  some  years,  that  it  may  frequently  tend,  if  not 
absolutely  to  decide  species,  at  least  materially  to  strengthen 
the  characters.  Many  species  that  were  long  considered  dif- 
ferent, as  the  purre,  dunlin,  &c,  had  the  crania  been  minute- 
ly examined,  would  have  proved  identical,  and  vice  versa,  as 
in  the  present  instances,  where  the  birds  are  so  nearly  allied 
in  point  of  colour  &c.  as  to  have  been  for  years  confounded, 
it  appears  to  me  worthy  of  attentive  consideration. 

As  some  doubts  have  been  lately  promulgated  on  the  con- 
tinent with  regard  to  the  swan  characterised  by  Mr.  Yarrell 
being  specifically  different  from  Cygnus  olor,  a  description 
and  comparison  of  the  cranium  of  each  may  be  interesting  to 
naturalists,  and  tend  to  prove  satisfactorily  that  they  are  dis- 
tinct. 

The  measurement  of  an  adult  cranium  of  each  bird  is  as 
follows. 

Length  from  the  tip  of  the  bill  to  the  base  of  the  occipital 
bone : — 

Cyg.  immutabilis,  6f  in.  Cyg.  olor,  6|  in. 

Height  from  the  bottom  of  the  lower  mandible  when  closed 
to  the  top  of  the  protuberance  at  the  base  of  the  bill : — 
Cyg.  immutabilis,  If  in.  Cyg.  olor,  2  in. 

Height  from  the  base  of  the  under  jaw  to  the  vertex  of  the 
head,  just  behind  the  orbit  of  the  eye : — 

Cyg.  immutabilis,  2^  in.  Cyg.  olor.  2\  in. 

In  Cyg.  immutabilis  the  bill  is  rather  more  flattened,  par- 
ticularly in  the  middle  between  the  dertrum  and  the  nostrils ; 
the  protuberance  at  the  base  of  the  upper  mandible  is  less  de- 
veloped, and  the  top  of  the  skull,  instead  of  being  nearly  on 
a  level  from  thence  to  the  summit  of  the  parietal  bones,  as  in 
Cyg.  olor,  rises  gradually  to  that  point,  and  does  not  indicate 
any  sign  of  the  small  foramen  observable  at  that  part  in  the 
latter  species :  but  the  greatest  difference  is  perceptible  on 


IN  THE  CRANIA  OF.  THE  BRITISH  SWANS.  179 

comparing  the  occipital  bones;  the  upper  portion  of  this  bone 
in  Cyg.  immutabilis  (a)  protrudes  considerably  more,  and 
there  are  two  oval  foramina  (b),  one  on  each  side  just  above 
the  foramen  magnum,  which  are  not  present  in  any  specimens 
of  Cyg.  olor  that  I  have  examined ;  the  portion  forming  the 
boundary  of  the  external  orifice  of  the  ear  (c)  is  much  more 
prominent,  and  the  condyle  forms  a  more  acute  angle  with 
the  basilar  portion  of  the  occipital  bone. 


Skull  of  Cygnus  immutabilis. 
A,  upper  portion  of  occipital  bone.    B,  oval  foramina,    C,  external  orifice  of  ear. 

One  of  the  chief  distinctions  of  Cyg.  olor  appears  to  be  the 
small  foramen  on  the  top  of  the  cranium,  which  1  have  inva- 
riably found  in  this,  but  never  in  a  single  instance  in  the  three 
other  species  :  the  two  foramina  in  the  occipital  bone  do  not 
appear  so  constant,  as,  although  I  have  always  detected  them 
in  Cyg.  Bewickii  and  never  in  Cyg.  olor,  they  are  occasional- 
ly observable  in  Cyg.  ferns,  but  wanting  in  the  greater  num- 
ber, and  even  in  some,  though  perceptible,  nearly  obliterated. 

The  small  size  of  the  head  of  Cyg.  Bewickii,  being  usually 
about  one  third  less  than  that  of  Cyg.  ferns,  and  the  compa- 
rative shortness  and  breadth  of  the  bill,  render  it  unnecessary 
to  describe  it  more  minutely,  as  it  would  be  at  once  detected 
by  any  observer  at  all  conversant  with  the  subject. 

The  specimen  of  Cyg.  immutabilis  from  which  the  accom- 
panying drawing  and  description  are  taken,  was  procured  in 
the  London  market,  and  has  been  some  years  in  my  collec- 
tion ;  and  from  a  frequent  comparison  with  many  crania  of 
Cyg.  olor,  from  which  it  uniformly  differed  in  the  above  par- 
ticulars, I  considered  it  as  the  head  of  a  nearly-allied  but  dis- 


180  DIFFERENCES  IN  CRANIA  OF  BRITISH  SWANS. 

tinct  species,  although  as  I  never  subsequently  met  with  ei- 
ther the  bird  or  cranium,  I  could  not  identify  it  with  any 
recognised  or  previously  described,  till  Mr.  Yarrell  having 
mentioned  to  me  that  he  had  determined  a  new  swan,  con- 
founded with,  but  in  reality  perfectly  separable  from  Cygnus 
olor,  I  had  no  doubt  that  mine  was  the  same  species,  and  on 
showing  it  to  him,  after  a  careful  investigation,  he  had  no  he- 
sitation in  confirming  my  views  with  regard  to  their  identity. 
Since  writing  the  above  I  have  dissected  the  lately  charac- 
terised goose,  which  affords  additional  proof  of  the  utility  of 
the  study  of  the  cranium,  and  also  furnishes  a  corroboration 
that  those  authors  who  have  not  separated  the  geese  from  the 
bernacles  are  correct ;  this  species  forming  a  beautiful  con- 
necting link  between  the  two  :  the  plumage,  colour  of  the 
beak,  and  legs,  assimilate  to  the  true  geese,  but  the  greater 
portion  of  its  anatomy  is  that  of  the  bernacles,  particularly  the 
head,  as,  were  it  not  that  it  is  one  third  larger,  it  might  be 
taken,  without  attentive  consideration,  for  that  of  Anser  Ber- 
nicla,  which  it  exactly  resembles  in  the  form  of  the  bill,  the 
height  of  the  skull,  and,  wherein  it  particularly  differs  from 
all  the  other  true  geese,  the  large  size  of  the  super-orbital 
glands,  and  corresponding  enlargement  of  the  processes  of 
the  lachrymal  bones  and  the  depressions  over  the  eyes  for 
their  attachment  and  insertion,  although  not  near  so  much 
developed  as  in  Anser  brenta,  in  which  these  glands  not 
only  meet,  but  lap  considerably  over  each  other,  and  occupy 
a  depression  formed  between  the  orbits  for  their  reception. 

65,  Great  Russel  St., 
Bloomsbury  Square. 


[The  new  goose  referred  to  above  was  described  by  Mr.  Bartlett  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Zoological  Society,  January  8th,  1839,  under  the  name  of 
Anser  phcenicopus,  or  pink-footed  goose.  It  bears  a  close  resemblance  to 
the  bean  goose  Anser  segetum,  for  which  it  is  probable  that  it  has  often  been 
mistaken ;  but  it  may  readily  be  distinguished  from  that  species  by  the  legs 
and  feet,  which,  in  a  living  or  recently-killed  specimen,  are  of  a  reddish 
flesh  colour  or  pink,  while  the  legs  and  feet  of  the  bean  goose  are  of  a  yel- 
lowish orange ;  the  bird  is  smaller,  the  bill  shorter,  and  the  plumage  more 
inclined  to  grey  than  in  the  bean  goose.  Mr.  Bartlett  stated  that  he  had 
examined  twenty  specimens  of  the  new  species,  in  all  of  which  the  above 
distinguishing  characters  were  present. — Ed."] 


ARTIFICIAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  BRITISH  PLANTS.  181 


Art.  VIII. — On  the  Artificial  Arrangement  of  some  of  the  more 
extensive  Natural  Orders  of  British  Plants.  By  Frederick 
John  Bird,  Esq. 

( Continued  from  Vol.  2,  n.  s.,  page  609.) 

LEGUMINOSJE. 

(FABACEjE,  Lindl.) 

In  the  analysis  of  the  genera  of  this  order  made  by  Dr. 
Lindley,  the  distinctions  upon  which  the  principal  divisions 
(Loteo?  and  Video?)  are  founded  consist  in  the  cotyledons  ris- 
ing above,ror  remaining  beneath  the  ground  during  germina- 
tion. To  determine,  however,  which  of  these  two  conditions 
obtains,  is  frequently  rendered  very  difficult  from  the  rarity 
of  specimens,  or  from  their  not  being  met  with  during  the  ear- 
lier stages  of  development ;  I  have  therefore  been  induced  to 
construct  the  following  table,  without  reference  to  the  above- 
mentioned  divisional  characters  adopted  by  Dr.  Lindley. 

The  British  genera  of  Leguminosw  are  contained  within 
the  Linnaean  division  Diadelphia  Decandria. 

Stamens  monadelphous & 

Stamens  diadelphous ,..M 


A       f  Calyx  2-lipped B. 

(Calyx  equal  C. 

j,      (Calyx  with  the  upper  lip  entire  Cytisus. 

(  Calyx  with  the  upper  lip  divided    D. 

£       ( Calyx  inflated,  5-toothed,  tubular  Anthyllis. 

\  Calyx  close,  5 -cleft,  campanulate  Ononis. 

y.       f  Calyx,  upper  lip  with  3,  lower  lip  with  2  teeth Ulex. 

'      (Calyx,  upper  lip  2-parted,  lower  lip  3-toothed  Genista. 


B. 


4 


»        (Leaves  with  tendrils B. 

(  Leaves  without  tendrils    F. 

R       ( Calyx  with  5  foliaceous  segments  Pisum. 

°'     (Calyx  5-toothed D. 

c       ( Style  curved,  ilat,  villous  in  front  Lathgrus. 

'      ( Style  not  curved,  or  at  right  angles  with  the  ovary  ..     E. 
y.       ( Style  villous  at  the  upper  side,  fruit  many-seeded...  Vicia. 
(Style  smooth,  fruit  2- or  4 -seeded  Ervum. 

j,      j  Leaves  termite  F. 

(Leaves  pinnate  or  absent K. 

Vol.  III.— No.  28.  n.  s.  t 


182  ON  THE  ARTIFICIAL  ARRANGEMENT 

-p       (Flowers  in  loose  racemes Melilotus. 

\  Flowers  in  heads  or  dense  spikes G. 

p       ( Stipules  ovate,  leafy,  pod  apterous Lotus. 

(  Stipules  pointed,  often  awned H. 

•n-      (Legumes  falcate  or  spiral Medicago. 

(  Legumes  straight I* 

-r        (Legumes  few-seeded Trifolium. 

{Legumes  many-seeded Trigonella. 

■tr       ( Leaves  pinnate  with  an  odd  leaflet L. 

(Leaves  abruptly  pinnate  or  terminating  in  a  seta....Orobus. 

•r        (Legumes  2-celled M. 

( Legumes  many-celled N. 

•»*■      (Carina  obtuse Astragalus. 

'     (Carina  ending  in  an  exserted  point Qpytropis. 

*t       (Flowers  yellow Hippocrepis. 

'     ( Flowers  red,  white,  or  rose-coloured 0. 

q       ( Stem  prostrate,  pod  with  several  joints  and  seeds.... Ornithopus. 
(Stem  erect,  pod  with  1  joint  and  1  seed Onobrychis. 

VMBELLIFEBM. 

{APIACEM,  Lindl.) 

The  sub -divisions  of  this  arrangement  of  the  umbelliferous 
genera  are  those  originally  formed  by  DeCandolle,  and  which 
are  also  adopted  in  Lindley's  '  Synopsis  ; '  but  the  characters 
on  which  the  "tribes"  of  the  latter  author  are  founded,  name- 
ly, the  primary  and  secondary  ridges  of  the  fruit,  have  not 
been  employed,  as  from  their  minuteness  in  many  cases,  it 
frequently  becomes  difficult  to  determine  the  relative  situa- 
tions which  they  occupy. 

The  plants  of  this  very  natural  assemblage  are  comprehend- 
ed in  the  Linnaean  group  Pentandria  Digynia. 

Sub-divisions. 

Fruit  with  the  face  flat  f 

Fruit  with  the  face  rolled  inwards  at  the  edges,  forming  a  longi- 
tudinal furrow f  f 

Fruit  with  the  face  curved  inwards  from  base  to  apex f  f  f 

,    ( Umbels  simple,  fascicled,  or  capitate,  terminal ..  JK 
*    (Umbels  compound,  terminal  or  lateral IS 

a* 

»        (Fruit  smooth ;  laterally  compressed Hydrocotyle. 

( Fruit  rough  with  scales  or  prickles ;  roundish B. 

g       J  Flowers  in  dense  heads  upon  a  scaly  receptacle Eryngium. 

*      (Flowers  in  close  umbels;  fruit  with  hooked  prickles Sanicula. 


OF  NATURAL  ORDERS  OF  BRITISH  PLANTS.  183 

(Fruit  compressed  laterally B. 

( Fruit  either  rounded,  or  compressed  dorsally N. 

(Calyx  leafy,  5-toethed Cicuta. 

(Calyx  obsolete  or  nearly  so C. 

(Plants  dioecious Trinia. 

(Plants  hermaphrodite D. 

(Leaves  simple,  undivided Bupleurum. 

(Leaves  compound,  pinnate  or  divided E. 

p       ( Fruit  crowned  with  the  persistent  styles F. 

(Fruit  not  crowned  with  the  styles H. 

(Styles  straight Conopodium. 

(Styles  reflexed G. 

-,       ( Umbels  without  any  involucre Pimpinella. 

'     (Partial  involucre  present Slum. 


A. 
15. 
C. 
D. 


F. 


H. 


( Fruit  apparently  single I. 

(Fruit  apparently  double M. 

T        ( Rays  of  the  umbel  not  exceeding  4  or  5 Sison. 

( Rays  of  the  umbel  numerous K. 


K. 


M. 


0. 


R. 


X. 


(Petals  ovate,  entire Helosciadium, 

(Petals  inversely  cordate,  emarginate L. 


j        ( Channels  with  single  vittce  ;  leaflets  linear Carum. 

( Channels  without  vittce ;  leaflets  ovate JEgopodium, 

(Involucra  absent Apium. 

(Involucra  present Petroselinum, 

N       ( Fruit  taper,  or  but  slightly  compressed  O. 

"     ( Fruit  much  compressed  at  the  back X. 

(Ridges  of  the  fruit  prickly Daucus. 

(Ridges  of  the  fruit  not  prickly P. 

p       ( Fruit  crowned  with  the  persistent  styles Q. 

(  Fruit  not  crowned  with  the  styles R. 

n       ( Styles  straight CEnanthe. 

u'     (Styles  reflexed... Seseli. 

( Involucra  both  absent... Fceniculum. 

(Partial  involucre  present S. 

^       f  Partial  involucre  3-leaved,  pendulous JEthusa. 

( Partial  involucre  many-leaved T. 

T       ( Seeds  unattached  in  the  dried  pericarp ;  lvs.  fleshy.  Crithmum. 

'     \  Seeds  attached  in  the  pericarp ;  leaves  not  fleshy...     U. 
TJ       ( Petals  acute  at  both  ends ;  leaflets  finely  divided  ...Meum. 

(Petals  obovate,  emarginate W. 

w      f  Leaflets  nearly  rhomboid,  serrated ;  flowers  white... Ligusticum. 
'    \  Leaflets  linear,  not  serrated  ;  flowers  yellowish Silaus. 


( Fruit  flattened,  with  a  thick  knotted  margin CC . 

( Fruit  flattened,  winged,  wings  not  knotted Y. 


Y  ( Fruit  with  a  double  wing  on  each  side  BB. 

'  (Fruit  dilated  into  a  single  wing  on  each  side Z. 

y  ( Ridges  of  fruit  equi-distant,  channels  with  1-3  vittce. Peucedanum. 

'  ( Two  lateral  ridges  remote,  channels  with  single  vittce.    AA. 


184  ARRANGEMENT  OF  BRITISH  PLANTS. 

a  a     |  Vittte  filiform,  involucella  absent  or  few-leaved Pastinaca. 

(  Vittce  clavate,  involueella  many-leaved Heracleum. 

j>t>    (Calyx  5-toothed,  seeds  with  many  vittee Archangelica. 

'  (Calyx  obsolete,  channels  with  single  vittce Angelica. 

pp     (  Channels  with  single  filiform  vittce Tordylium. 

'   (Channels  each  with  3  vittce Condylocarpus 

tt 

*        ( Fruit  armed  with  prickles B. 

( Fruit  smooth,  or  nearly  so D. 

t»       (Fruit  beaked Anthriscus. 

( Fruit  not  beaked C. 

p       ( Fr.  with  about  4  rows  of  prickles ;  rays  of  umbel  3..Caucalis. 
( Fr.  covered  with  prickles;  rays  of  urab.  exceeding  4.Torilis. 

j.       (Umbels  without  involucra Smyrnium. 

'     (Umbels  with  at  least  a  partial  involucre E. 

p       ( Fruit  laterally  compressed,  linear  F. 

'      ( Fruit  laterally  compressed,  ovate I. 

-p       (Fruit  beaked Scandix. 

'      ( Fruit  beakless H. 

tt      ( Fruit  with  blunt  ridges ;  pericarp  solid Chcerophyllum 

'     (Fruit  with  acute  ridges;  pericarp  hollow Myrrhis. 

T        ( Partial  involucre  3-lvd.  halved ;  ridges  of  fr.  crenate.  Conium. 
( Partial  involucre  many-lvd.  ridges  fine  or  depressed.     K. 

tt-       (Flowers  monoecious Echinophora. 

'     (Flowers  hermaphrodite Physospermum 

ttt 
Fruit  globose,  partial  involucre  halved Coriandrum. 

The  last-named  genus  is  here  enumerated  as  indigenous  to 
this  country,  although  it  is  still  a  matter  of  doubt  whether  it 
ought  to  be  ranked  as  such ;  but  the  numerous  and  wild  lo- 
calities in  which  it  has  been  found,  together  with  its  frequent 
abundance,  tend  considerably  to  strengthen  the  opinion  of  its 
being  so. 

(To  be  continued.) 


Art.  IX. — Observations  on  the  Rodentia,  with  a  view  to  point  out 
the  groups  as  indicated  by  the  structure  of  the  Crania,  in  this  Or- 
der of  Mammals.     By  G.  R.  Waterhouse,  Esq.,  Curator  to  the 
Zoological  Society,  Vice-Pres.  of  the  Entomological  Society. 
(  Continued  from  page  96). 

Family  II. — Myoxioe. 
Dentition. — Incisors  laterally  compressed.      Molares  -Jf, 
unequal  in  size,  rooted;  the  series  on  each  side  of  each  jaw 
widely  separated  and  parallel. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA. 


185 


(a)  Skull  of  Oraphiurus  Capensis,  seen  from  above, 
ramus  of  lower  jaw  of  Myoxus  avellanarius,  (inner  side, 
beneath. 


(ft)  the  same,  seen  laterally.         (c) 
{d)  skull  of  the  same  seen  from 


Skull. — Without  any  post-orbital  process  to  the  temporal 
bone ;  zygomatic  process  of  maxillary  bone  consisting  of  a 
broad  thin  plate,  the  base  of  which  occupies  the  whole  space 
between  the  plane  of  the  palate  and  that  of  the  upper  sur- 
face of  the  skull :  this  plate  perforated  by  a  tolerably  large 
ant-orbital  foramen.  Palatine  portions  of  intermaxillary, 
maxillary,  and  palate  bones  (in  Myoxus  avellanarius1)  on  the 
same  plane.  Incisive  foramina  long  and  narrow,  situated 
partially  in  the  intermaxillary  and  partially  in  the  maxillary 
bones;  palatine  process  of  the  maxillary  terminating  opposite 
the  penultimate  molar,  and  followed  by  a  narrow  palatine  pro- 
cess of  the  palate  bone.  In  the  palato-maxillary  suture  are 
two  large  foramina,  and  there  are  two  large' posterior  palatal 
foramina,  one  on  each  side,  near  the  inner  margin  of  the  last 
molar.     Glenoid  cavity  somewhat  contracted. 

Lower  jaw  with  the  descending  ramus  forming  a  quadrate 
process,  which  is  sometimes  perforated.  The  lower  posterior 
angle  of  this  process  is  incurved,  and  either  angular  or  round- 
ed and  the  upper  posterior  angle  is  acute  and  twisted  outwards. 

The  drawings  of  the  skulls  of  Myoxus  glis,  and  Graphiu- 
rus  Capensis,  which  illustrate  M.  F.  Cuvier's  paper  in  the 
'  Nouvelles  Ajmales  du  Mus.'  vol.  i.,  together  with  some  skulls 

1  I  have  not  had  an  opportunity  of  examining  the  palate  in  the  skulls  of 
any  other  species  of  this  family. 


186 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA, 


ofMyoxus  avellanarius,  now  before  me,  enable  me  to  give  the 
above  characters  of  the  present  family. 

The  general  form  of  the  skull  of  the  Myoxidce  is  interme- 
diate between  that  of  the  Sciuridce  and  the  Muridce ;  the  in- 
ter-orbital portion  is  more  contracted  than  in  the  Sciuridce, 
and  the  nasal  bones  are  proportionately  narrower  and  more 
elongated.  The  species  of  the  present  family  are  readily  dis- 
tinguished from  the  Sciuridce  by  the  want  of  a  post-orbital 
process  and  the  larger  size  of  the  ant-orbital  foramen,  which, 
instead  of  being  placed  far  forward  and  low  down,  is  situated 
in  the  thin  plate  which  forms  the  zygomatic  process  of  the 
maxillary  bone. 

The  larger  size  of  the  ant-orbital  foramen  and  the  imper- 
fect state  of  the  palatine  process  of  the  palate-bone,  lead  us 
to  the  Jerboas  {Dipus),  where  the  form  of  the  jaw  bears  a  re- 
markable resemblance  to  that  of  Myoxus,  as  will  be  seen. 

The  genera  Myoxus  and  Graphiurus  contain  all  the  spe- 
cies I  am  acquainted  with  belonging  to  the  Myoxid®. 


Family  III. — G-ERBOiDiE. 


or 


Dentition. — Incisors  laterally  compressed,     muiaio  T 
-§-§-)  rooted  and  unequal  in  size ;  the  series  on  each  side  of 
each  jaw  parallel  and  widely  separated. 


(a)  Skull  of  Dipus  hirtipes,  seen  from  above.         (6)  the  same  seen  laterally.  (c)  skull  of 

Dipus  sEgyptius,  seen  from  beneath         {d)  ramus  of  lower  jaw  of  ditto,  inner  side. 

Skull. — Palatine  portions  of  the  intermaxillary,  maxillary, 
and  palatine  bones  on  the  same  plane,  or  nearly  so.     Inci- 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA.  187 

sive  foramina  rather  large,  long  and  narrow,  situated  partly 
in  the  intermaxillaries  and  partly  in  the  maxillary  bones. — 
Orbits  large,  extending  far  back,  and  leaving  but  a  narrow 
passage  for  the  temporal  muscle.  Ant-orbital  foramen  very 
large.  The  arch  which  incloses  the  ant-orbital  foramen,  and 
separates  this  from  the  orbit,  is  formed  by  two  bones,  the  su- 
perior maxillary  bone  and  the  malar,  the  latter  running  pa- 
rallel with  the  former,  and  articulating  with  the  lachrymal 
bone.  The  maxillary  bone  may  be  described  as  throwing 
out  two  processes,  one  superior  and  one  inferior,  which  unite 
to  form  an  arch.  The  superior  process  is  thrown  out  from 
the  plane  of  the  upper  surface  of  the  skull,  and  the  inferior  is 
directed  outwards  from  the  plane  of  the  palate,  and  is  bifur- 
cate, one  portion  being  carried  upwards  to  join  the  superior 
process  and  form  the  arch,  and  the  other  portion,  directed 
backwards  beneath  the  malar  bone,  assists  in  the  formation  of 
the  zygoma.  Zygomatic  arches  slender  and  curved  down- 
wards, so  that  their  lower  boundary  is  below  the  level  of  the 
palate,  the  hinder  portion  of  the  zygoma  is  horizontally  com- 
pressed. The  glenoid  cavity  somewhat  contracted  and  ob- 
lique in  its  position,  being  directed  forwards  and  inwards  from 
the  root  of  the  zygomatic  process  of  the  temporal  bone,  and 
extending  upon  the  sphenoid.  Palatine  process  of  palate 
bone  continuing  the  plane  of  the  palate  beyond  the  line  of 
the  last  molars.  The  inter-parietal  bone  is  large  and  nearly 
of  a  semicircular  form. 

Lower  jaw  with  the  coronoid  process  rather  small,  the  con- 
dyloid curved  inwards :  the  descending  ramus  (or  posterior 
coronoid  process,  according  to  Carus)  is  somewhat  quadrate 
and  perforated,  angular  in  Dipus,  and  has  the  lower  and  pos- 
terior portion  somewhat  rounded  in  Alactaga.  The  symphy- 
sis menti  is  of  but  small  extent. 

My  materials  for  drawing  up  the  characters  of  the  present 
group  are  very  limited :  skulls  of  Dipus  Mgyptius,  and  two 
or  three  figures,  are  all  I  have  at  my  command.  M.  F.  Cu- 
vier  (in  his  '  Memoire  sur  les  Gerboises,'  &c. * )  has  figured 
the  skull  of  a  species  of  Dipus  and  that  of  an  Alactaga,  and 
in  both  the  descending  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw  is  perforated. 

The  skulls  of  the  species  of  Dipus  are  remarkable  for  the 
somewhat  oblique  direction  of  the  glenoid  cavity  of  the  tem- 
poral bone,  and  for  the  great  developement  of  the  auditory 
bullce,  which  encroach  upon  and  contract  the  occipital  por- 
tion of  the  cranium.  A  narrow  band  of  the  squamous  por- 
tion of  the  temporal  bone  is  extended  backwards  over  the 

1  See  '  Transactions  of  the  Zoological  Society,'  Vol.  ii.  pi.  24. 


188  APPLICATION  OF  PHOTOGENIC  DRAWING 

auditory  bulla,  and  joins  a  similar  band  which  forms  part  of 
the  supra-occipital  bone.  In  the  genus  Alactaga  the  audito- 
ry bullae  are  comparatively  small,  and  the  peculiar  bands  just 
described  do  not  appear  to  exist. 

In  the  form  of  the  lower  jaw  the  genus  Dipus  very  closely 
resembles  Myoxus,  especially  My.  avellanarius ;  in  both  the 
descending  ramus  is  perforated,  and  in  Myoxus  as  in  Dipus 
the  glenoid  cavity  of  the  temporal  bone  is  oblique,  though  in 
a  less  marked  degree.  On  the  other  hand  we  find  a  conside- 
rable resemblance,  in  the  palate  and  its  foramina,  between 
the  animals  of  the  present  family  and  those  of  the  genus  Ger- 
billus. 

The  genera  Dipus,  Alactaga,  and  Meriones  belong  to  the 
present  family ;  I  must  observe  however  that  the  Dipus  Ca- 
nadensis, (which  constitutes  the  genus  Meriones,  according 
to  most  of  the  later  writers),  presents  a  form  of  skull  which, 
in  many  respects,  is  intermediate  between  the  jerboas  and 
the  dormice  {Myoxidce).  Comparing  the  lower  jaw  of  Dipus 
JEgyptius  with  that  of  Myoxus  avellanarius,  we  perceive 
that  the  coronoid  process  is  proportionately  larger  in  the  lat- 
ter ;  in  this  respect  the  Meriones  Canadensis  agrees  with  the 
dormouse ;  it  also  approaches  more  nearly  to  the  last-men- 
tioned animal  in  the  comparatively  small  extent  of  the  pala- 
tine portion  of  the  palate  bone.  In  the  size  of  the  ant-orbital 
foramen,  the  Mer.  Canadensis  is  intermediate  between  the 
two  animals  with  which  we  are  comparing  it.  This  foramen 
being  larger  than  in  Myoxus,  and  smaller  than  in  Dipus.  In 
Mer.  Canadensis,  as  in  the  jerboas,  the  portion  of  the  zygo- 
matic process  of  the  maxilla  which  forms  the  lower  boundary 
of  the  ant-orbital  passage  is  thrown  out  from  the  plane  of  the 
palate.  The  incisive  foramina  are  larger  in  Mer.  Canaden- 
sis than  in  Myoxus  avellanarius,  thus  agreeing  with  Dipus. 

(To  be  continued.) 


Art.  X. — Observations  on  the  application  of  Heliographic  or  Pho- 
togenic Drawing  to  Botanical  Purposes  ;  with  an  account  of  an 
economic  mode  of  preparing  the  Paper :  in  a  Letter  to  the  Editor 
of  the  * Magazine  of  Natural  History.'  By  Golding  Bird, 
M.D.,  F.L.S.,  &c. 

Sir, 

The  mode  of  fixing  the  images  of  the  camera 
obscura,  and  copying  engravings,  by  means  of  the  chemical 
action  of  light  on  paper  prepared  with  a  solution  of  chloride  of 


TO  BOTANICAL  TURPOSES.  189 

silver,  has  attracted  so  much  notice,  and  produced  so  much 
popular  excitement,  that  a  few  observations  on  this  interest- 
ing process  will  not  perhaps  be  considered  out  of  place  in 
your  Magazine.  I  venture  to  occupy  your  pages  with  the 
less  reluctance,  because  I  feel  that  the  application  of  this  he- 
liographic  or  photogenic  art  will  be  of  immense  service  to  the 
botanist,  by  enabling  him  to  procure  beautiful  outline  draw- 
ings of  many  plants,  with  a  degree  of  accuracy  which,  other- 
wise, he  could  not  hope  to  obtain. 

That  light  will  act  on  chloride  of  silver  is  by  no  means 
a  novel  discovery,  and  paper  prepared  with  it  was  long  ago 
used  by  Ritter  and  Wollaston,  in  testing  the  chemical  action 
of  the  rays  of  the  solar  spectrum ;  still,  in  this  country  it  was 
not,  I  believe,  applied  to  any  purpose  likely  to  be  of  use  to 
the  naturalist  and  traveller,  until  brought  into  notice  by  the 
researches  of  Mr.  Talbot.  It  is  not  a  little  amusing  to  ob- 
serve how  many  pretenders  to  the  discovery  have  started  up. 
since  the  announcement  of  Mr.  Talbot's  discovery,  and  that 
of  M.  Daguerre  in  France.  The  latter  gentleman  has,  through 
M.  Arago,  at  a  late  meeting  of  the  French  Institute,  announ- 
ced his  mode  of  preparing  a  sensitive  paper,  far  exceeding 
that  of  Mr.  Talbot  in  delicacy,  but  otherwise  possessing  the 
same  property  of  indicating  intensity  of  light  by  depth  of 
colour,  and  consequently  differing  from  that  marvellous  pre- 
paration which  he  is  said  to  possess,  and  which  represents 
shadows  by  depth  of  colour,  precisely  as  in  nature. 

M.  Daguerre  prepares  his  heliographic  paper  by  immersing 
a  sheet  of  thin  paper  in  hydrochloric  ether,  which  has  been 
kept  sufficiently  long  to  be  acid ;  the  paper  is  then  carefully 
and  completely  dried,  as  this  is  stated  to  be  essential  to  its 
proper  preparation.  The  paper  is  next  dipped  into  a  solu- 
tion of  nitrate  of  silver,  (the  degree  of  concentration  of  which 
is  not  mentioned),  and  dried  without  artificial  heat  in  a  room 
from  which  every  ray  of  light  is  carefully  excluded.  By  this 
process  it  acquires  a  very  remarkable  facility  in  being  black- 
ened on  a  very  slight  exposure  to  light,  even  when  the  latter 
is  by  no  means  intense,  indeed  by  the  diffused  daylight  of 
early  evening  in  the  month  of  February.  This  prepared  pa- 
per rapidly  loses  its  extreme  sensitiveness  to  light,  and  finally 
becomes  not  more  readily  acted  upon  by  the  solar  beams  than 
paper  dipped  in  nitrate  of  silver  only.  M.  Daguerre  renders 
his  drawings  permanent  by  dipping  them  in  water,  so  as  to 
dissolve  all  the  undecomposed  salt  of  silver. 

This  process  is  very  inconvenient,  for  many  reasons,  among 
which  are  the  difficulty  of  procuring,  as  well  as  the  expense 
of,  hydrochloric  ether :  on  this  account  I  prefer  Mr.  Talbot's 

Vol.  III.— No.  28.  n.  s.  u 


190  APPLICATION  OF  PHOTOGENIC  DRAWING 

process,  although  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  this  gentleman  has 
not  stated  more  explicitly  the  proportions  in  which  he  uses 
the  ingredients  employed  in  the  preparation  of  his  sensitive 
paper.  I  have  performed  a  set  of  experiments  on  this  sub- 
ject, and  can  recommend  the  following  proportions  as  the 
most  effective  and  economical.  200  grains  of  common  salt 
are  to  be  dissolved  in  a  pint  of  water,  and  sheets  of  thin  blue 
wove  post  paper  saturated  with  the  solution,  which,  for  this 
purpose,  should  be  poured  into  a  dish,  and,  the  paper  being 
immersed,  the  application  of  the  solution  to  every  part  should 
be  ensured  by  the  use  of  a  sponge.  The  paper  is  then  to  be 
removed,  drained  of  its  superfluous  moisture,  and  nearly  dried 
by  pressure  between  folds  of  linen  or  bibulous  paper. 

240  grains  of  fused  nitrate  of  silver  are  then  to  be  dissolved 
in  12  fluid  ounces  of  water,  and  this  solution  is  to  be  applied 
by  means  of  a  sponge  to  one  side  of  each  sheet  of  the  previ- 
ously prepared  paper,  which  side  should  be  marked  with  a 
pencil,  so  that  when  the  paper  is  fit  for  use  the  prepared  side 
may  be  distinguished.  The  sheets  of  paper  are  then  to  be 
hung  upon  lines  in  a  dark  room  to  dry,  and  when  nearly  free 
from  moisture,  their  marked  sides  are  to  be  once  more  sponged 
over  with  the  solution  of  silver,  and  finally  dried ;  they  are 
then  to  be  cut  into  pieces  of  convenient  size,  and  preserved 
from  light,  or  even  too  much  exposure  to  air,  by  being  wrap- 
ped up  in  several  folds  of  brown  paper,  and  kept  in  a  portfolio. 

The  proportions  above  recommended  are  sufficient  for  the 
preparation  of  a  quire  of  the  kind  of  paper  alluded  to ;  if 
more  of  the  salt  of  silver  were  used,  the  paper  would  indeed 
become  darker  by  the  action  of  light,  but  its  expense  would 
be  proportionally  increased  :  and  when  prepared  in  the  man- 
ner directed,  it  assumes,  by  less  than  a  minute's  exposure  to 
the  rays  of  the  sun,  a  rich  mulberry  brown  tint,  of  sufficient 
intensity  to  define  an  outline  very  beautifully,  which  indeed 
is  all  that  is  required. 

To  use  this  paper,  the  specimen  of  which  a  drawing  is  re- 
quired, is  removed  from  the  herbarium,  placed  on  a  piece  of 
the  paper,  and  kept  in  situ  by  a  pane  of  common  glass  press- 
ed by  weights :  a  piece  of  plate  glass,  however,  is  preferable, 
as  it  is  sufficiently  heavy  to  press  the  plant  close  to  the  pa- 
per. The  whole  is  then  placed  in  the  sunshine,  and  in  less 
than  a  minute  all  the  uncovered  parts  of  the  paper  will  as- 
sume a  rich  brown  tint.  The  paper  should  then  be  removed 
from  the  direct  influence  of  the  sun,  and  placed  in  a  book  un- 
til the  drawing  be  rendered  permanent:  the  specimen,  quite 
uninjured  by  the  process,  may  then  be  replaced  in  the  herba- 
rium, and  the  drawing  of  another  be  taken,  and  so  on.     So 


TO  BOTANICAL  PURPOSES.  191 

rapidly  is  this  process  executed,  that  twenty-five  or  thirty 
drawings  may  be  obtained  in  an  hour,  providing  we  are  fa- 
voured with  a  direct  sun-beam ;  if,  however,  we  have  only  the 
diffused  day-light,  five  or  ten  minutes,  and  sometimes  even 
more,  are  required  to  produce  a  drawing  with  well-defined 
outlines. 

If  drawings  of  recent  plants  be  required,  specimens  of  pro- 
per size  should  be  cut,  and  if  not  too  rigid,  placed  on  a  piece 
of  the  paper,  and  kept  in  a  proper  position  by  means  of  a  pane 
of  glass,  as  in  the  case  of  dried  specimens ;  but  if  the  plant 
be  rigid,  the  specimens  should  be  placed  for  twenty-four 
hours  between  folds  of  blotting-paper,  under  a  heavy  weight, 
before  placing  them  on  the  sensitive  paper. 

Having  obtained  as  many  drawings  as  are  required,  the 
next  thing  is  to  fix  them,  so  that  their  otherwise  evanescent 
character  may  not  deprive  them  of  their  value.  For  this  pur- 
pose place  them  in  a  dish,  and  pour  cold  water  over  them ; 
allow  them  to  soak  for  ten  minutes,  and  then  transfer  them  to, 
or  sponge  them  over  with,  a  solution,  made  by  dissolving  an 
ounce  of  common  salt  in  half  a  pint  of  water,  to  which  half  a 
fluid  ounce  of  the  tincture  of  the  sesqui-chloride  of  iron  has 
been  added.  The  drawings  thus  prepared  may  be  dried  by 
pressure  between  folds  of  linen,  and  exposure  to  the  air ;  and 
may  then  be  examined  without  danger.  On  looking  at  them 
every  one  must  be  struck  with  the  extreme  accuracy  with 
which  every  scale,  nay,  every  projecting  hair,  is  preserved  on 
the  paper ;  the  character  and  habit  of  the  plant  is  most  beau- 
tifully delineated,  and  if  the  leaves  be  not  too  opake,  the 
venation  is  most  exquisitely  represented ;  (this  is  particularly 
the  case  with  the  more  delicate  ferns,  as  Polypodium  Dryop- 
teris).  Among  those  classes  of  plants  which  appear  to  be 
more  fitted  than  others  for  representation  by  this  process,  may 
be  ranked  the  ferns,  grasses,  and  umbelliferous  plants ;  the 
photogenic  drawings  of  the  former,  are  indeed  of  exquisite 
beauty. 

The  fact  of  the  object  being  white  on  a  brown  ground 
does  not  affect  the  utility  of  this  mode  of  making  botanic 
drawings  ;  indeed,  I  almost  fancy  that  their  character  is  bet- 
ter preserved  by  this  contrast  of  tint,  than  by  a  coloured  out- 
line on  a  white  ground.  Every  one  will  be  fully  aware  of  the 
value  of  this  process  to  the  botanist,  in  obtaining  drawings  of 
rare  plants  preserved  in  the  herbaria  of  others,  and  which  he 
would  otherwise  have  probably  no  means  of  obtaining. 

If  the  drawing  of  a  tree  or  large  shrub  be  required,  a  box, 
blackened  inside,  having  a  hole  at  one  end  about  1 J  inch  in 
diameter,  must  be  provided ;  in  this  hole  should  be  placed  a 


192  EDITORIAL  ARTICLE. 

lens  of  5  or  6  inches  focus ;  if  one  of  longer  focus  be  used, 
the  dispersion  of  light  becomes  too  great  to  ensure  an  accurate 
representation.  When  the  tree  or  shrub  is  well  illuminated 
by  the  solar  beams,  the  lens  should  be  presented  towards  it, 
at  a  distance  varying  of  course  with  the  height  of  the  object. 
A  piece  of  card-board  should  then  be  placed  in  the  box,  a 
little  beyond  the  true  focus  of  the  lens,  and  the  former  moved 
until  a  well-defined  bright  image  of  the  tree  &c.  is  formed  on 
the  card,  of  course  in  an  inverted  direction.  The  box  is  then 
to  be  placed  on  any  convenient  support  in  this  position,  and 
a  piece  of  the  prepared  paper  fixed  on  the  card,  the  lid  of  the 
box  is  then  to  be  closed,  and  the  whole  left  for  half  an  hour, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  a  beautifully  accurate  outline  of  the 
object  will  be  found  on  the  paper,  which  is  then  to  be  render- 
ed permanent  in  the  usual  manner.  It  is  obvious  that  this 
plan  is  unavailable  on  a  windy  day,  on  account  of  the  branch- 
es of  the  tree  &c.  being  continually  moving,  so  that  it  is  of 
far  less  use  to  the  botanist  than  the  above  described  process 
for  obtaining  drawings  of  small  specimens. 

Various  other  applications  of  this  paper  will  suggest  them- 
selves to  the  minds  of  naturalists,  but  having  far  exceeded  my 
intended  limits,  I  conclude  by  subscribing  myself, 

Yours  very  faithfully, 
Golding  Bird,  M.D. 
22,  Wilmington  Square, 

March  25th,  1839. 


magazine  of  natural  history. 

APEIL,  1839. 

The  Memoir  of  Madame  Power  upon  the  Paper  Nautilus  and  the  ce- 
phalopodous  animal  as  yet  its  only  known  occupant,  originally  published 
in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Catania,  is  concluded  in  our  pre- 
sent number :  and  to  those  who  feel  at  all  curious  upon  the  subject,  the 
history  of  this  lady's  researches  will  furnish  matter  of  extreme  interest. 
To  us  it  appears  that  the  observations  of  Madame  Power,  in  connection 
with  evidence  subsequently  drawn  from  materials  in  her  possession,  all 
but  demonstrate  the  relation  between  the  poulp  and  the  argonaut-shell, 
to  be  one  of  necessity  and  not  of  convenience.  At  all  events,  this  long-dis- 
puted question  will  henceforward  hold  a  position  very  different  to  that 
which  it  has  for  a  long  period  occupied ;  for  it  will  hardly  now  be  assert- 


EDITORIAL  ARTICLE.  193 

ed  that  the  arguments  for  and  against  the  parasitic  hypothesis  are  equally 
balanced.  We  admit  that  in  some  particulars  Madame  Power's  descrip- 
tive details  are  open  to  objection,  as  being  sometimes  evidently  inaccurate ; 
but  this,  to  a  great  extent,  may  be  explained  as  a  consequence  re- 
sulting from  her  want  of  physiological  knowledge,  and  partly  from  a  very 
natural  wish  on  her  part  not  to  appear  ignorant  of  things  which  she  sup- 
posed every  body  knew.  Fortunately  it  happens  that  some  of  the  more 
important  facts  bearing  upon  the  question  at  issue,  although  originating 
in  the  researches  of  this  lady,  do  not  rest  upon  her  individual  testimony 
as  the  sole  authority  for  their  existence.  M.  Sander  Rang  has  fully  con- 
firmed all  that  she  has  stated  of  the  manner  in  which  the  poulp  applies 
its  palmated  or  sail-arms  to  the  keel  and  sides  of  the  shell ;  and  Profes- 
sor Owen,  at  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Zoological  Society,  communi- 
cated the  result  of  his  own  observations  upon  the  materials  placed  at  his 
disposal  by  Madame  Power.  In  a  series  of  ova  exhibiting  various  stages 
of  developement,  he  found  in  those  most  advanced  the  contained  embryo 
having  the  distinction  of  body  and  head  established ;  the  pigment  of  the 
eyes,  the  ink  in  the  ink-bladder,  the  pigmental  spots  on  the  skin  were  dis- 
tinctly apparent ;  the  siphon,  the  beak,  and  the  arms  were  also  discrimi- 
nated by  a  low  microscopic  power ;  but  no  trace  of  the  shell.  Now  Ma- 
dame Power  has  uniformly  asserted  that  the  young  poulp  is  excluded  naked 
from  the  egg,  although  fully  cognisant  of  Poli's  belief  that  he  had  de- 
tected the  embryo-shell  within  the  ovum  ;  and  the  result  of  Prof.  Owen's 
examination  is  therefore  strong  presumptive  evidence  in  favor  of  her 
statement.  With  respect  to  the  supposed  exception  among  the  testace- 
ous Mollusca  which  the  young  of  the  poulp  would  form,  (granting  the 
condition  of  its  naked  exclusion  from  the  egg),  and  the  consequent  infe- 
rence which  might  be  drawn  in  favor  of  the  parasitic  theory,  Mr.  Owen 
observed  that  the  mode  of  the  development  of  the  ova  of  Mollusca  has  not 
been  investigated  even  to  the  amount  of  one  per  cent.,  so  that  the  data 
are  far  too  imperfect  for  arriving  at  even  a  general  law  respecting  the 
existence  of  the  shell  within  the  ovum,  and  much  less  one  so  precise  as 
almost  to  prohibit  the  possibility  of  a  cephalopod  that  is  born  naked  se- 
creting a  shell  some  days  afterwards.  The  collection  of  argonauts  with 
the  respective  animals  brought  by  Madame  Power  on  her  present  visit  to 
this  country,  consists  of  twenty  specimens  in  all  stages  of  growth.  In 
every  case  Mr.  Owen  found  that  the  position  of  the  cephalopod  with  re- 
spect to  the  shell  corresponded  to  that  in  the  pearly  nautilus;  in  the 
young  specimens  the  body  of  the  cephalopod  was  exactly  adapted  to  the 
whole  cavity  of  the  shell,  but  was  withdrawn  from  the  apex  in  those  of  a 
larger  size,  and  the  deserted  place  filled  with  the  mucous  secretion  or  ova 


194  EDITORIAL  ARTICLE. 

of  the  animal.  The  argonaut-shells  which  had  been  perforated  or  frac- 
tured hy  Madame  Power,  and  subsequently  repaired  whilst  in  her  posses- 
sion, went  very  far  towards  convincing  us  that  the  two  kinds  of  repairing 
material  which  we  have  described  on  a  former  occasion1  are  deposited  by 
one  and  the  same  mollusc,  being  merely  different  stages  of  a  continued 
secretive  process.  Perhaps,  however,  the  most  convincing  argument  put 
forward  by  Mr.  Owen,  is  this.  The  young  cephalopod  grows  rapidly, 
and  a  uniform  correspondence  is  found  between  its  size  and  that  of  the 
shell  which  it  inhabits;  consequently,  upon  the  parasitic  hypothesis,  the 
young  Ocythoe  must  be  engaged  in  waging  continual  warfare  with  the 
hypothetical  true  constructors  of  the  argonaut  shell,  and  the  number  of 
these  hypothetical  true  constructors  must  infinitely  exceed  the  number 
of  the  hypothetical  parasitic  occupiers;  now  from  the  abundance  in 
which  Madame  Power  has  procured  cephalopods  and  shells,  the  hypo- 
thetical true  constructors  ought  to  swarm  in  the  port  of  Messina,  and  yet 
this  great  desideratum  in  the  science  of  Malacology  has  not  only  evaded 
her  observation,  but  the  observation  of  all  other  collectors  who  have  ex- 
plored the  coasts  of  the  Mediterranean. 

The  entire  summary  of  Mr.  Murchison's  researches  upon  the  group  of 
ancient  fossiliferous  rocks,  to  which  he  has  applied  the  term  "  Silurian 
System,"  has  appeared  in  two  quarto  volumes,  accompanied  by  a  splendid 
suite  of  maps  and  illustrations.  Altogether  we  think  this  work  must  be 
regarded  as  the  most  important  memoir,  of  a  purely  geological  character, 
that  has  ever  appeared  in  this,  or  perhaps  any  other  country.  Nothing 
but  the  high  reputation  with  which  Mr.  Murchison's  name  must  always 
be  associated  wherever  Geology  is  known  as  a  science,  in  connection  with 
the  "  Silurian  System,"  can  in  any  way  recompense  him  for  the  labour  it 
must  have  cost  in  its  production.  We  make  this  casual  allusion  to  the 
appearance  of  the  work,  reserving  for  another  occasion  a  more  extended 
notice  of  its  contents. 

The  Report  by  Mr.  De  la  Beche  on  the  Geology  of  Devon,  and  criti- 
cal notices  of  many  other  geological  works  acknowledged  on  our  wrap- 
per, and  with  which  our  library  table  is  almost  covered,  are,  from  the 
pressure  of  original  articles,  postponed  for  the  present. 

A  work  has  beeD  published  within  the  last  few  days,  entitled  '  Proceed- 
ings of  the  Botanical  Society  of  London,  from  July,  1836,  to  November, 
1838.'  We  imagine  that  the  majority  of  metropolitan  botanists  would 
feel  somewhat  indignant  if  the  condition  of  botanical  science  in  the  ca- 
pital of  Britain  were  to  be,  in  any  way,  tested  by  the  contents  of  this  vo- 


'  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.'  n.  s.  vol.  i.  page  528. 


EDITORIAL  ARTICLE.  195 

lume.  The  anxiety  of  the  Council  to  see  their  own  names,  or  the  name 
of  the  Society,  in  print,  has  overreached  their  discretion,  or  they  certainly 
would  have  avoided  a  public  record  of  their  proceedings,  so  long  as  the 
reading  of  articles  from  foreign  journals,  in  lieu  of  original  papers,  occu- 
pied the  business  of  their  monthly  meetings.  Belonging  to  the  Society  in 
question,  we  feel  at  liberty  thus  to  express  our  sentiments,  because  we 
think  the  volume,  taken  as  a  whole,  is  not  creditable  to  the  Society,  and 
calculated  rather  to  keep  it  in  the  rear,  instead  of  contributing  to  place 
it  on  a  level  with  other  bodies  of  a  kindred  nature.  The  plant  allied  to 
Nympheea,  and  transmitted  to  this  country  from  Guana  by  Schomburgh, 
is  figured  and  described  under  the  name  Victoria  Regina,  Schomburgh, 
though  in  the  '  Magazine  of  Zoology  and  Botany,'  vol  ii.  page  440,  it  is 
published  as  Victoria  Regina,  Gray.  The  Society,  it  appears,  has  adopt- 
ed this  plant  as  its  emblem,  the  Queen  having,  in  accordance  with  the 
wish  of  its  discoverer,  granted  permission  for  the  use  of  her  name  to  de- 
signate the  genus.  Should  Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty  Queen  Victoria 
have  the  curiosity  to  look  at  the  description  of  this  Royal  plant,  what 
must  be  her  astonishment,  if  the  elements  of  Botany  and  the  rudiments  of 
Latin  have  formed  a  part  of  Her  Majesty's  education,  to  find  that  under 
the  sanction  of  the  Botanical  Society  of  London,  or  at  any  rate  that  of 
the  Council,  this  said  Royal  plant,  Victoria  Regina,  is  characterised  as 
having  "foliis  orbiculatis,  supra  reticulato  areolatis  utrinque  glabro;  nervis 
venisque  subtus  prominentis  aculeatis" 

Messrs.  Doubleday  and  Foster  have  been  welcomed  on  their  return 
from  America,  with  a  dinner  by  their  entomological  friends,  principally 
intended  as  a  public  acknowledgment  for  the  time  and  expense  devoted 
by  these  two  gentleman  to  the  advancement  of  science,  and  the  liberal 
manner  in  which  they  intend  to  dispose  of  the  rich  collection  formed  dur- 
ing their  travels.1  On  this  occasion  the  uniform  cordiality  and  kindness 
they  had  experienced  among  American  naturalists,  was  spoken  of  in  the 
warmest  terms  of  grateful  recollection. 

It  will  be  seen  by  a  notice  on  the  second  page  of  the  wrapper,  that 
with  the  May  number  of  this  Magazine  a  supplementary  part,  containing 
plates  will  be  issued.  The  introduction  of  Memoirs  illustrated  by  plates 
constitutes  a  new  feature  in  the  publication  of  this  journal,  and  one  to 
which  we  respectfully  invite  the  attention  and  support  of  our  subscribers. 
We  have  long  considered  the  limiting  the  illustrations  to  wood-cuts  a 


1  It  is  understood  that  the  collection  will  be  distributed  among  the  pub- 
lic cabinets  of  the  metropolis. 


196  LIMNORIA  TEREBRANS  IN  PLYMOUTH  HARBOUR. 

drawback  to  the  Magazine,  not  only  from  its  excluding  certain  papers 
which  would  otherwise  gain  insertion,  but  by  its  preventing  the  work 
from  taking  that  rank  in  scientific  literature  to  which  the  number  and 
character  of  its  contributors  fairly  entitle  it.  We  have  thought  it  better 
to  publish  the  plates  in  a  separate  form,  rather  than  to  make  an  altera- 
tion in  the  price  of  the  Magazine,  intending  the  purchase  of  the  supple- 
ment, (after  the  issue  of  the  first  number),  to  be  quite  optional  with  the 
subscribers.  It  is  proposed  to  publish  about  three  of  these  supplementary 
parts  in  the  course  of  a  twelvemonth,  and  not  in  any  way  to  reduce  the 
number  of  woodcuts  in  the  body  of  the  Magazine. 


SHORT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

Limnoria  terebrans  in  Plymouth  Harbour. — In  my  paper  on 
the  Teredo  and  Limnoria  (vol.  ii.  n.  s.  page  206)  I  stated  that 
I  had  submitted  Kyanized  wood  to  the  test  of  the  action  of 
the  Limnoria;  accordingly  on  the  12th  of  January,  1838,  I 
placed  the  following  pieces  of  wood  on  the  piles  of  the  Pitch- 
House  Jetty,  in  Plymouth  Dock- Yard,  at  low  water  ;  a  piece 
of  American  deal,  4  inches  by  10^  thick;  also  a  piece  of  si- 
milar dimensions,  which  had  been  soaked  for  two  months  in 
a  saturated  solution  of  arsenic ;  and  two  others  which  had 
been  prepared  with  Kyan's  solution,  by  W.  Evans,  Esq.,  the 
agent  of  the  patentee  in  this  town.  On  the  12th  of  the  fol- 
lowing August,  the  pieces  having  all  been  under  water  for 
seven  months,  were  taken  up  by  some  of  the  dock-yard  men 
in  presence  of  Mr.  Churchward  and  myself,  and  they  are  now 
in  my  possession.  It  was  found  that  the  protected  pieces 
had  all  been  acted  on,  though  not  to  quite  so  great  an  extent 
as  the  plain  piece  of  deal ;  but  the  specimens  were  dotted 
with  Balani  and  Flustrce,  and  all  contained  living  Limnoria, 
and  it  was  evident  that,  though  retarded,  the  destruction  of 
the  wood  would,  in  a  few  months  more,  have  been  equally  as 
certain  as  where  none  of  the  above  preparations  had  been 
employed. 

It  appears  to  me  highly  improbable  that  any  protection  can 
be  afforded  in  cases  of  this  kind,  from  the  employment  of  so- 
luble substances  ;  for  in  the  instance  of  the  solution  of  oxide 
of  arsenic,  or  of  the  bi-chloride  of  mercury  (corrosive  subli- 
mate), which  Kyan's  solution  is  known  to  be,  it  is  evident  that 
any  additional  quantity  of  fluid  coming  in  contact  with  it, 
will  dilute  it,  or  re-dissolve  any  of  the  salt  which  might  have 
been  deposited  in  the  pores  of  the  wood,  by  drying  ;  the  con- 


TONES  FATUI. — WHITE-HEADED  EAGLE.  197 

tinual  washing  of  the  sea  will  effectually  clear  the  surface  of 
the  wood  of  any  deleterious  matter ;  and  although  the  fore- 
most depredators  may  perish  in  making  a  lodgement  in  the 
interior,  yet  myriads  are  ready  to  supply  their  places,  and  to 
maintain  the  ground  already  gained,  while  the  continued  ac- 
tion of  the  water  will  tend  to  assist  them  in  their  efforts : 
hence  I  am  of  opinion  that  we  have  not  discovered  in  Kyan's 
solution  a  certain  remedy  against  the  destruction  of  wooden 
erections  in  any  of  the  estuaries  around  our  island. 

Since  the  publication  of  my  paper  the  Lords  of  the  Admi- 
ralty have  ordered  the  flooring  of  the  south  building-slip  in 
this  dock-yard  to  be  removed,  and  replaced  with  stone. 

I  have  just  learned  that  two  arches  of  the  wooden  bridge 
at  Teignmouth  have  fallen  down,  in  consequence  of  the  piers 
having  been  destroyed  by  the  Teredo ;  so  that  we  have  here 
found  another  locality  for  that  animal. — Edward  Moore, 
M.D.— Plymouth,  Sept.  20th,  1838. 

Ignes  fatui. — The  existence  of  this  meteor,  which  I  have 
endeavoured  to  confirm  in  your  journal  against  the  doubts  of 
a  correspondent,  derives  additional  support  from  a  statement 
communicated  in  Poggendorf  s  'Annalen,'  No.  6, 1838,  p.  366, 
by  Prof.  Bessel,  who  made  his  observations  in  a  perfectly 
calm  and  misty  December  night.  The  phenomenon  consist- 
ed in  numerous  little  flames,  which  originated  over  ground  in 
many  places  covered  with  stagnant  water,  and  disappeared, 
after  having  shone  forth  a  short  time.  The  colour  of  these 
flames  was  somewhat  bluish,  like  that  of  the  impure  hydro- 
gen generated  from  iron  filings  and  dilute  sulphuric  acid. — 
The  observation  was  made  on  one  of  the  large  moors  in  the 
Duchy  of  Bremen,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  leagues  from  the 
observatory  of  Lilienthal.  On  the  ground  where  the  ignes 
fatui  were  seen,  much  peat  had  been  dug  out,  and  the  surface 
is  consequently  uneven.  There  were  hundreds  of  lights,  each 
of  which  lasted  about  a  quarter  of  a  minute.  They  would  of- 
ten remain  in  the  same  place,  but  often  also  move  horizon- 
tally ;  great  numbers  of  them  were  commonly  put  into  motion 
together.  These  movements  were,  no  doubt,  effected  by  cur- 
rents of  air,  which  were  not  perceived  at  the  place  where 
Prof.  Bessel  was.  It  will  be  perceived  that  in  every  essen- 
tial particular  the  observation  agrees  with  that  communicated 
by  me. —  W.  Weissenborn. —  Weimar,  Jan.  20th,  1839. 

Curious  capture  of  a  White-headed  Eagle. —In  the  mena- 
gery  at  the  Pfaueninsel,  near  Potsdam,  there  is  a  white-head- 
ed eagle  (Falco  albicilla),  which  was  caught  in  the  following 
curious  manner.  It  was  seen  to  pounce  upon  a  sturgeon  in 
the  river  Havel,  but  the  fish  was  too  heavy  to  be  lifted  into 

Vol.  III.— No.  28.  n.  s.  x 


198  EAGLE  CAPTURED  AT  SWAFFHAM. — THE  BAT. 

the  air  by  the  biid,  though  not  strong  enough  to  draw  the 
latter,  which  struggled  with  its  wings,  under  the  water. — 
Thus  the  fish  rushed  along  on  the  surface,  the  two  animals 
looking  much  like  a  boat  with  the  sails  spread,  until  both 
were  secured  by  some  people  who  went  after  them  in  a  boat. 
— Id. 

Capture  of  an  Eagle  at  Swaffham. — About  the  end  of  De- 
cember last  a  large  eagle  was  observed  on  Beachamwell  war- 
ren, about  three  miles  from  Swaffham,  where  it  made  great 
destruction  among  the  rabbits.  The  warreners  tried  every 
scheme  to  entrap  it,  but  without  success ;  as  it  would  not 
come  down  to  a  bait.  On  the  5th  instant  one  of  the  keepers 
of  John  Motteux,  Esq.,  saw  it  fly  into  a  plantation  adjoining 
the  warren,  and  by  sending  a  person  to  the  farther  side,  it 
was  frightened  towards  him,  when  he  got  a  shot  at  it  and 
killed  it.  It  proved  to  be  the  white-tailed  or  cinereous  eagle 
(Falco  albicilla,  Linn.),  weighing  lO^lbs.,  and  measuring  be- 
tween the  tips  of  the  wings  7  ft.  5  inches ;  it  was  a  male  bird, 
but  not  in  the  adult  plumage,  the  general  colour  being  light 
brown,  and  the  tail  feathers  not  perfectly  white.  I  have  pre- 
served it  in  my  collection  of  British  birds,  and  on  skinning  it 
found  it  a  complete  mass  of  fat. 

There  was  a  pair  of  the  long-tailed  duck  {Anas  glacialis, 
Linn.)  killed  in  the  beginning  of  February,  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Lynn,  but  I  was  not  fortunate  enough  to  get  them. 
Two  pairs  of  the  red-breasted  merganser  (Mergus  serrator, 
Linn.)  were  shot  about  the  same  time. — Henry  Dugmore,  Rec- 
tor of  Pensthorp. — Swaffham,  March  12th,  1839. 

Early  appearance  of  the  common  Bat. — I  have,  the  last 
two  years,  observed  an  unusually  early  appearance  of  the  com- 
mon bat  (Vespertilio  pipistrellus).  On  the  6th  of  March, 
1838,  at  1  o'clock,  P.M.,  it  being  a  bright,  warm,  sunny  day, 
I  observed  one  of  these  animals  flitting  about  in  search  of  food, 
in  a  garden  at  Poole,  in  Dorsetshire ;  and  although  it  fre- 
quently flew  to  a  considerable  distance,  it  returned  again  and 
again  to  the  same  locality,  and  I  continued  watching  it  for  a 
considerable  period.  On  the  following  day  a  similar  circum- 
stance occurred  iii  another  garden  at  Poole.  This  year  I  have 
observed  a  still  earlier  appearance  of  this  little  animal,  viz., 
an  the  23rd  of  February.  I  was  riding  on  that  day  from 
Brading  to  Ryde,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  at  about  half-past  5, 
P.M.  The  weather  was  warm  and  serene,  and  the  light  of 
the  moon  was  succeeding  to  that  of  the  sun,  which  had  lately 
set,  when  I  observed  a  bat  hovering  about  precisely  as  in  a 
summer  evening.     Before  arriving  at  Ryde  I  saw  two  more  of 


THE  SWIFT. — IMPROVEMENT  IN  THE  MICROSCOPE.        199 

these  little  creatures,  but  have  not  observed  any  since  that 
date.— T.  Bell  Salter.— Ryde,  March  15th,  1839. 

Note  on  the  Hirundinidce. — On  Wednesday,  July  the  25th, 
1838,  about  a  mile  from  Blackburn,  I  saw  an  immense  multi- 
tude of  swifts  {Cypselus  Apus) ;  there  were  several  himdreds 
of  them  :  the  locality  was  a  print- work  and  a  factory,  turned 
by  a  water-wheel,  a  large  lodge  of  water,  and  several  streams, 
close  by  the  river  Darwen ;  this  is  always  a  favourite  haunt 
of  the  whole  of  the  swallow  tribe,  and  they  are  generally  met 
with  there  in  great  numbers,  but  so  large  an  assemblage  of 
swifts  I  never  saw  before,  for  of  late  years  there  have  been 
very  few  of  them.  Could  they,  at  that  early  period  be  pre- 
paring for  their  annual  migration  ? 

On  Friday,  October  19th,  1838,  I  saw  three  swallows  ho- 
vering in  the  streets  of  Blackburn  ;  they  were  busy  hawking 
for  flies,  were  strong  on  the  wing,  and  apparently  adult  birds. 
— John  Skaife. — Blackburn,  Oct.  2\st,  1838. 

Improvements  in  the  Microscope. — In  the  '  Magazine  of 
Natural  History'  for  June,  1838,  page  345,  was  inserted  a  no- 
tice of  improvements  in  the  microscope,  made  by  myself.  I 
have  now  to  inform  you  of  an  additional  improvement  for 
equalizing  the  light,  and  of  a  facility  in  adjusting  the  focus, 
which  now  scarcely  leaves  anything  to  be  wished,  in  the  use 
of  this  most  invaluable  instrument  of  research  in  its  improved 
state. 

To  equalize  the  light,  I  have  mounted  upon  the  top  of  my 
graduating  tube,  an  exceedingly  finely  greyed  plate  of  glass, 
and  by  this  means  produce  the  effect,  so  very  desirable,  of  a 
cloud.  I  thus  entirely  get  rid  of  the  unpleasant  glare  and 
glitter  produced  by  the  use  of  a  candle  or  lamp.  The  greying 
effect  was  produced  on  the  surface  of  the  glass  plate  by  the 
employment  of  emery,  which  was  suspended  in  water  half  a 
minute,  and  was  thus  levigated  in  a  very  high  degree  indeed. 

The  adjustment  of  the  focus,  so  highly  necessary  to  accom- 
pany every  change  in  the  position  of  an  object,  1  now  effect 
as  follows.  I  have  before  stated  that  Mr.  Andrew  Ross  had 
effected  the  minute  adjustment  of  the  focus,  by  a  fine  screw 
with  a  milled  head.  Now,  this  milled  head  is  placed  upon 
the  top  of  the  stem  of  the  microscope,  and  I  had  only  to  bring 
the  left  hand  into  use,  instead  of  letting  it  lie  idle  as  usual, 
and  to  employ  it  to  turn  the  milled  screw-head ;  and  I  thus 
at  once  constantly  effected  the  minute  adjustment  of  the  focus 
with  every  change  in  the  position  of  the  object. 

I  hardly  need  expatiate  upon  this  great  advantage  in  the 
use  of  the  microscope.  The  right  hand  is  fully  employed  in 
effecting  the  crossing  motions  of  the  stage ;  and  thus  both 


200  INSECTS  IN  SPONGILLA  FLUVIATILIS. 

hands  are  most  usefully  engaged :  indeed,  after  fifty  years  of 
constant  use  of  the  microscope,  I  can  truly  say  that  it  is  only 
now  that  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  in  the  employment  of  that 
instrument. — Thomas  Gill. — 125,  Strand,  March  23rd,  1839. 

Anomalous  Insect  found  in  Spongilla  Jluviatilis. — At  the 
meeting  of  the  Entomological  Society  held  on  the  3rd  of  De- 
cember, 1838,  Mr.  Westwood  read  the  description  of  a  minute 
and  anomalous  species  of  insect  recently  discovered  as  the  in- 
habitant of  the  Spongilla  Jluviatilis.  These  little  insects  are 
scarcely  more  than  one  eighth  of  an  inch  long,  and  of  a  pale 
green  colour,  with  six  moderately  long  legs,  having,  at  first 
sight,  much  of  the  appearance  of  Aphides.  They  are,  how- 
ever, apterous,  and  of  a  very  peculiar  structure,  so  that  not 
only  is  the  family  doubtful  to  which  they  belong,  but  even 
the  order  and  class.  The  antenna  are  about  half  the  length 
of  the  body  and  very  slender,  and  the  mouth  consists  of  four 
naked  seta,  exceedingly  delicate,  porrected,  and  equalling 
the  antenna  in  length ;  they  arise  in  pairs  at  a  short  distance 
apart,  and  are  not  inclosed  in  any  sheath,  like  the  setce  of 
Hemiptera.  The  body  is  clothed  with  numerous  long  hairs, 
and  each  of  the  abdominal  segments  is  furnished  at  the  sides 
with  a  pair  of  long,  flattened,  articulated  filaments,  somewhat 
like  those  of  the  larva  of  Sialis  lutaria,  which  are  evidently 
organs  of  respiration,  and  are  kept  in  constant  agitation  in 
their  watery  abode.  Mr.  Westwood  is  doubtful  whether,  not- 
withstanding several  of  their  characters,  these  insects  ought 
not  to  be  regarded  as  having  arrived  at  their  full  growth,  as 
they  possess  certain  points  of  resemblance  with  the  perma- 
nently apterous  Coccida  and  Aphida,  whilst  there  is  no  tribe 
or  family  of  insects  of  which  they  can  be  regarded  as  the  lar- 
va, (except  perhaps  the  anomalous  genus  Acentropus,  that 
has  been  regarded  by  Stephens  as  Neuropterous,  Curtis  as 
Trichopterous,  and  Westwood  as  Lepidopterous,  and  of  which 
the  larva  is  unknown). 

Mr.  Hogg,  F.L.S.,  by  whom  these  insects  were  discovered, 
during  a  series  of  minute  investigations  upon  the  Spongilla, 
has  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  the  motions  of  these  in- 
sects, and  the  undulations  which  they  produce  in  the  water, 
have  been  mistaken  by  Laurenti  and  others  for  movements  of 
the  sponge  itself,  and  which  they  have  accordingly  regarded 
as  affording  proofs  of  the  animality  of  that  substance. 


THE  MAGAZINE 


OF 


NATURAL  HISTORY. 


MAY,  1839. 


Art.  I. — Extracts  from  the  Proceedings  of  the  Geological  Society 
of  London,  relating  to  the  supposed  Mammiferous  Remains  of  the 
Stonesfield  Oolitic  Strata. ' 

"  Nov.  21,  1838.— A  paper  was  first  read  J  On  the  jaws  of  the  Thylacothe- 
rium  Prevostii  (Valenciennes)  from  Stonesfield,'  by  Richard  Owen,  Esq., 
F.G.S.,  Hunterian  Professor,  Royal  College  of  Surgeons. 

"  Doubts  having  been  recently  expressed  by  M.  de  Blainville,  from  in- 
spection of  casts,  respecting  the  mammiferous  nature  of  the  fossil  jaws  found 
at  Stonesfield,  and  assigned  to  the  Marsupialia  by  Baron  Cuvier,  Mr.  Owen 
brought  the  paper  before  the  Society  to  meet  the  objections,  and  to  give  a 
detailed  account  of  the  fossils  from  a  careful  inspection  of  the  originals. — 
In  this  communication,  however,  he  confined  his  description  chiefly  to  the 
jaws  of  one  of  the  two  genera  which  have  been  discovered  at  Stonesfield, 
and  characterised  by  having  eleven  molars  in  each  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw, 
reserving  to  a  future  occasion  an  account  of  the  remains  of  the  other  genus. 

"  Mr.  Owen  commences  by  observing  that  the  scientific  world  possesses 
ample  experience  of  the  truth  and  tact  with  which  the  illustrious  Cuvier 
formed  his  judgments  of  the  affinities  of  an  extinct  animal  from  the  in- 
spection of  a  fossil  fragment ;  and  that  it  is  only  when  so  distinguished  a 
comparative  anatomist  as  M.  de  Blainville  questions  the  determinations, 
that  it  becomes  the  duty  of  those  who  possess  the  means,  to  investigate  the 
nature  of  the  doubts,  and  reassure  the  confidence  of  geologists  in  their 
great  guide. 

"  When  Cuvier  first  hastily  examined  at  Oxford,  in  1818,  one  of  the 
jaws  described  in  this  paper,  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Buckland,  he  decided 
that  it  was  allied  to  the  Didelphys,  (me  semblerent  de  quelque  didelphe2) ; 
and  when  doubts  were  raised  by  M.  Constant  Prevost,  in  18243,  relative  to 
the  age  of  the  Stonesfield  slate,  Cuvier,  from  an  examination  of  a  drawing 
made  for  the  express  purpose,  was  confirmed  in  his  former  determination ; 
but  he  added,  that  the  jaw  differs  from  that  of  all  known  carnivorous  Mam- 
malia, in  having  ten  molars  in  a  series  in  the  lower  jaw:  "il  [the  drawing] 
me  confirme  dans  l'idee  que  la  premiere  inspection  m'en  avoit  donnee. — 

1  For  other  papers  upon  this  subject  by  M.M.  De  Blainville  and  Valen- 
ciennes, see '  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.'  vol.  ii.  n.  s.,  p.  639,  and  vol.  iii.  pp.  1  &  49. 
2'Ossemens  Foss.'  tome  iii.  p.  349. 

3'Annales  des  Sciences  Nat.'  Avril,  1825 ;  also  the  papers  of  Mr.  Bro- 
derip  and  Dr.  Fitton  in  the  Zoological  Journal,  1828,  vol.  iii.  p.  409. 

Vol.  III.— No.  29.  n.  s.  y 


202  FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD. 

C'est  celle  d'un  petit  carna,ssier  dont  les  machelieres  ressemblent  beaucoup 
a  celles  des  sarigues ;  mais  il  y  a  dix  de  ces  dents  en  serie,  nombre  que  ne 
montre  aucun  carnassier  connu."  (Oss.  Foss.  111.  349.  note).  It  is  to  be 
regretted  that  the  particular  data,  with  the  exception  of  the  number  of 
the  teeth,  on  which  Cuvier  based  his  opinion,  were  not  detailed;  but  he 
must  have  been  well  aware  that  the  grounds  of  his  belief  would  be  obvious, 
on  an  inspection  of  the  fossil,  to  every  competent  anatomist :  it  is  also  to 
be  regretted  that  he  did  not  assign  to  the  fossil  a  generic  name,  and  thereby 
have  prevented  much  of  the  reasoning  founded  on  the  supposition  that  he 
considered  it  to  have  belonged  to  a  true  Didelphys. 

"  Mr.  Owen  then  proceeded  to  describe  the  structure  of  the  jaw ;  and  he 
stated  that  having  had  in  his  possession  two  specimens  of  the  Thylacothe- 
rium  Prevostii,  belonging  to  Dr.  Buckland,  he  has  no  hesitation  in  declar- 
ing that  their  condition  is  such  as  to  enable  any  anatomist,  conversant  with 
the  established  generalizations  in  comparative  osteology,  to  pronounce  there- 
from not  only  the  class,  but  the  more  restricted  group  of  animals  to  which 
they  have  belonged.  The  specimens  plainly  reveal,  first,  a  convex  articular 
condyle;  secondly,  a  well-defined  impression  of  what  was  once  a  broad,  thin, 
high,  and  slightly  recurved,  triangular,  coronoid  process,  rising  immediate- 
ly anterior  to  the  condyle,  having  its  basis  extended  over  the  whole  of  the 
interspace  between  the  condyle  and  the  commencement  of  the  molar  series, 
and  having  a  vertical  diameter  equal  to  that  of  the  horizontal  ramus  of  the 
jaw  itself:  this  impression  also  exhibits  traces  of  the  ridge  leading  forwards 
from  the  condyle  and  the  depression  above  it,  which  characterises  the  coro- 
noid process  of  the  zoophagous  marsupials;  thirdly,  the  angle  of  the  jaw  is 
continued  to  the  same  extent  below  the  condyle  as  the  coronoid  process 
reaches  above  it,  and  its  apex  is  continued  backwards  in  the  form  of  a  pro- 
cess ;  fourthly,  the  parts  above  described  form  one  continuous  portion  with 
the  horizontal  ramus  of  the  jaw,  neither  the  articular  condyle  nor  the  coro- 
noid being  distinct  pieces,  as  in  reptiles.  These  are  the  characters,  Mr. 
Owen  believes,  on  which  Cuvier  formed  his  opinion  of  the  nature  of  the  fos- 
sil ;  and  they  have  arrested  the  attention  of  M.  Valenciennes,  in  his  endea- 
vours to  dissipate  the  doubts  of  M.  de  Blainville.1 

"  From  the  examination  of  a  cast  the  latter,  however,  has  been  induced 
to  infer  that  there  is  no  trace  of  a  convex  condyle,  but  in  place  thereof  an 
articular  fissure,  somewhat  as  in  the  jaws  of  fishes;  that  the  teeth,  instead 
of  being  imbedded  in  sockets,  have  their  fangs  confluent  with  or  anchylosed 
to  the  substance  of  the  jaws,  and  that  the  jaw  itself  presents  evident  traces 
of  the  composite  structure. 

"  In  answer  to  the  first  of  these  positions,  Mr.  Owen  states  that  the  por- 
tion of  the  true  condyle  which  remains  in  both  the  specimens  of  Thylaco- 
therium  examined  by  Cuvier  and  M.  Valenciennes,  clearly  shows  that  the 
condyle  was  convex,  and  not  concave.  It  is  situated  a  little  above  the  le- 
vel of  the  grinding  surface  of  the  teeth,  and  projects  beyond  the  vertical 
line  dropped  from  the  extremity  of  the  coronoid  process,  but  not  to  the 
same  extent  as  in  the  true  Didelphys.  In  the  specimen  examined  by  M. 
Valenciennes,  the  condyle  corresponds  in  position  with  that  of  the  jaw  of 
the  Dasyurus  rather  than  the  Didelphys ;  it  is  convex,  as  in  mammiferous 
animals,  and  not  concave  as  in  oviparous.  The  entire  convex  condyle  ex- 
ists in  the  specimen  belonging  to  the  other  genus,  Phascolotherium,  now  in 
the  British  Museum,  but  formerly  in  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  Broderip.  Mr. 
Owen  is  of  opinion  that  the  entering  angle  or  notch,  either  above  or  below 

i  'Comptes  Rendus,'  1838;  Second  Semestre,  No.  11,  Sept.  10,  p.  527  et 


FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD.  203 

the  true  articular  condyle,  has  been  mistaken  for  "  une  sorte  d'echancrure 
articulaire,  un  peu  comme  dans  les  poissons." 

"  The  specimen  of  the  half-jaw  of  the  thylacothere  examined  by  M.  Va- 
lenciennes, like  that  which  was  transmitted  to  Cuvier,  presents  the  inner 
surface  to  the  observer,  and  exhibits  both  the  orifice  of  the  dental  canal  and 
the  symphysis  in  a  perfect  state.  The  foramen  in  the  fossil  is  situated  re- 
latively more  forward  than  in  the  recent  opossum  and  dasyiire,  or  in  the 
placental  Insectivora,  but  has  the  same  place  as  in  the  marsupial  genus 
Hypsiprymnus.  The  symphysis  is  long  and  narrow,  and  is  continued  for- 
ward in  the  same  line  with  the  gently  convex  inferior  margin  of  the  jaw, 
which  thus  tapers  gradually  to  a  pointed  anterior  extremity,  precisely  as  in 
the  marsupial  Insectivora.  In  the  relative  length  of  the  symphysis,  its  form 
and  position,  the  jaw  of  the  Thylacotherium  precisely  corresponds  with  that 
of  the  Didelphys. 

"  In  addition,  however,  to  these  proofs  of  the  mammiferous  nature  of  the 
Stonesfield  remains,  and  in  part  of  their  having  belonged  to  Marsupialia, 
Mr.  Owen  stated  that  the  jaws  exhibit  a  character  hitherto  unnoticed  by 
the  able  anatomists  who  have  written  respecting  them,  but  which,  if  co-ex- 
istent with  a  convex  condyle,  would  serve  to  prove  the  marsupial  nature  of 
a  fossil,  though  all  the  teeth  were  wanting. 

"  In  recent  marsupials  the  angle  of  the  jaw  is  elongated  and  bent  inwards 
in  the  form  of  a  process,  varying  in  shape  and  development  in  different 
genera.  In  looking,  therefore,  directly  upon  the  inferior  margin  of  the 
marsupial  jaw,  we  see,  in  place  of  the  edge  of  a  vertical  plate  of  bone,  a 
more  or  less  flattened  triangular  surface  or  plate  of  bone  extended  between 
the  external  ridge  and  the  internal  process  or  inflected  angle.  In  the  opos- 
sum this  process  is  triangular  and  trihedral,  and  directed  inwards  with  the 
point  slightly  curved  upwards  and  extended  backwards,  in  which  direction 
it  is  more  produced  in  the  small  than  in  the  large  species  of  Didelphys. 

"  Now,  if  the  process  from  the  angle  of  the  jaw  in  the  Stonesfield  fossil 
had  been  simply  continued  backwards,  it  would  have  resembled  the  jaw  of 
an  ordinary  placental  carnivorous  or  insectivorous  mammal ;  but  in  both 
specimens  of  Thylacotherium,  the  half-jaws  of  which  exhibit  their  inner  or 
mesial  surfaces,  this  process  presents  a  fractured  outline,  evidently  proving 
that  when  entire  it  must  have  been  produced  inwards  or  mesially,  as  in  the 
opossum. 

"  Mr.  Owen  then  described  in  great  detail  the  structure  of  the  teeth,  and 
showed,  in  reply  to  M.  de  Blainville's  second  objection,  that  they  are  not 
confluent  with  the  jaw,  but  are  separated  from  it  at  their  base  by  a  layer  of 
matter  of  a  distinct  colour  from  the  teeth  or  the  jaw,  but  evidently  of  the 
same  nature  as  the  matrix ;  and  secondly,  that  the  teeth  cannot  be  consider- 
ed as  presenting  an  uniform,  compressed,  tricuspid  structure,  and  being  all 
of  one  kind,  as  M.  de  Blainville  states,  but  must  be  divided  into  two  series 
as  regards  their  composition.  Five,  if  not  six,  of  the  posterior  teeth  are 
quinque-cuspidate,  and  are  molares  veri  ;  some  of  the  molares  spurii  are 
tricuspid  and  some  bicuspid,  as  in  the  opossums.  An  interesting  result  of 
this  examination  is  the  observation  that  the  five  cusps  of  the  tuberculate 
molars  are  not  arranged,  as  had  been  supposed,  in  the  same  line,  but  in  two 
pairs  placed  transversely  to  the  axis  of  the  jaw,  with  the  fifth  cusp  anterior, 
exactly  as  in  the  Didelphys,  and  totally  different  from  the  structure  of  the 
molars  in  any  of  the  Phocce,  to  which  these  very  small  Mammalia  have  been 
compared  :  and  in  reference  to  this  comparison,  Mr.  Owen  again  calls  at- 
tention to  the  value  of  the  character  of  the  process  continued  from  the  an- 
gle of  the  jaw,  in  the  fossils,  as  strongly  contradistinguishing  them  from  the 
Phocidce,  in  none  of  the  species  of  which  is  the  angle  of  the  jaw  so  produ- 
ced.    The  Thylacotherium  differs  from  the  genus  Didelphys  in  the  greater 


"204  FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD. 

number  of  its  molars,  and  from  every  ferine  quadruped  known  at  the  time 
when  Cuvier  formed  his  opinion  respecting  the  nature  of  the  fossil.  This 
difference  in  the  number  of  the  molar  teeth,  which  Cuvier  urged  as  evidence 
of  the  generic  distinction  of  the  Stonesfield  mammiferous  fossils,  has  since 
been  regarded  as  one  of  the  proofs  of  their  saurian  nature ;  but  the  excep- 
tions by  excess  to  the  number  seven,  assigned  by  M.  de  Blainville  to  the 
molar  teeth  in  each  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw  of  the  insectivorous  Mammalia, 
are  well  established  aud  have  been  long  known.  The  insectivorous  chryso- 
chlore,  in  the  order  Feres,  has  eight  molars  in  each  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw; 
the  insectivorous  armadillos  have  not  fewer ;  and  in  one  subgenus  (Priodon) 
there  are  more  than  twenty  molar  teeth  on  each  side  of  the  lower  jaw.  The 
dental  formula  of  the  carnivorous  Cetacea,  again,  demonstrate  the  fallacy  of 
the  argument  against  the  mammiferous  character  of  the  Thylacotherium 
founded  upon  the  number  of  its  molar  teeth.  From  the  occurrence  of  the 
above  exceptions  in  recent  placental  Mammalia,  the  example  of  alike  excess 
in  the  number  of  molar  teeth  in  the  marsupial  fossil  ought  rather  to  have  led 
to  the  expectation  of  the  discovery  of  a  similar  case  among  existing  marsu- 
pials; and  such  an  addition  to  our  zoological  catalogues  has,  in  fact,  been 
recently  made.  In  the  Australian  quadruped  described  by  Mr.  Waterhouse 
under  the  name  of  Myrmecobius,  an  approximation  towards  the  dentition 
of  the  Thylacotherium  is  exemplified,  not  only  in  the  number  of  the  molar 
teeth,  which  is  nine  on  each  side  of  the  lower  jaw  in  the  Myrmecobius,  but 
also  in  their  relative  size,  structure,  and  disposition.  Lastly,  with  respect  to 
the  dentition,  Mr.  Owen  says  it  must  be  obvious  to  all  who  inspect  the  fossil, 
and  compare  it  with  the  jaw  of  a  small  Didelphys,  that  contrary  to  the  asser- 
tion of  M.  de  Blainville,  the  teeth  and  their  fangs  are  arranged  with  as  much 
regularity  in  one  as  in  the  other,  and  that  no  argument  of  the  saurian  na- 
ture of  the  fossil  can  be  founded  on  this  part  of  its  structure. 

"  With  respect  to  M.  de  Blainville's  assertion  that  the  jaw  is  compound, 
Mr.  Owen  stated,  that  the  indication  of  this  structure  near  the  lower  mar- 
gin of  the  jaw  of  the  Thylacotherium  is  not  a  true  suture,  but  a  vascular 
groove,  similar  to  that  which  characterises  the  lower  jaw  of  Didelphys,  opos- 
sum, and  some  of  the  large  species  of  Sorex." 

"  Dec.  9,  1838. — A  paper  on  the  Phascolotherium,  being  the  second  part 
of  the  "  Description  of  the  remains  of  marsupial  Mammalia,  from  the 
Stonesfield  slate,"  by  Richard  Owen,  Esq.,  F.G.S.,  was  read. 

"  Mr.  Owen  first  gave  a  brief  summary  of  the  characters  of  the  Thylaco- 
therium, described  in  the  first  part  of  the  memoir,  and  which  he  conceives 
fully  prove  the  mammiferous  nature  of  that  fossil.  He  stated  that  the  re- 
mains of  the  split  condyles  in  the  specimen  demonstrate  their  original  con- 
vex form,  which  is  diametrically  opposite  to  that  which  characterises  the 
same  part  in  all  reptiles  and  all  ovipara ; — that  the  size,  figure  and  position 
of  the  coronoid  process  are  such  as  were  never  yet  witnessed  in  any  except 
a  zoophagous  mammal  endowed  with  a  temporal  muscle  sufficiently  deve- 
loped to  demand  so  extensive  an  attachment  for  working  a  powerful  carni- 
vorous jaw; — that  the  teeth,  composed  of  dense  ivory,  with  crowns  covered 
with  a  thick  coat  of  enamel,  are  everywhere  distinct  from  the  substance  of 
the  jaw,  but  have  two  fangs  deeply  embedded  in  it;— that  these  teeth,  which 
belong  to  the  molar  series,  are  of  two  kinds;  the  hinder  being  bristled  with 
five  cusps,  four  of  which  are  placed  in  pairs  transversely  across  the  crown  of 
the  teeth,  and  the  anterior  or  false  molars,  having  a  different  form,  and  on- 
ly two  or  three  cusps — characters  never  yet  found  united  in  the  teeth  of  any 
other  than  a  zoophagous  mammiferous  quadruped ; — that  the  general  form 
of  the  jaw  corresponds  with  the  preceding  more  essential  indications  of  its 
mammiferous  nature.  Fully  impressed  with  the  value  of  these  characters, 
as  determining  the  class  to  which  the  fossils  belonged,  Mr.  Owen  stated 


FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD.  205 

that  lie  had  sought  in  the  next  place  for  secondary  characters  which  might 
reveal  the  group  of  Mammalia  to  which  the  remains  could  be  assigned, and  he 
had  found  in  the  modification  of  the  angle  of  the  jaw,  combined  with  the  form, 
structure,  and  proportions  of  the  teeth,  sufficient  evidence  to  induce  him  to 
believe  that  the  Thylacotherium  was  a  marsupial  quadruped. 

"Mr.  Owen  then  recapitulated  the  objections  against  the  mammiferous 
nature  of  the  thylacotherian  jaws,  from  their  supposed  imperfect  state,  and 
repeated  his  former  assertion,  that  they  are  in  a  condition  to  allow  of  these 
characters  being  fully  ascertained :  he  next  reviewed,  first,  the  differences 
of  opinion  with  respect  to  the  actual  structure  of  the  jaw ;  and  secondly,  to 
the  interpretation  of  admitted  appearances. 

"1.  As  respects  the  structure. — It  has  been  asserted  that  the  jaws  must 
belong  to  cold-blooded  Vertebrata,  because  the  articular  surface  is  in  the 
form  of  an  entering  angle ;  to  which  Mr.  Owen  replies  that  the  articular 
surface  is  supported  on  a  convex  condyle,  which  is  met  with  in  no  other 
class  of  Vertebrata  except  in  the  Mammalia.  Again,  it  is  asserted  that  the 
teeth  are  all  of  an  uniform  structure,  as  in  certain  reptiles ;  but,  on  refe- 
rence to  the  fossils,  Mr.  Owen  states  it  will  be  found  that  such  is  not  the 
case,  and  that  the  actual  difference  in  the  structure  of  the  teeth  strongly 
supports  the  mammiferous  theory  of  the  fossils. 

"2.  With  respect  to  the  argument  founded  on  an  interpretation  of  struc- 
ture which  really  exists,  the  author  showed  that  the  Thylacotherium  having 
eleven  molars  on  each  side  of  the  lower  jaw,  is  no  objection  to  its  mammi- 
ferous nature,  because  among  the  placental  Carnivora,  the  Canis  Megalotis 
has  constantly  one  more  grinder  on  each  side  of  the  lower  jaw  than  the  usual 
number ;  because  the  Chrysochlore  among  the  Insectivora  has  also  eight  in- 
stead of  seven  molars  in  each  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw;  and  the  Myrmeco- 
bius,  among  the  Marsupialia,  has  nine  molars  on  each  side  of  the  lower  jaw ; 
and  because  some  of  the  insectivorous  armadillos  and  zoophagous  Cetacea 
offer  still  more  numerous  and  reptile-like  teeth,  with  all  the  true  and  essen- 
tial characters  of  the  mammiferous  class.  The  objection  to  the  false  mo- 
lars having  two  fangs  Mr.  Owen  showed  was  futile,  as  the  greater  number 
of  the  spurious  molars  in  every  genus  of  the  placental  Ferce  have  two  fangs, 
and  the  whole  of  them  in  the  Marsupialia.  If  the  ascending  ramus  in  the 
Stonesfield  jaws  had  been  absent,  and  with  it  the  evidence  of  their  mam- 
miferous nature  afforded  by  the  condyloid,  coronoid  and  angular  processes, 
Mr.  Owen  stated  that  he  conceived  the  teeth  alone  would  have  given  suffi- 
cient proof,  especially  in  their  double  fangs,  that  the  fossils  do  belong  to 
the  highest  class  of  animals. 

"  In  reply  to  the  objections  founded  on  the  double  fangs  of  the  Basilo- 
saurusy  Mr.  Owen  said  that  the  characters  of  that  fossil  not  having  been 
fully  given,  it  is  doubtful  to  what  class  the  animal  belonged ;  and,  in  an- 
swer to  the  opinion  that  certain  sharks  have  double  fangs,  he  explained  that 
the  widely  bifurcate  basis  supporting  the  tooth  of  the  shark,  is  no  part  of 
the  actual  tooth,  but  true  bone  and  ossified  parts  of  the  jaw  itself,  to  which 
the  tooth  is  anchylosed  at  one  part,  and  the  ligaments  of  connexion  attach- 
ed at  the  other.  The  form,  depth  and  position  of  the  sockets  of  the  teeth 
in  the  Thylacotherium  are  precisely  similar  to  those  in  the  small  opossums. 
The  colour  of  the  fossils,  Mr.  Owen  said,  could  be  no  objection  to  those 
acquainted  with  the  diversity  in  this  respect,  which  obtains  in  the  fossil  re- 
mains of  Mammalia.  Lastly,  with  respect  to  the  Thylacotherium,  the  au- 
thor stated  that  the  only  trace  of  compound  structure  is  a  mere  vascular 
groove  running  along  its  lower  margin,  and  that  a  similar  structure  is  pre- 
sent in  the  corresponding  part  of  the  lower  jaw  of  some  species  of  opossum, 
of  the  wombat,  of  the  Balcena  antarctica,  and  of  the  Myrmecobius,  though 
the  groove  does  not  reach  so  far  forward  in  this  animal ;  and  that  a  similar 


206  FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD. 

groove  is  present  near  the  lower  margin,  but  on  the  outer  side  of  the  jaw, 
in  the  Sorex  Indicus. 

"  Description  of  the  half  jaw  of  the  Phascolotherium. — This  fossil  is  a 
right  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw,  having  its  internal  or  mesial  surface  exposed. 
It  once  formed  the  chief  ornament  of  the  private  collection  of  Mr.  Broderip, 
by  whom  it  has  since  been  liberally  presented  to  the  British  Museum.  It 
was  described  by  Mr.  Broderip  in  the  'Zoological  Journal,'  and  its  distinc- 
tion from  the  Thylacotherium  clearly  pointed  out.  The  condyle  of  the  jaw 
'  is  entire,  standing  in  bold  relief,  and  presents  the  same  form  and  degree  of 
convexity  as  in  the  genera  Didelphys  and  Dasyurus.  In  its  being  on  a  le- 
vel with  the  molar  teeth,  it  corresponds  with  the  marsupial  genera  Dasyu- 
rus and  Thylacynus,  as  well  as  with  the  placental  Zoophaga.  The  general 
form  and  proportions  of  the  coronoid  process  closely  resemble  those  in  zo- 
ophagous  marsupials ;  but  in  the  depth  and  form  of  the  entering  notch  be- 
tween the  process  and  the  condyle,  it  corresponds  most  closely  with  the 
Thylacynus.  Judging  from  the  fractured  surface  of  the  inwardly  reflected 
angle,  that  part  had  an  extended  oblique  base,  similar  to  the  inflected  an- 
gle of  the  Thylacynus.  In  the  Phascolotherium,  the  flattened  inferior  sur- 
face of  the  jaw,  external  to  the  fractured  inflected  angle,  inclines  outwards 
at  an  obtuse  angle  with  the  plane  of  the  ascending  ramus,  and  not  at  an 
acute  angle,  as  in  the  Thylacyne  and  Dasyurus  ;  but  this  difference  is  not 
one  which  approximates  the  fossil  in  question  to  any  of  the  placental  Zoo- 
phaga :  on  the  contrary,  it  is  in  the  marsupial  genus  Phascolomys  where  a 
precisely  similar  relation  of  the  inferior  flattened  base  to  the  elevated  plate 
of  the  ascending  ramus  of  the  jaw  is  manifested.  In  the  position  of  the 
dental  foramen,  the  phascolothere,  like  the  thylacothere,  differs  from  all 
zoophagous  marsupials  and  the  placental  Ferm ;  but  in  the  Hypsiprymnus 
and  Phascolomys,  marsupial  Herbivora,  the  orifice  of  the  dental  canal  is  si- 
tuated, as  in  the  Stonesfield  fossils,  very  near  the  vertical  line  dropped  from 
the  last  molar  teeth.  The  form  of  the  symphysis,  in  the  Phascolotherium, 
cannot  be  truly  determined ;  but  Mr*.  Owen  is  of  opinion  that  it  resembles 
the  symphysis  of  the  Didelphys  more  than  that  of  the  Dasyurus  or  Thylacynus. 

"  Mr.  Owen  agrees  with  Mr.  Broderip  in  assigning  four  incisors  to  each 
ramus  of  the  lower  jaw  of  the  Phascolotherium,  as  in  the  Didelphys;  but  in 
their  scattered  arrangement  they  resemble  the  incisors  of  the  Myrmecobius. 
In  the  relative  extent  of  the  alveolar  ridge  occupied  by  the  grinders,  and  in 
the  proportions  of  the  grinders  to  each  other,  especially  the  small  size  of  the 
hindermost  molar,  the  Phascolotherium  resembles  the  Myrmecobius  more 
than  it  does  the  opossum,  Dasyurus,  or  Thylacynus ;  but  in  the  form  of  the 
crown,  the  molars  of  the  fossil  resemble  the  Thylacynus  more  closely  than 
any  other  genus  of  marsupials.  In  the  number  of  the  grinders  the  Phasco- 
lotherium resembles  the  opossum  and  Thylacynus,  having  four  true  and 
three  false  in  each  maxillary  ramus ;  but  the  molares  veri  of  the  fossil  differ 
from  those  of  the  opossum  and  Thylacotherium  in  wanting  a  pointed  tuber- 
cle on  the  inner  side  of  the  middle  large  tubercle,  and  in  the  same  trans- 
verse line  with  it,  the  place  being  occupied  by  a  ridge  which  extends  along 
the  inner  side  of  the  base  of  the  crown  of  the  true  molars,  and  projects  be- 
yond the  anterior  and  posterior  smaller  cusps,  giving  the  quinquecuspid 
appearance  to  the  crown  of  the  tooth.  This  ridge,  which,  in  Phascolothe- 
rium, represents  the  inner  cusps  of  the  true  molars  in  Didelphys  and  Thy- 
lacotherium, is  wanting  in  Thylacynus,  in  which  the  true  molars  are  more 
simple  than  in  Phascolotherium,  though  hardly  less  distinguishable  from  the 
false  molars.  In  the  second  true  molar  of  Phascolotherium,  the  internal 
ridge  is  also  obsolete  at  the  base  of  the  middle  cusp,  and  this  tooth  presents 
a  close  resemblance  to  the  corresponding  tooth  in  Thylacynus ;  but  in  the 
Thylacynus  the  two  posterior  molars  increase  in  size,  while  in  Phascolothe- 


FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD.  207 

Hum  they  progressively  diminish,  as  in  the  Myrtnecobius.  As  the  outer  sides 
of  the  grinders  in  the  jaw  of  the  Phascolotherium  are  imbedded  in  the  ma- 
trix, we  cannot  he  sure  that  there  is  not  a  smaller  cuspidated  ridge  sloping 
down  towards  that  side,  as  in  the  crowns  of  the  teeth  of  the  Myrtnecobius. 
But,  assuming  that  all  the  cusps  of  the  teeth  of  the  Phascolotherium  are 
exhibited  in  the  fossil,  still  the  crowns  of  these  teeth  resemble  those  of  the 
Thy  lacy  nus  more  than  they  do  those  of  any  placental  Insectivora  or  Phoca, 
if  even  the  form  of  the  jaw  permitted  a  comparison  of  it  with  that  of  any  of 
the  seal  tribe.  Connecting  then  the  close  resemblance  which  the  molars  of 
the  Phascolotherium  bear  to  those  of  the  Thylacynus  with  the  similarities  of 
the  ascending  ramus  of  the  jaw,  Mr.  Owen  is  of  opinion  that  the  Stonesfield 
fossil  was  nearly  allied  to  Thylacynus,  and  that  its  position  in  the  marsupial 
series  is  between  Thylacynus  and  Didelphys.  With  respect  to  the  supposed 
compound  structure  of  the  jaw  of  the  Phascolotherium,  Mr.  Owen  is  of 
opinion  that  of  the  two  linear  impressions  which  have  been  mistaken  for 
harmonics  or  toothless  sutures,  one,  a  faint,  shallow,  linear  impression,  con- 
tinued from  between  the  antepenultimate  and  penultimate  molars  obliquely 
downwards  and  backwards,  to  the  foramen  of  the  dental  artery,  is  due  to 
the  pressure  of  a  small  artery,  and  that  the  author  possesses  the  jaw  of  a 
Didelphys  Virginiana,  which  exhibits  a  similar  groove  in  the  same  place. — 
Moreover,  this  groove  in  the  Phascolotherium  does  not  occupy  the  same  re- 
lative position  as  any  of  the  contiguous  margins  of  the  opercular  and  den- 
tary  pieces  of  a  reptile's  jaw.  The  other  impression  in  the  jaw  of  the  Phas- 
colotherium is  a  deep  groove,  continued  from  the  anterior  extremity  of  the 
fractured  base  of  the  inflected  angle,  obliquely  downwards  to  the  broken 
surface  of  the  anterior  part  of  the  jaw.  Whether  this  line  be  due  to  a  vas- 
cular impression,  or  an  accidental  fracture,  is  doubtful;  but  as  the  lower 
jaw  of  the  wombat  presents  an  impression  in  the  precisely  corresponding  si- 
tuation, and  which  is  undoubtedly  due  to  the  presence  of  an  artery,  Mr. 
Owen  conceives  that  this  impression  is  also  natural  in  the  Phascolotherium, 
but  equally  unconnected  with  a  compound  structure  of  the  jaw;  for  there 
is  not  any  suture  in  the  compound  jaw  of  a  reptile  which  occupies  a  corre- 
sponding situation. 

"  The  most  numerous,  the  most  characteristic,  and  the  best  marked  su- 
tures in  the  compound  jaws  of  a  reptile,  are  those  which  define  the  limits 
of  the  coronoid,  articular,  angular,  and  surangular  pieces,  and  which  are 
chiefly  conspicuous  on  the  inner  side  of  the  posterior  part  of  the  jaw.  Now 
the  corresponding  surface  of  the  jaw  of  the  Phascolotherium  is  entire,  yet 
the  smallest  traces  of  sutures,  or  of  any  indication  that  the  coronoid  or  ar- 
ticular processes  were  distinct  pieces,  cannot  be  detected ;  these  processes 
are  clearly  and  indisputably  continuous,  and  confluent  with  the  rest  of  the 
ramus  of  the  jaw.  So  that  where  sutures  ought  to  be  visible,  if  the  jaw  of 
the  Phascolotherium  were  composite,  there  are  none ;  and  the  hypothetical 
sutures  that  are  apparent,  do  not  agree  in  position  with  any  of  the  real  su- 
tures of  an  oviparous  compound  jaw. 

"Lastly,  with  reference  to  the  philosophy  of  pronouncing  judgment^  on 
the  saurian  nature  of  the  Stonesfield  fossils,  from  the  appearance  of  sutures, 
Mr.  Owen  offered  one  remark,  the  justness  of  which,  he  said,  would  be  obvi- 
ous alike  to  those  who  were,  and  to  those  who  were  not,  conversant  with 
comparative  anatomy.  The  accumulative  evidence  of  the  true  nature  of 
the  Stonesfield  fossils,  afforded  by  the  shape  of  the  condyle,  coronoid  pro- 
cess, angle  of  the  jaw,  different  kinds  of  teeth,  shape  of  their  crowns,  double 
fangs,  implantation  in  sockets, — the  appearance,  he  repeated,  presented  by 
these  important  particulars  cannot  be  due  to  accident ;  while  those  which 
favour  the  evidence  of  the  compound  structure  of  the  jaw,  may  arise  from 
accidental  circumstances." 


208  FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD. 

"  A  paper  was  afterwards  read,  entitled  '  Observations  on  the  structure 
and  relations  of  the  presumed  marsupial  remains  from  the  Stonesfield 
oolite,'  by  William  Ogilby,  Esq.,  F.G.S. 

"  These  observations  are  intended  by  the  author  to  embody  only  the  most 
prominent  characters  of  the  fossils,  and  those  essential  points  of  structure  in 
which  they  are  necessarily  related  to  the  class  of  mammifers  or  of  reptiles 
respectively.  For  the  sake  of  putting  the  several  points  clearly  and  impar- 
tially, he  arranged  his  observations  under  the  two  following  heads : — 

"  1 .  The  relations  of  agreement  which  subsist  between  the  fossils  in  ques- 
tion and  the  corresponding  bones  of  recent  marsupials  and  Insectivora. 

"2.  The  characters  in  which  the  fossils  differ  from  those  families.  Mr. 
Ogilby  confined  his  remarks  to  Marsupialia  and  Insectivora,  because  it  is 
to  those  families  only  of  mammifers  that  the  fossils  have  been  considered  by 
anatomists  to  belong ;  and  to  the  interior  surface  of  the  jaw,  as  the  exterior 
is  not  exhibited  in  any  of  the  fossil  specimens. 

"1.  In  the  general  outline  of  the  jaws,  more  especially  in  that  of  the 
Didelphys  (Phascolotherium)  Bucklandii,  the  author  states  there  is  a  very 
close  resemblance  to  the  jaw  in  recent  Insectivora  and  insectivorous  marsu- 
pials ;  but  he  observes  that  with  respect  to  the  uniform  curvature  along  the 
inferior  margin,  Cuvier  has  adduced  the  same  structure  as  distinctive  of  the 
monitors,  iguanas,  and  other  true  saurian  reptiles;  so  that  whatever  support 
these  modifications  of  structure  may  give  to  the  question  respecting  the 
marsupial  nature  of  the  Stonesfield  fossils,  as  compared  with  other  groups 
of  mammals,  they  do  not  affect  the  previous  question  of  their  mammiferous 
nature,  as  compared  with  reptiles  and  fishes.  The  fossil  jaws,  Mr.  Ogilby 
says,  agree  with  those  of  mammals,  and  differ  from  those  of  all  recent  rep- 
tiles, in  not  being  prolonged  backward  behind  the  articulating  condyle  ;  a 
character  in  conjunction  with  the  former  relation,  which  would  be,  in  the 
author's  opinion,  well  nigh  incontrovertible,  if  it  were  absolutely  exclusive: 
but  the  extinct  saurians,  the  Pterodactyles,  Ichthyosauri,  and  Plesiosauri, 
cotemporaries  of  the  Stonesfield  fossils,  differ  from  their  recent  congeners 
in  this  respect,  and  agree  with  mammals.  Mr.  Ogilby  is  of  opinion  that 
the  condyle  is  round  both  in  Did.  Prevostii  and  Did.  Bucklandii,  and  is 
therefore  a  very  strong  point  in  favour  of  the  mammiferous  nature  of  the 
jaws.  The  angular  process,  he  says,  is  distinct  in  one  specimen  of  Did. 
Prevostii,  and,  though  broken  off  in  the  other,  has  left  a  well-defined  im- 
pression ;  but  that  it  agrees  in  position  with  the  Insectivora,  and  not  the 
Marsupialia,  being  situated  in  the  plane  passing  through  the  coronoid  pro- 
cess and  the  ramus  of  the  jaw.  In  the  Did.  Bucklandii,  he  conceives,  the 
process  is  entirely  wanting ;  but  that  there  is  a  slight  longitudinal  ridge, 
partially  broken,  which  might  be  mistaken  for  it,  though  placed  at  a  consi- 
derable distance  up  the  jaw,  or  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  condyle,  and  not 
at  the  inferior  angular  rim  of  the  jaw.  He  is  therefore  of  opinion  that  the 
Did.  Bucklandii  cannot  be  properly  associated  with  either  the  marsupial  or 
insectivorous  mammals.  The  composition  of  the  teeth,  he  conceives,  can- 
not be  advanced  successfully  against  the  mammiferous  nature  of  the  fossils, 
because  animal  matter  preponderates  over  mineral  in  the  teeth  of  the  great 
majority  of  the  insectivorous  Cheiroptera,  as  well  as  in  those  of  the  Myrme- 
cobius,  and  other  small  marsupials.  In  the  jaw  of  the  Did.  Prevostii  Mr. 
Ogilby  cannot  perceive  any  appearance  of  a  dentary  canal,  the  fangs  of  the 
teeth,  in  his  opinion,  almost  reaching  the  inferior  margin  of  the  jaw,  and 
being  implanted  completely  in  the  bone ;  but  in  the  Did.  Bucklandii  he 
has  observed,  towards  the  anterior  extremity  of  the  jaw,  a  hollow  space  fill- 
ed with  foreign  matter,  and  very  like  a  dentary  canal.  The  double  fangs 
of  the  teeth  of  Did.  Prevostii,  and  probably  of  Did.  Bucklandii,  he  says,  are 
strong  points  of  agreement  between  the  fossils  and  mammifers  in  general ; 


FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD.  209 

but  that  double  roots  necessarily  indicate,  not  the  mammiferous  nature  of 
the  animal,  but  the  compound  form  of  the  crowns  of  the  teeth. 

"  2.  With  respect  to  the  most  prominent  characters  by  which  the  Stones- 
field  fossils  are  distinguished  from  recent  mammals  of  the  insectivorous  and 
marsupial  families,  Mr.  Ogilby  mentioned,  first,  the  position  of  the  condyle, 
which  is  placed,  in  the  fossil  jaws,  in  a  line  rather  below  the  level  of  the 
crowns  of  the  teeth ;  and  he  stated  that  the  condyle  not  being*  elevated  above 
the  line  in  the  Dasyurus  Ur sinus  and  Thylacynus  Harrisii,  is  not  a  valid 
argument,  because  those  marsupials  are  carnivorous.  The  second  point 
urged  by  the  author  against  the  opinion  that  the  fossils  belonged  to  insec- 
tivorous or  marsupial  mammifers,  is  in  the  nature  and  arrangement  of  the 
teeth.  The  number  of  the  molars,  he  conceives,  is  a  secondary  considera- 
tion ;  but  he  is  convinced  that  they  cannot  be  separated  in  the  fossil  jaws 
into  true  and  false,  as  in  Mammalia  ;  the  great  length  of  the  fangs,  equal 
to  at  least  three  times  the  depth  of  the  crowns,  he  conceives,  is  a  strong 
objection  to  the  fossils  being  placed  in  that  class,  as  it  is  a  character  alto- 
gether peculiar  and  unexampled  among  mammals ;  the  form  of  the  teeth 
also,  he  stated,  cannot  be  justly  compared  to  that  of  any  known  species  of 
marsupial  or  insectivorous  mammifer,  being,  in  the  author's  opinion,  simply 
tricuspid,  and  without  any  appearance  of  interior  lobes.  As  to  the  canines 
and  incisors,  Mr.  Ogilby  said,  that  the  tooth  in  D.  Bucklandii,  which  has 
been  called  a  canine,  is  not  larger  than  some  of  the  presumed  incisors,  and 
that  all  of  them  are  so  widely  separated  as  to  occupy  full  five-twelfths  of 
the  entire  dental  line,  whilst  in  the  Dasyurus  viverrinus,  and  other  species 
of  insectivorous  marsupials,  they  occupy  one-fifth  part  of  the  same  space. 
Their  being  arranged  longitudinally  in  the  same  line  with  the  molars,  he 
conceives,  is  another  objection,  because,  among  all  mammals,  the  incisors 
occupy  the  front  of  the  jaw,  and  stand  at  right  angles  to  the  line  of  the 
molars.  With  respect  to  the  supposed  compound  structure  of  the  jaw,  Mr. 
Ogilby  offered  no  formal  opinion,  but  contented  himself  with,  simply  stat- 
ing the  appearances ;  he,  nevertheless,  objected  to  the  grooves  being  con- 
sidered the  impression  of  blood  vessels,  though  he  admitted  that  the  form 
of  the  jaws  is  altogether  different  from  that  of  any  known  reptile  or  fish. 

"  From  a  due  consideration  of  the  whole  of  the  evidence,  Mr.  Ogilby 
stated,  in  conclusion,  that  the  fossils  present  so  many  important  and  dis- 
tinctive characters  in  common  with  mammals  on  the  one  hand,  and  cold- 
blooded animals  on  the  other,  that  he  does  not  think  naturalists  are  justi- 
fied at  present  in  pronouncing  definitively  to  which  class  the  fossils  really 
belong." 

"  A  paper  was  afterwards  read,  entitled,  "  Observations  on  the  Teeth  of 
the  Zeuglodon,  Basilosaurus  of  Dr.  Harlan,"  by  Richard  Owen,  Esq., 
F.G.S.,  Hunterian  Professor  in  the  Royal  College""  of  Surgeons,  London. 

"  During  the  recent  discussions  respecting  the  Stonesfield  fossil  jaws, 
one  of  the  strongest  arguments  adduced  and  reiterated  by  M.  de  Blainville 
and  others  in  support  of  their  saurian  nature,  was  founded  on  the  presumed 
existence  in  America  of  a  fossil  reptile  possessing  teeth  with  double  fangs, 
and  called  by  Dr.  Harlan,  the  Basilosaurus.  To  the  validity  of  this  argu- 
ment, Mr.  Owen  refused  to  assent,  until  the  teeth  of  the  American  fossil 
had  been  subjected  to  a  re-examination  with  an  especial  view  to  their  al- 
leged mode  of  implantation  in  the  jaw;  and  until  they  had  been  submitted 
to  the  test  of  the  microscopic  investigation  of  their  intimate  structure  with 
reference  to  the  true  affinities  of  the  animal  to  which  they  belonged.  The 
recent  arrival  of  Dr.  Harlan  in  England  with  the  fossils,  and  the  permis- 
sion which  he  has  liberally  granted  Mr.  Owen  of  having  the  necessary  sec- 
Vol.  III.— No.  29.  x.  s.  z 


210  FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD. 

tions  made,  have  enabled  him  to  determine  the  mammiferous  nature  of  the 
fossil. 

"  Among  the  parts  of  the  Basilosaurus  brought  to  England  by  Dr.  Har- 
lan, are  two  portions  of  bone  belonging  to  the  upper  jaw ;  the  larger  of 
them  contains  three  teeth ;  the  other,  the  sockets  of  two  teeth.  In  the 
larger  specimen,  the  crowns  of  the  teeth  are  more  or  less  perfect,  and  they 
are  compressed  and  conical,  but  with  an  obtuse  apex.  The  longitudinal 
diameter  of  the  middle,  and  most  perfect  one,  is  three  inches,  the  transverse 
diameter  one  inch  two  lines,  and  the  height  above  the  alveolar  process  two 
inches  and  a  half.  The  crown  is  transversely  contracted  in  the  middle, 
giving  its  horizontal  section  an  hour-glass  form ;  and  the  opposite  wide 
longitudinal  grooves  which  produce  this  shape,  becoming  deeper  as  the 
crown  approaches  the  socket,  at  length  meet  and  divide  the  root  of  the 
tooth  into  two  separate  fangs.  The  two  teeth  in  the  fore  part  of  the  jaw 
are  smaller  than  the  hinder  tooth,  and  the  anterior  one  appears  to  be  of  a 
simpler  structure. 

"A  worn-down  tooth  contained  in  another  portion  of  jaw,  Mr.  Owen  had 
sliced,  and  it  presented  the  same  hour-glass  form,  the  crown  being  divided 
into  two  irregular,  rounded  lobes  joined  by  a  narrow  isthmus  or  neck.  The 
anterior  lobe  is  placed  obliquely,  but  the  posterior  parallel  with  the  axis  of 
the  jaw.  The  isthmus  increases  in  length  as  the  tooth  descends  in  the 
socket  until  the  isthmus  finally  disappears,  and  the  two  portions  of  the 
tooth  take  on  the  character  of  separate  fangs.  It  is  evident  that  the  pulp 
was  originally  simple,  but  that  it  soon  divided  into  two  parts,  from  which 
the  growth  of  the  ivory  of  the  teeth  proceeded  as  from  two  distinct  centres, 
now  separately  surrounded  by  concentric  stria  of  growth,  the  exterior  send- 
ing an  acute-angled  process  into  the  isthmus.  The  cavitas  pulpi,  which 
is  very  small  in  the  crown  of  the  tooth,  contracts  as  the  crown  descends,  and 
is  almost  obliterated  near  the  extremity,  proving  that  the  teeth  were  deve- 
loped from  a. temporary  pulp. 

"  The  sockets  in  the  anterior  fragment  of  the  upper  jaw  are  indistinct 
and  filled  with  hard  calcareous  matter,  but  a  transverse  horizontal  section 
of  the  alveolar  margin  proves  that  these  sockets  are  single,  and  that  the 
teeth  lodged  therein  had  single  fangs.  In  the  anterior  socket,  there  is  an 
indication  of  the  transverse  median  contraction,  showing  that  this  tooth 
resembled  in  form,  to  a  certain  degree,  the  posterior  tooth.  A  plaster  cast 
of  a  portion  of  the  lower  jaw  afforded  the  only  means  of  studying  this  part 
of  the  fossil.  It  contains  four  teeth,  of  which  the  two  posterior  are  nearly 
contiguous,  the  next  is  at  an  interval  of  an  inch  and  a  half,  and  the  most 
anterior  of  two  inches  from  the  preceding.  The  last  tooth  is  more  simple 
in  form  than  those  behind,  and  it  has  been  described  as  a  canine.  This 
fragment  of  the  lower  jaw  thus  confirms  the  evidence  afforded  by  the  frag- 
ments of  the  upper  jaw,  that  the  teeth  in  the  Basilosaurus  were  of  two  kinds, 
the  anterior  being  smaller  and  simpler  in  form,  and  further  from  each  other 
than  those  behind . 

"  Mr.  Owen  then  proceeded  to  compare  the  Basilosaurus  with  those 
animals  which  have  their  teeth  lodged  in  distinct  sockets ;  as  the  Sphy- 
rcena,  and  its  congeners  among  fishes,  the  plesiosauroid  and  crocodi- 
lean  Sauria,  and  the  class  Mammalia ;  but  as  there  is  no  instance  of 
either  fish  or  reptile  having  teeth  implanted  by  two  fangs  in  a  double 
socket,  he  commences  his  comparison  of  the  Basilosaurus  with  those  Mam- 
malia which  most  nearly  resemble  the  fossil  in  other  respects.  Among  the 
zoophagous  Cetacea  the  teeth  are  always  similar  as  to  form  and  structure, 
and  are  invariably  implanted  in  the  socket  by  a  broad  and  simple  basis, 
and  they  never  have  two  fangs.  Among  the  herbivorous  Cetacea  however, 
the  structure,  form,  number  and  mode  of  implantation  of  the  teeth  differ 


FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD.  211 

considerably.  In  the  manatee,  the  molars  have  two  long  and  separate 
fangs  lodged  in  deep  sockets,  and  the  anterior  teeth,  when  worn  down,  pre- 
sent a  form  of  the  crown  similar  to  that  of  the  Basilosaurus,  hut  the  oppo- 
site indentations  are  not  so  deep ;  and  the  entire  grinding  surface  of  the 
molars  of  the  manatee  differs  considerably  from  those  of  the  Basilosaurus, 
the  anterior  supporting  two  transverse  conical  ridges,  and  the  posterior 
three.  The  dugong  resembles  more  nearly  the  fossil  in  its  molar  teeth ; 
the  anterior  ones  being  smaller  and  simpler  than  the  posterior,  and  the 
complication  of  the  latter  being  due  to  exactly  the  same  kind  of  modifica- 
tion as  in  the  Basilosaurus,  viz.  a  transverse  constriction  of  the  crown.  The 
posterior  molar  has  its  longitudinal  diameter  increased,  and  its  transverse 
section  approaches  to  the  hour-glass  figure,  produced  by  opposite  grooves. 
There  is  in  this  tooth  also  a  tendency  to  the  formation  of  a  double  fang, 
and  the  establishment  of  two  centres  of  radiation  for  the  calcigerous  tubes 
of  the  ivory,  but  the  double  fang  is  probably  never  completed.  The  teeth 
in  the  dugong  moreover  are  not  scattered  as  in  the  Basilosaurus. 

"  Mr.  Owen  then  briefly  compared  the  teeth  of  the  fossil  with  those  of 
the  Saurians,  and  stated  that  he  had  not  found  a  single  instance  of  agree- 
ment in  the  Basilosaurus  with  the  known  dental  peculiarities  of  that  class. 
From  the  Mosasaurus  the  teeth  of  the  American  fossil  differ  in  being  im- 
planted freely  in  distinct  sockets  and  not  anchylosed  to  the  substance  of 
the  jaw ;  from  the  Ichthyosaurus  and  all  the  lacertine  Sauria  in  being  im- 
planted in  distinct  sockets,  and  not  in  a  continuous  groove ;  from  the  Ple^ 
siosaurus  and  crocodilian  reptiles  from  the  fangs  not  being  simple  and  ex- 
panding as  they  descend,  but  double,  diminishing  in  size  as  they  sink  in 
the  socket,  and  becoming  consolidated  by  the  progressive  deposition  of 
dental  substance  from  temporary  pulp  in  progress  of  absorption.  In  the 
Enaliosauria  aud  the  Crocodilia,  moreover,  there  are  invariably  two  or 
more  germs  of  new  teeth  in  different  stages  of  formation  close  to  or  con- 
tained within  the  cavity  of  the  base  of  the  protruded  teeth  ;  but  the  Basi- 
losaurus presents  no  trace  of  this  characteristic  saurian  structure.  From 
the  external  characters  only  of  the  teeth,  Mr.  Owen  therefore  infers,  that 
the  fossil  was  a  mammifer  of  the  cetaceous  order,  and  intermediate  to  the 
herbivorous  and  piscivorous  sections  of  that  order,  as  it  now  stands  in  the 
Cuvierian  system. 

"  In  consequence  however  of  the  Basilosaurus  having  been  regarded  as 
affording  an  exceptional  example  among  reptiles  of  teeth  having  two  fangs, 
though  contrary  to  all  analogy,  and  as  the  other  characters  stated  above, 
may  be  considered  by  the  same  anatomists  to  be  only  exceptions,  Mr.  Owen 
procured  sections  of  the  teeth  for  microscopic  examination  of  their  intimate 
structure  and  for  comparing  it  with  that  of  the  teeth  of  other  animals. 

"  In  the  Sphyrcena  and  allied  fossil  fishes  which  are  implanted  in  sockets, 
the  teeth  are  characterised  by  a  continuation  of  medullary  canals,  arranged 
in  a  beautifully  reticulated  manner,  extending  through  the  entire  substance 
of  the  tooth,  and  affording  innumerable  centres  of  radiation  to  extremely 
fine  calcigerous  tubes. 

"  In  the  Ichthyosaurus  and  crocodile  the  pulp  cavity  is  simple  and  cen- 
tral, as  in  Mammalia,  and  the  calcigerous  tubuli  radiate  from  this  centre  to 
every  part  of  the  circumference  of  the  tooth,  to  which  they  are  generally  at 
right  angles.  The  crown  of  the  tooth  in  these  saurians  is  covered  with  ena- 
mel, while  that  part  of  the  tooth  which  is  in  the  alveolus  is  surrounded  with 
a  thick  layer  of  cortical  substance.  In  the  dolphins  which  have  simple  co- 
nical teeth  like  the  reptiles,  the  crown  is  also  covered  with  enamel  and  the 
base  with  camentum.  But  in  the  cachalot  and  dugong,  the  whole  of  the 
teeth  is  covered  with  ccsmentum.  In  the  dugong  this  external  layer  presents 
the  same  characteristic  radiated  purkingian  corpuscles  or  cells  as  in  the  cce- 


212  FOSSIL  JAWS  FROM  STONESFIELD. 

mentum  of  the  human  teeth,  and  those  of  other  animals ;  but  the  ccementum 
of  the  dugong  differs  from  that  of  the  pachyderms  and  ruminants  in  being 
traversed  by  numerous  caleigerous  tubes,  the  corpuscles  or  cells  being  scat- 
tered in  the  interstices  of  these  tubes.  Now  the  crowns  of  the  teeth  of  the 
Basilosaurus  evidently  exhibit  in  many  parts  a  thin  investing  layer  of  a 
substance  distinct  from  the  body  or  ivory  of  the  tooth,  and  the  microscopic 
examination  of  a  thin  layer  of  this  substance  proves  it  to  possess  the  same 
characters  as  the  ccementum  of  the  crown  of  the  tooth  of  the  dugong.  The 
purkingian  cells  are,  in  some  places,  scattered  irregularly,  but  in  others  are 
arranged  in  parallel  rows.  The  tubes  radiating  from  the  cells  are  wider 
than  usual  at  the  commencement ;  but  soon  divide  and  sub-divide,  forming 
rich  reticulations  in  the  interspaces,  and  communicating  with  the  branches 
of  the  parallel  larger  tubes.  These  are  placed,  as  in  the  dugong,  perpen- 
dicular to  the  surface  of  the  tooth,  but  they  are  less  regularly  arranged  than 
the  caleigerous  tubes  of  the  ivory,  with  which,  however,  they  form  numerous 
continuations.  There  is  a  greater  proportion  of  ccementum  in  the  isthmus 
of  the  tooth  than  elsewhere  ;  and  the  worn-down  crown  of  the  tooth  must 
therefore  have  exhibited  a  complicated  structure.  The  entire  substance  of 
the  ivory  of  the  teeth  consists  of  fine  caleigerous  tubes  radiating  from  the 
centres  of  the  two  lobes,  without  any  intermixture  of  coarser  medullary 
tubes  which  characterize  the  teeth  of  the  Iguanodon ;  or  the  slightest  trace 
of  the  reticulated  canal,  which  distinguish  the  texture  of  the  teeth  of  the 
Sphyrcena  and  its  congeners.  The  caleigerous  tubes  undulate  regularly, 
and  like  those  of  the  dugong,  exhibit  more  plainly  the  primary  dichotomous 
bifurcations,  and  the  subordinate  lateral  branches  given  off  at  acute  angles  : 
they  also  communicate  with  numerous  minute  cells  arranged  in  concentric 
lines. 

"  Thus,  the  microscopic  characters  of  the  texture  of  the  teeth  of  the  great 
Basilosaurus  are  strictly  of  a  mammiferous  nature ;  and  Mr.  Owen  further 
showed  that  they  differ  from  those  of  the  fossil  Edentata,  which  are  also 
surrounded  by  ccementum,  in  the  absence  of  the  coarse  central  ivory ;  and 
confirm  the  inference  respecting  the  position  of  the  fossil  in  the  natural 
system  drawn  from  the  external  aspect  of  the  teeth. 

"  Mr.  Owen  then  adduced  further  proofs  of  the  mammiferous  and  ceta- 
ceous character  of  the  Basilosau  rus  from  the  structure  of  the  vertebrce,  which 
proves  that  the  epiphyseal  lamince  were  originally  separated  from  the  body 
of  the  vertebrce,  but  were  afterwards  united  to  it.  In  the  bodies  of  the 
smaller  vertebrce  the  epiphyses  are  wanting,  and  Mr.  Owen  agrees  with  Dr. 
Harlan  in  inferring  from  the  common  occurrence  of  this  condition,  that 
there  were  originally  three  separate  points  of  ossification  in  the  body  of  the 
vertebrce ;  a  character  never  noticed  in  the  vertebrce  of  saurians,  but  a  most 
prominent  one  in  those  of  the  Cetacea.  Another  argument  in  favour  of  the 
mammiferous  and  cetaceous  nature  of  the  Basilosaurus  is  deduced  from  the 
great  capacity  of  the  canal  for  the  spinal  chord,  which  in  the  Cetacea  is 
surrounded  by  an  unusually  thick  plexiform  stratum  of  both  arteries  and 
veins.  The  cetaceous  character  is  further  manifested  in  the  short  antero- 
posterior extent  of  the  neurapophyses  as  compared  with  that  of  the  body 
of  the  vertebra  ;  in  their  regular  concave  posterior  margin,  and  the  deve- 
lopment of  the  articular  apophyses  only  from  their  anterior  part :  also  in 
the  form  and  position  of  the  transverse  processes,  which  however  present  a 
greater  vertical  thickness  than  in  the  true  Cetacea,  and  approach  in  this 
respect  to  the  vertebrce  of  the  dugong. 

"  With  respect  to  the  other  bones  of  the  Basilosaurus,  Mr.  Owen  stated 
that  the  ribs  in  their  excentric  laminated  structure  are  peculiar,  and  unlike 
those  of  any  mammal  or  saurian.  The  hollow  structure  of  the  lower  jaw 
of  the  Basilosaurus,  which  has  been  advanced  as  a  proof  of  its  saurian 


FL.1. 


:  our  an. .  tutu 


<^2^-- 


BIOGRAPHY  OF  MR.  WILLIAM  SMITH.  213 

nature,  Mr.  Owen  showed  occurs  also  in  the  lower  jaw  of  the  cachalot,  and 
is  therefore  equally  good  for  the  cetaceous  character  of  the  fossil. 

"In  the  compressed  shaft  of  the  humerus,  and  its  proportion  to  the  ver- 
tebra, the  Basilosaurus  again  approximates  to  the  true  Cetacea,  as  much  as 
it  recedes  from  the  Enaliosaurians ;  but  in  the  expansion  of  the  distal  ex- 
tremity and  the  form  of  the  articular  surface,  this  humerus  stands  alone  ; 
and  no  one  can  contemplate  the  comparative  feebleness  of  this,  the  princi- 
pal bone  of  the  anterior  extremity,  without  agreeing  with  Dr.  Harlan,  that 
the  tail  must  have  been  the  main  organ  of  locomotion. 

"Mr.  Owen,  in  compliance  with  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Harlan,  who, hav- 
ing compared  with  Mr.  Owen  the  microscopic  structure  of  the  teeth  of  the 
Basilosaurus  with  those  of  the  dugong  and  other. animals,  admits  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  inferences  of  its  mammiferous  nature,  proposes  to  substitute 
for  the  name  of  Basilosaurus  that  of  Zeuglodon,  suggested  by  the  form  of 
the  posterior  molars,  which  resemble  two  teeth  tied  or  yoked  together." 


Art.  II. — Biographical  Notice  of  William  Smith,  LL.D.  By 
John  Phillips,  Esq.,  F.R.S.,  Professor  of  Geology  at  King's 
College,  London,  &c.  &C.1 

William  Smith  was  bom  on  the  23rd  of  March,  1769,  at 
Churchill,  in  Oxfordshire,  amidst  the  oolitic  formations  from 
an  investigation  of  which  he  was  subsequently  conducted  to 
geological  discoveries  of  great  importance.  He  inherited  a 
small  patrimony,  but  his  education  and  opportunities  of  ac- 
quiring knowledge  were  very  imperfect,  till,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  he  attached  himself  to  the  late  Mr.  Edward  Webb, 
of  Stow-on-the-Wold,  to  learn  the  business  of  land-surveying. 
Mr.  Webb  was  a  person  of  singular  ability  in  his  profession, 
endowed  with  an  original  and  vigorous  intellect,  and  a  sim- 
ple and  friendly  disposition.  In  these  features  the  pupil  re- 
sembled the  master ;  and  in  all  his  after  life  he  has  entertain- 
ed the  most  grateful  recollections  of  this  early  friend. 

Mr.  Webb's  practice  as  a  surveyor  was  extensive,  and  Mr. 
Smith  had  opportunities  of  contrasting  the  lias  and  red  marls 
of  Worcestershire  with  the  '  stonebrash '  hills  of  Oxfordshire; 
and  the  distinctions  thus  brought  under  his  notice  as  early  as 
1789,  were  the  germ  of  that  systematic  analysis  of  English 
strata  which  he  commenced  in  1791. 

In  1791  Mr.  Smith  was  employed  in  surveying  an  estate  at 
Nether  Stowey,  in  Somersetshire ;  and  from  this  time  till  1799 
he  was  continually  occupied  in  the  vicinity  of  Bath,  as  a  land 

1  For  the  Portrait  accompanying  this  Memoir,  see  Sup.  Plate  No.  1. 

z  3 


214  BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICE 

surveyor  and  civil  engineer.  In  this  latter  profession,  from 
1793  till  1799,  he  was  engaged  in  executing  the  Somerset 
coal-canal.  On  descending  the  Somersetshire  coal-pits,  every 
inquiring  person  would  receive  from  the  workmen  the  account 
of  the  regular  sequence  of  the  strata  below  the  'red  ground' 
given  by  Mr.  Strachey  in  the  '  Philosophical  Transactions ' 
for  1721 ;  but  Mr.  Smith,  guided  by  previous  observations  to- 
ward a  conclusion  which  perhaps  was  but  dimly  apparent  to 
himself,  immediately  demanded  if  the  "strata  were  regular 
above  the  red  ground  ?  *?  The  answer  was  such  as  might  be 
expected  from  persons  of  merely  local  experience ;  the  work- 
men declared  that  "  there  was  nothing  regular  above  the  red 
ground;"  and  Mr.  Smith  returned  to  the  surface  to  .correct 
this  popular  error.  In  the  year  1791,  he  drew  detailed  sec- 
tions of.  the  coal-measures  pierced  at  High  Littleton  and 
Timsbury,  and  represented  the  unconformity  of  the  red  mail 
and  lias  above. 

Familiarized  from  childhood  with  some  of  the  organic  re- 
mains of  the  oolite,  and  acquainted  with  the  lias  and  red  marl 
below,  Mr.  Smith  saw  in  Somersetshire  these  strata  overly- 
ing the  coal-measures,  and  having  made  detailed  sections  of 
the  coal  strata,  and  collected  organic  remains  from  these  va- 
rious deposits,  he  found  himself  in  possession  of  new  and  wide 
generalizations,  which  it  became  the  enjoyment  and  the  la- 
bour of  his  life  to  unfold. 

"  In  the  course  of  the  two  following  years,  while  continu- 
ing the  duties  of  a  surveyor  and  civil  engineer,  he  became 
gradually  acquainted  with  all  the  minute  facts  of  stratifica- 
tion, in  the  country  round  Bath ;  and  for  the  purpose  of  bring- 
ing to  the  test  the  inquiries  suggested  by  his  surveys  in  1791, 
he  made  two  transverse  sections  along  the  lines  of  two  paral- 
lel valleys  intersecting  the  oolitic  group,  (determining  the  ac- 
tual elevation  of  these  lines  by  levels  referred  to  those  of  the 
Somerset  coal-canal) ;  and  ascertained  that  the  several  beds, 
found  in  the  high  escarpments  around  Bath,  were  brought 
down  by  an  eastern  dip,  in  regular  succession,  to  the  level  of 
his  lines  of  section.  During  these  two  years  Mr.  Smith  was 
in  the  constant  habit  of  making  collections  of  fossils,  with 
strict  indications  of  their  localities ;  and  in  completing  the 
details  of  his  transverse  sections,  he  found,  where  the  beds 
themselves  were  obscure,  that  he  could,  by  organic  remains 
alone,  determine  the  true  order  of  succession.  During  this 
period  he  also  extended  his  surveys  through  the  Cotteswold 
hills,  and  became  acquainted  with  the  general  facts  of  the 
range  of  the  oolitic  escarpment  towards  the  north  of  Eng- 


OF  MR.  WILLIAM  SMITH.  215 

land."     (Sedgwick,  in  'Address  to  the  Geological  Society,' 
1831). 

Early  in  1794  he  attended  Parliament  on  behalf  of  the  So- 
merset coal-canal  company;  and  in  his  journey  from  Bath  to 
London  observed  the  successive  escarpments  of  the  oolitic 
formations  and  chalk  hills.  To  this  hour  he  relates  with  a 
peculiar  delight,  the  history  of  a  long  journey  to  the  north  of 
England,  with  Mr.  Palmer  and  Mr.  Perkins,  in  August,  1794, 
undertaken  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  information  on  ca- 
nals and  collieries.  Seated  foremost  in  the  chaise,  he  ex- 
plored every  point  of  broken  ground  on  two  lines  between 
Bath  and  Newcastle-on-Tyne ;  and,  instructed  by  previous 
knowledge,  he  interpreted  rightly  the  contours  of  distant  hills, 
and  thus  traced  the  strata  of  Bath  to  the  coast  of  Whitby, 
and  the  chalk  of  the  Wiltshire  downs  to  the  wolds  of  Lin- 
colnshire and  Yorkshire.  Perhaps  no  more  remarkable  proof 
of  the  boldness  and  sagacity  with  which  he  followed  out  the 
principles  he  had  established,  can  be  given,  than  the  fact  that 
this  reconnoissance  of  the  north  of  England,  corrected  in  de- 
tail by  a  multitude  of  minute  considerations,  regarding  drain- 
age, sites  of  population,  and  other  circumstances  almost  un- 
noticed except  by  himself,  enabled  Mr.  Smith,  in  the  year 
1800,  to  colour  a  small  map,  in  which  the  geological  struc- 
ture of  the  North  of  England  is  rightly  united  to  that  of  the 
south,  and  the  range  of  the  oolitic  series  in  particular  is  re- 
presented, in  some  places  very  correctly,  and  in  all  with  a 
considerable  approach  to  accuracy. 

At  this  period  of  his  life  Mr.  Smith  was  utterly  unacquaint- 
ed with  books  treating  of  the  natural  history  of  the  earth  :  he 
had  no  other  teacher  than  that  acquired  'habit  of  observation' 
which  he  has  justly  recommended  to  his  followers.  It  is  dif- 
ficult in  these  days  to  conceive  of  such  insulated  and  inde- 
pendent research,  as  that  into  which  the  young  philosopher 
entered ;  rumours  at  least  of  the  progress  of  science  now  cir- 
culate through  the  Cotteswold  hills ;  and  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  the  most  reserved  student  to  be  wholly  uninfluenced 
by  them.  That  Mr.  Smith  was  so  uninfluenced  is  a  fact  at- 
tested by  the  very  nomenclature  which  he  created  and  esta- 
blished in  Geology.  The  'combrash,'  the  'forest  marble,'  the 
'  lias,'  &c,  form  a  system  of  names  almost  barbarous  to  ears 
polite,  but  so  firmly  rooted  in  English  Geology,  as  to  consti- 
tute a  most  durable  monument  of  the  sagacity  and  originality 
of  their  author. 

In  1795  Mr.  Smith  became  a  housekeeper,  and  immediately 
began  to  arrange  his  collection  of  fossils  from  the  vicinity  of 
Bath,  in  the  order  of  the  strata.     His  residence  in  the  Cot- 


216  BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICE 

tage  Crescent,  near  Bath,  was  favourable  for  this  object ;  and 
before  1799  he  had  coloured  geologically  the  large  sheets  of 
the  Somersetshire  survey,  and  a  circular  map  of  the  vicinity 
of  Bath.     These  are  very  accurate. 

By  maps  and  sections,  and  arranged  collections  of  organic 
remains,  Mr.  Smith  endeavoured  to  explain  to  many  scientific 
persons  those  views  regarding  the  regular  succession  and  con- 
tinuity of  strata,  and  the  definite  distribution  of  animal  and 
vegetable  forms  in  the  earth,  which  are  now  the  common  pro- 
perty of  Geology.  Among  those  who  heard  his  explanations 
at  this  early  period,  may  be  mentioned  Dr.  James  Anderson, 
of  Edinburgh ;  Mr.  Davis,  of  Longleat ;  the  Rev.  J.  Towns- 
end  author  of *■ Travels  in  Spain;'  and  the  Rev.  B.  Richardson 
of  Farley. 

The  two  last-named  gentlemen  were  remarkably  able  to 
appreciate  the  truth  and  novelty  of  such  views,  both  from 
their  general  attainments  in  Natural  History,  and  their  exact 
knowledge  of  the  country  to  which  Mr.  Smith  directed  their 
attention.  Both  of  them  possessed  large  collections  of  orga- 
nic remains,  and  both  were  astonished  and  incredulous  when 
their  new  friend,  taking  up  one  fossil  after  another,  stated  in- 
stantly from  what  particular  rock,  and  even  bed  of  stone,  or 
clay,  the  specimens  were  derived.  Nor  were  they  less  sur- 
prised when,  in  the  field,  'Strata  Smith'  (as  he  was  termed) 
traced  with  ease  and  accuracy  the  ranges  of  the  rocks,  by  fol- 
lowing the  courses  of  springs,  and  many  other  indications  of 
a  change  of  the  sub-strata.  Both  entered  with  the  zeal  of 
novelty  into  the  examination  of  a  district  which  they  had  of- 
ten traversed  before;  and  Mr.  Richardson's  was  the  hand 
which,  in  1799,  wrote  from  Smith's  dictation,  the  original 
'Tabular  View  of  the  superposition  of  English  strata,'  which 
has  since  been  presented  to  the  Geological  Society  of  Lon- 
don. Copies  of  this  document  were  given  by  Mr.  Richardson 
to  Baron  Rosencrantz,  Dr.  Muller  of  Christian] a,  and  many 
others,  in  the  year  1801 ;  and  Mr.  W  Reynolds  personally 
assured  Mr.  Smith,  that  within  his  own  knowledge  copies  of 
it  had  been  sent  to  the  East  and  West  Indies. 

Dr.  James  Anderson  earnestly  intreated  Mr.  Smith  to  lay 
his  discoveries  before  the  public,  and  offered  the  assistance 
of  his  literary  experience  and  connexions  to  aid  him.  Possi- 
bly the  almost  continual  occupation  in  which  he  was  now  en- 
gaged, especially  in  the  draining  of  land, — for  which  Geology 
had  taught  him  new  and  certain  methods, — may  have  pre- 
vented his  complying  with  these  friendly  and  judicious  offers  : 
the  notion,  however,  once  admitted,  revived  from  time  to  time, 
and  in  1801  a  prospectus  was  printed,  containing  proposals 


OF  MR.  WILLIAM  SMITH.  217 

for  publishing  by  subscription,  in  4  to.,  a  work  to  be  entitled 
'  Accurate  delineations  and  descriptions  of  the  natural  order 
of  the  various  strata  that  are  found  in  different  parts  of  Eng- 
land and  Wales ;  with  practical  observations  thereon/  For 
this  work  a  small  and  curious  geological  map  was  prepared, 
and  it  was  to  have  been  accompanied  by  a  general  section  of 
the  strata,  showing  their  proportionate  thickness.  The  pro- 
spectus is  itself  a  little  essay  on  the  practical  applications  of 
Geology,  and  displays  clearly  the  enlarged  and  precise  mas- 
tery of  his  subject,  which  finally  led  to  the  completion  (in 
1815 ! )  of  the  great '  Delineation  of  the  strata  of  England  and 
Wales.'  This  document  is  curious  and  scarce  enough  to  de- 
serve to  be  re-printed  entire. 

Mr.  Smith's  engagement  as  engineer  to  the  Somerset  coal- 
canal  ceased  in  1799,  and  he  was  from  that  time,  for  many 
years,  almost  continually  travelling  in  various  directions  in 
the  exercise  of  his  profession.  To  this  he  appears  not  to  have 
looked  so  much  as  a  source  of  profit,  as  an  occasion  for  seeing 
new  districts,  and  completing  his  general  survey  of  England 
and  Wales.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  attending  the  agricultu- 
ral meetings  called  '  sheep-shearings,'  at  Wobum  and  Holk- 
ham,  to  exhibit  his  maps  and  sections  for  the  information  of 
the  assembly.  At  one  of  these,  in  1804,  Sir  Joseph  Banks 
originated  a  public  subscription,  to  aid  in  defraying  the  cost 
of  publishing  his  '  Observations  on  the  Strata  of  England  and 
Wales.'  In  1804  he  fixed  his  nominal  residence  in  London, 
(15,  Buckingham  St.,  Strand),  re-arranged  his  collection  there 
on  a  new  and  curious  plan,  and  received  many  distinguished 
visitors.  But  his  time  was  principally  passed  in  Norfolk  and 
Suffolk,  where  he  accomplished  a  remarkable  work, — stop- 
ping out  the  sea  from  a  vast  extent  of  marsh  land.  In  1806 
the  first  of  his  publications  appeared, — a  '  Treatise  on  Irriga- 
tion,'— from  the  Norwich  press.  For  one  of  the  successful 
efforts  at  irrigation  directed  by  Mr.  Smith,  the  Society  of  Arts 
awarded  their  medal. 

In  1808  the  president  and  other  members  of  the  Geological 
Society  visited  Mr.  Smith,  and  saw  his  collection  of  fossils. 
In  1811  appeared  the  first  volume  of  the  '  Geological  Trans- 
actions,' in  which  Mr.  Smith's  discoveries  regarding  organic 
remains  are  noticed ;  in  1813  the  Rev.  W.  Townsend  pub- 
lished the  first  volume  of  his  curious  work, — '  The  character 
of  Moses  vindicated,' — containing  much  information  commu- 
nicated by  Mr.  Smith ;  and  at  length,  in  August,  1815,  ap- 
peared the  long-expected  '  Delineation  of  the  Strata  of  Eng- 
land and  Wales,'  on  a  new  map  engraved  for  the  purpose  by 
Messrs.  Carey,  of  London. 


218  BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICE 

An  arrangement  was  made  in  1815,  by  which  the  British 
Museum  became  possessed  of  Mr.  Smith's  whole  collection 
of  organic  remains,  for  the  sum  of  £500.  and  the  task  of  ar- 
ranging and  describing  this  collection,  led  to  the  publication 
of  two  works  in  4to.,  entitled  '  Strata  Identified  by  Organized 
Fossils,'  (1815),  and  '  Stratigraphical  System  of  Organized 
Fossils,'  (1817),  the  latter  designed  as  an  index  to  the  speci- 
mens deposited  in  the  British  Museum.  In  1818  appeared, 
in  the  '  Edinburgh  Review,'  the  most  able,  just,  and  discrimi- 
nating survey  of  the  progress  of  English  Geology  ever  penned; 
and  if  Mr.  Smith's  friends  regretted  the  late  appearance  of  his 
great  map,  and  the  slow  and  difficult  growth  of  his  hard-earn- 
ed fame,  they  had  reason  to  be  thankful  that  in  the  maturity 
of  geological  research,  at  a  time  when  the  progress  of  conti- 
nental science  could  be  rightly  appreciated,  the  delicate  task 
of  estimating  the  value  and  originality  of  his  labours  was  ac- 
complished with  the  taste,  truth,  and  independence  which 
characterize  the  writings  of  Dr.  Fitton. 

Between  the  appearance  of  the  great  general  map  in  1815 
and  the  year  1821,  Mr.  Smith  published  no  less  than  twenty 
geological  maps  of  English  counties,  often  remarkable  for 
their  accuracy ;  and  he  has  not  desisted  from  the  labour  of 
preparing  others,  amidst  difficulties  and  privations  such  as 
few  men  devoted  to  science  have  ever  endured.  In  1819  Mr. 
Smith  resigned  his  residence  in  London,  and  had,  in  fact, 
scarcely  any  home  but  the  rocks  until  1823,  which  year  he 
passed  in  Kirby  Lonsdale.  In  1824  he  delivered  a  course  of 
lectures  on  Geology  to  the  members  of  the  Yorkshire  Philo- 
sophical Society,  then  recently  established;  these  were  re- 
peated in  the  same  year,  in  conjunction  with  his  nephew,  Mr. 
John  Phillips,  (now  Professor  of  Geology  in  King's  College, 
London),  at  Scarborough  and  Hull.  A  similar  effort  was 
made  at  Sheffield  in  1825,  and  soon  afterwards  Mr.  Smith 
accepted  an  engagement  as  agent  to  Sir  J.  Johnstone,  Bart., 
of  Hackness,  near  Scarborough,  and  withdrew  for  a  while 
from  the  wandering  life  and  endless  labours  he  had  imposed 
on  himself. 

In  1829  one  who  deeply  felt  the  enthusiasm  of  active  geo- 
logical research,  was  led  by  curiosity,  or  a  better  motive,  to 
visit  the  secluded  valley  of  Hackness,  and  contemplate  the 
imprisoned  energies  of  an  impassioned  mind.  He  found  a 
patient  though  disappointed  man ;  an  inflexible  activity  of 
intellect,  forced  into  new  and  not  infertile  channels  ;  a  gene- 
rous sympathy  with  the  progress  of  science,  shaded  only  by 
deep  regret  at  his  own  compulsory  exclusion  from  the  active 
promotion  of  it.     Nothing  that  could  be  effected  by  individu- 


OF  MR.  WILLIAM  SMITH.  219 

al  kindness  was  omitted  by  the  worthy  proprietor  of  Hack- 
ness,  to  encourage  the  veteran  geologist,  whose  mind,  singu- 
larly gifted  with  the  power  of  living  through  the  past,  was 
often  far  away  from  the  spot  where  his  labours,  and  perhaps 
his  life,  were  amusingly  and  usefully  prolonged. 

The  time,  however,  came  at  length,  when  the  young  geolo- 
gists of  England  drew  from  his  retirement  the  unforgotten 
leader  of  their  science.  The  Geological  Society  of  London 
awarded  the  first  medal  placed  at  their  disposal  by  the  be- 
quest of  Wollaston,  to  Mr.  William  Smith,  "in  consideration 
of  his  being  a  great  original  discoverer  in  English  Geology : 
and  especially  for  his  being  the  first,  in  this  country,  to  dis- 
cover and  to  teach  the  identification  of  strata,  and  to  deter- 
mine their  succession  by  means  of  their  imbedded  fossils." 

Professor  Sedgwick  then  occupied  the  chair  of  the  Geolo- 
gical Society,  and  added  to  the  value  of  the  distinction  he 
was  conferring  on  Mr.  Smith,  by  a  careful  estimation  and 
proof  of  his  right  to  receive  it,  and  by  the  acknowledgment 
which  could  come  with  better  grace  or  greater  force  from  no 
living  geologist,  of  his  undoubted  claim  to  be  recognised  as 
the  *  Father  of  English  Geology.'  "  If,"  observes  this  elo- 
quent advocate  of  truth,  "in  the  pride  of  our  present  strength, 
we  were  disposed  to  forget  our  origin,  our  very  speech  would 
bewray  us ;  for  we  use  the  language  which  he  taught  us  in 
the  infancy  of  our  science.  If  we,  by  our  united  efforts,  are 
chiselling  the  ornaments,  and  slowly  raising  up  the  pinnacles 
of  one  of  the  temples  of  nature,  it  was  he  who  gave  the  plan, 
and  laid  the  foundation,  and  erected  a  portion  of  the  solid 
walls,  by  the  unassisted  labour  of  his  hands." 

In  1835  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.D.  in  Trinity  Col- 
lege, Dublin. 

No  man  ever  withstood  more  bravely  than  Mr.  Smith,  the 
pressure  of  pecuniary  difficulties  ;  they  were,  in  fact,  neither 
rashly  nor  recklessly  incurred,  but  inevitably  brought  on  by 
the  unconquerable  desire  of  personally  tracing  the  strata  of 
England  and  Wales.  These  difficulties  were  however  often 
excessive;  and  after  the  public  tribute  to  the  'Father  of  Eng- 
lish Geology,'  decreed  by  the  Geological  Society,  it  was  im- 
possible to  avoid  an  anxious  fear  that  in  the  winter  of  his  age 
he  would  be  destitute.  An  application  was  made  to  the 
crown,  on  the  part  of  several  eminent  men  of  science,  and 
persons  of  high  station,  in  the  country,  who  had  known  the 
practical  value  of  Geology,  for  the  grant  of  a  suitable  pension. 
An  annuity  of  One  Hundred  Pounds  was  the  result  of  this 
well-timed  application ;  and  from  this  limited  income,  at  three 
score  years  and  ten,  the  first  English  geologist  draws  his 


220  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

scanty  support,  with  no  prospect  of  producing  for  the  public 
advantage  any  part  of  that  mass  of  information  on  practical 
applications  of  Geology,  which  the  experience  of  fifty  years 
has  accumulated,— information  which,  it  may  be  safely  as- 
serted, no  other  man  can  give  to  the  world. 


Art.  III. — Monograph  of  the  Genus  Sciurus,  with  Descriptions  of 
New  Species  and  their  Varieties.  By  J.  Bachman,  D.D.,  Presi- 
dent ol  the  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society,  Charlestown,  South 
Carolina,  &c. 

(  Continued  from  Page  162). 

7.  Northern  Grey  and  Black  Squirrel.    Sciurus  leucotis. 

Grey  Squirrel;  Pennant's  Arctic  Zool.,  vol.  i.,  p.  135;  Hist. 

Quad.  No.  272. 
Sci.  Carolinensis ;  Godman,  non  Gmel. 
Sciurus  leucotis  ;  Gapper,  Zool.  Journ.  vol.  v.  p.  206,  published 

about  1830. 

Essent.  Char. — Larger  than  the  Carolina  Grey  Squirrel ;  tail  much 
longer  than  the  body ;  smaller  than  the  Cat  Squirrel ;  subject  to  many  va- 
rieties in  colour. 

This  sprightly  and  very  common  species,  existing  in  the 
northern  and  middle  states,  has  hitherto  been  united  with  the 
Carolina  grey  squirrel ;  the  name  having  been  first  appropri- 
ated to  the  latter,  and  the  present  species  being,  as  I  shall  en- 
deavour, in  this  and  the  succeeding  article,  to  prove,  specifi- 
cally distinct,  I  have  proposed  for  it  the  above  name. 

This  squirrel  seems  to  have  permanently  twenty-two  teeth; 
among  a  large  number  procured  in  different  seasons  of  the 
year,  and  some  of  them,  from  the  manner  in  which  their  teeth 
were  worn,  appearing  to  be  old  animals,  all  presented  the 
small  front  molars  in  the  upper  jaw,  except  a  single  specimen, 
and  even  in  this  instance,  these  teeth  may  have  accidentally 
dropped  out.  This  permanency  in  teeth  that  have  been  usu- 
ally regarded  as  deciduous,  would  seem  to  require  an  enlarge- 
ment of  the  characters  given  to  this  genus ;  it  will  moreover 
be  seen  that  the  majority  of  our  species  are  similar  to  this  in 
their  dental  arrangements. 

The  incisors  are  strong  and  compressed,  a  little  smaller 
than  those  of  the  cat  squirrel,  convex,  and  of  a  deep  orange 
colour  anteriorly ;  the  upper  ones  have  a  sharp  cutting  edge, 
and  are  chisel-shaped ;  the  lower  are  much  longer  and  thin- 
ner. The  anterior  grinder,  although  round  and  small,  is  as 
long  as  the  second  ;  the  remaining  four  grinders  are  consider- 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  221 

ably  more  excavated  than  those  of  the  cat  squirrel,  present- 
ing two  transverse  ridges  of  enamel.  The  lower  grinders  cor- 
responding to  those  above,  have  also  elevated  crowns.  The 
hair  is  a  little  softer  than  that  of  the  cat  squirrel,  being  coars- 
est on  the  forehead. 

Form. — Nose  rather  obtuse  ;  forehead  arched ;  whiskers  as 
long  as  the  head ;  ears  sharply  rounded,  concave ;  both  sides 
of  the  ear  covered  with  hair ;  that  which  clothes  the  outside 
being  much  the  longest.  In  winter  the  fur  projects  upwards, 
about  three  lines  beyond  the  margin. 

Colour. — Although  this  species  exists  under  many  varieties 
there  appear  to  be  two  very  permanent  ones,  which  I  shall 
attempt  to  describe. 

1.  Grey  variety. — The  nose,  cheek,  around  the  eyes  ex- 
tending to  the  insertion  of  the  neck,  the  upper  surface  of  the 
fore,  and  hind  feet,  and  a  stripe  along  the  sides,  yellowish 
brown ;  the  ears  on  their  posterior  surface  are  a  soiled  white, 
edged  with  brown ;  on  the  back  from  the  shoulder  there  is  an 
obscure  stripe  of  brown,  broadest  at  its  commencement,  and 
running  down  to  a  point  at  the  insertion  of  the  tail ;  in  a  few 
specimens  this  stripe  is  wanting.  On  the  neck,  sides,  and 
hips  the  colour  is  light  grey  ;  the  hairs  separately  are  for  one 
half  their  length  dark  cinereous,  then  light  umber,  then  a  nar- 
row mark  of  black,  and  tipt  with  white ;  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  black  hairs  are  interspersed,  giving  it  above  a  grey  co- 
lour ;  the  hairs  in  the  tail  are  light  yellowish  brown  from  the 
roots,  with  three  stripes  of  black,  the  outer  one  being  widest, 
and  broadly  tipt  with  white ;  the  whole  under  surface  is  white. 

There  are  other  specimens  in  which  the  yellowish  markings 
on  the  sides  and  feet  are  altogether  wanting.  Dr.  Godman 
(vol.  ii.  p.  133)  asserts  that  the  golden  colour  on  the  hind  feet 
is  a  very  permanent  mark.  The  specimens  from  Pennsylva- 
nia in  my  possession  have  generally  this  peculiarity,  but  ma- 
ny of  those  from  New  York  and  New  England  have  grey  feet, 
without  the  slightest  mixture  of  yellow. 

2.  Black  variety. — This  variety  I  have,  on  several  occa- 
sions, seen  taken  from  the  same  nest  with  the  grey  squirrel. 
They  breed  and  rear  their  young  together,  and  the  observa- 
tions made  with  regard  to  the  fox  squirrel  will  also  apply  to 
these.  This  is  of  the  size  and  form  of  the  grey  variety ;  it  is 
a  dark  brownish  black  on  the  whole  of  the  upper  surface,  a 
little  lighter  beneath.  In  summer  its  colour  is  less  black  than 
in  winter.  The  hairs  of  the  back  and  sides  of  the  body  and 
tail  are  obscurely  annulated  with  yellow.  There  is  here  and 
there  a  white  hair  interspersed  among  the  fur  of  the  body,  but 
no  tuft  of  white  as  in  Sciurus  niger. 


222  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.     LIN. 

Length  of  head  and  body , 11  9 

Ditto      of  tail  {vertebra) 10  0 

Ditto     to  the  tip 13  0 

Height  of  ear „  7 

Ditto  to  the  end  of  fur „  9 

Palm  to  end  of  middle  claw 1  10 

Heel  to  end  of  middle  nail 2  6 

Length  of  fur  on  the  hack „  7 

Breadth  of  tail  with  hairs  extended  4  2 

Geographical  Distribution. — The  northern  limits  of  this 
species  is  not  determined ;  it  however  exists  as  far  as  Hud- 
son's Bay,  was  formerly  very  common  in  the  New  England 
states,  and  in  the  less  cultivated  portions  is  still  frequently 
met  with.  It  is  abundant  in  New  York,  and  in  the  moun- 
tainous portions  of  Pennsylvania.  I  have  observed  it  on  the 
northern  mountains  of  Virginia.  It  probably  extends  still 
farther  south ;  in  the  lower  parts  of  North  and  South  Caroli- 
na however  it  is  replaced  by  a  smaller  species.  The  black 
variety  is  more  abundant  in  upper  Canada,  in  the  western 
part  of  New  York,  and  in  the  states  of  Ohio  and  Indiana. — 
It  does  not  exist  in  Georgia,  Florida,  or  Alabama;  and  among 
the  specimens  sent  from  Louisiana,  stated  to  be  of  all  the  spe- 
cies existing  in  that  state,  I  discovered  that  this  squirrel  was 
not  of  the  number. 

Habits. — This  appears  to  be  the  most  active  and  sprightly 
species  existing  in  our  Atlantic  states.  It  rises  with  the  sun, 
and  continues  industriously  engaged  in  search  of  food  during 
four  or  five  hours  in  the  morning,  scratching  among  leaves, 
running  over  fallen  logs,  ascending  trees,  and  playfully  cours- 
ing from  limb  to  limb, — often  making  almost  incredible  leaps 
from  the  higher  branches  of  one  tree  to  another.  In  the  mid- 
dle of  the  day  it  retires  for  a  few  hours  to  its  nest,  resuming 
its  active  labours  and  amusements  in  the  afternoon,  and  con- 
tinuing without  intermission  till  the  setting  of  the  sun.  Dur- 
ing the  warm  weather  of  spring  and  summer  it  prepares  itself 
a  summer  house  on  a  tree,  but  not  often  at  its  summit.  In 
constructing  this  nest,  it  does  not  descend  to  the  earth  in 
search  of  materials,  but  finds  them  ready  at  hand  on  the  tree 
where  it  intends  to  take  up  its  temporary  residence.  It  first 
breaks  off  dried  sticks,  if  they  can  be  procured,  to  make  a  su- 
perstructure ;  if  however  such  materials  are  not  within  reach, 
it  commences  gnawing  off  the  green  branches  of  the  size  of  a 
thumb,  and  lays  them  in  the  crutch  of  the  tree,  or  of  some 
large  branch.  It  then  proceeds  to  the  extremities  of  the 
branches,  and  breaks  off  those  portions  that  contain  tufts  of 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  223 

leaves,  with  which  a  compact  nest  is  constructed,  which,  in 
the  inner  side,  is  sometimes  lined  with  such  mosses  as  are 
found  on  the  bark  of  trees.  In  the  preparation  of  this  nest 
a  pair  is  usually  engaged,  for  an  hour  in  the  morning, 
during  several  successive  days ;  and  the  noise  they  make  in 
cutting  the  branches,  and  dragging  them  with  their  leaves  to 
the  nests,  can  be  heard  at  a  great  distance.  In  winter  they 
reside  altogether  in  holes  of  trees,  where  their  young,  in  most 
instances,  are  brought  forth.  Although  a  family  to  the  num- 
ber of  five  or  six,  probably  the  produce  of  a  pair  from  the 
preceding  season,  may  occupy  the  same  nest  during  winter, 
yet  they  all  pair  off  in  spring,  when  each  couple  seems  to  oc- 
cupy a  separate  nest,  in  order  to  engage  in  the  duties  of  re- 
production. The  young,  in  number  from  four  to  six,  are,  in 
the  northern  states,  brought  forth  in  May ;  they  are  of  quick 
growth,  and  sufficiently  advanced  in  a  few  weeks  to  leave  the 
nest :  at  such  times  they  are  seen  clinging  around  the  tree 
which  contains  their  domicile,  and  as  soon  as  .alarmed  they 
run  to  the  hole,  when  one  of  them  usually  returns,  and,  pro- 
truding his  head  out  of  the  hole,  watches  the  movements  of 
the  intruder.  In  this  stage  of  growth  they  are  easily  captur- 
ed ;  their  hole  is  stopped  up,  another  opening  is  made  be- 
neath, and  they  are  taken  out  by  the  hand  protected  by  a  glove. 
They  soon  become  tolerably  gentle,  and  are  frequently  kept 
in  cages  with  a  wheel  attached,  in  which,  as  in  the  interior  of 
a  tread-mill,  they  amuse  themselves  in  playing  for  hours  to- 
gether. Sometimes  two  are  placed  together,  and  they  soon 
leam  to  accommodate  themselves  to  the  wheel,  and  move  to- 
gether with  great  regularity.  However  gentle  they  may  be- 
come in  confinement,  no  instance  has  come  to  my  knowledge 
of  their  having  produced  young  in  a  state  of  domestication ; 
although  in  a  suitable  cage  such  a  result  would  in  all  proba- 
bility be  produced.  A  tame  squirrel  is,  however,  a  trouble- 
some pet ;  it  is  always  ready  to  use  its  teeth  on  the  fingers  of 
every  intruder  on  its  cage,  and  does  not  always  spare  even  its 
feeder ;  and  when  permitted  to  have  the  freedom  of  the  house, 
it  soon  incurs  the  displeasure  of  the  prudent  housewife  by  its 
habit  of  gnawing  chairs,  tables,  and  books. 

During  the  breeding  season  the  males,  like  those  of  deer 
and  other  species,  engage  in  frequent  contests,  and  often  bite 
and  wound  each  other  severely.  The  story  of  their  emascu- 
lating each  other  on  these  occasions  has  been  so  often  repeat- 
ed, that  it  has  become  a  matter  of  history,  and  it  would  now 
be  somewhat  dangerous  to  set  it  down  as  a  vulgar  error.  It 
might  however  be  advanced,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  ad- 
mission of  such  skill  and  refinement  in  cruelty  would  be  as- 


224  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

cribing  to  the  squirrel  a  higher  degree  of  physical  and  surgi- 
cal knowledge  than  is  possessed  by  any  other  quadruped. — 
From  the  observations  I  have  been  enabled  to  make,  I  have 
been  led  to  believe  that  the  error  has  originated  from  the  fact 
that  those  parts  in  the  male  which  in  one  season  are  greatly 
enlarged,  are  in  the  other  equally  diminished,  and  that  in 
young  males  especially,  they  are  drawn  into  the  pelvis  by  the 
contraction  of  the  muscle.  As  a  proof  of  this,  a  friend,  who 
was  a  strenuous  believrer  in  this  spiteful  propensity  ascribed 
to  the  squirrel,  was  induced  to  test  the  inquiry  by  an  exami- 
nation of  a  suitable  number  of  specimens.  He  obtained  in  a 
few  weeks  upwards  of  thirty  males  ;  —in  none  of  these  had 
this  mutilation  taken  place.  Two  however  out  of  this  num- 
ber were  triumphantly  brought  forward  as  evidences  of  the 
truth  of  the  doctrine ;  on  examination  it  appeared  that  these 
were  young  animals,  with  the  organs  perfect,  but  concealed  in 
the  manner  above  stated. 

It  is  generally  believed  that  this  species  lays  up  a  great 
hoard  of  food  as  a  winter  supply  ;  it  may  however  be  reason- 
ably doubted  whether  they  are  so  provident  in  this  respect. 
The  trees  in  which  they  conceal  themselves  in  winter  are  fre- 
quently cut  down,  and  no  supply  of  provisions  is  ever  found 
in  their  nests.  In  following  their  tracks  in  the  snow  they  can- 
not be  traced  to  any  hoards  buried  in  the  ground.  I  have 
moreover  observed  them  during  a  warm  day  in  winter  coming 
from  great  distances  into  the  open  fields,  in  search  of  a  few 
dry  hickory  nuts  which  were  still  left  suspended  on  the  trees  ; 
if  provisions  had  been  laid  up  nearer  home,  they  would  hardly 
have  undertaken  these  long  journeys,  or  exposed  themselves 
to  so  much  danger  in  procuring  a  precarious  supply.  In  fact 
this  species,  in  cold  climates,  seldom  leaves  its  nest  in  win- 
ter, except  in  a  warm  sunny  day ;  and  in  this  state  of  inacti- 
vity and  partial  torpidity,  it  requires  but  little  food. 

This  squirrel  feeds  upon  the  various  nuts,  seeds,  and  grain 
which  are  periodically  sought  for  by  all  the  species  of  this 
genus,  but  it  seems  to  prefer  the  shell-bark  (Carya  alba)  and 
the  several  species  of  hickory,  to  any  other  kind  of  food. — 
Even  when  the  nuts  are  so  green  as  to  afford  scarcely  any 
nourishment,  the  northern  grey  squirrel  is  seen  gnawing  off 
the  thick  epidermis,  which  drops  to  the  ground  like  rain,  and 
then,  with  its  lower  incisors,  makes  a  small  linear  opening  in 
the  thinnest  part  of  the  shell,  immediately  over  the  kernel. — 
When  this  part  has  been  extracted  it  proceeds  to  another, 
till  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time,  the  nut  is  cut  longi- 
tudinally on  its  four  sides,  and  the  whole  kernel  secured,  leav- 
ing the  portions  of  the  hard  shell  untouched.    Were,  however, 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  225 

this  species  to  confine  its  depredations  to  the  hickory,  ches- 
nut,  beech,  oak,  and  maple,  it  would  be  less  obnoxious  to  the 
fanner  ;  but  unfortunately  for  the  peace  of  both,  it  is  fond  of 
the  green  corn  and  young  wheat,  to  which  the  rightful  owner 
imagines  himself  to  have  a  prior  claim.  A  war  of  extermina- 
tion consequently  ensues,  and  various  inducements  are  held 
out  to  tempt  the  gunner  to  destroy  them.  In  Pennsylvania 
an  ancient  law  existed,  offering  threepence  a  head  for  every 
squirrel  destroyed,  and  in  one  year  (1749)  the  enormous  sum 
of  c£80Q0.  was  paid  out  of  the  treasury,  in  premiums  for  the 
destruction  of  these  depredators.  In  several  of  the  northern 
and  western  states  the  inhabitants,  on  an  appointed  day,  are 
in  the  habit  of  turning  out  on  what  is  called  a  squirrel-hunt. 
They  arrange  themselves  under  opposite  leaders,  each  party 
being  stimulated  by  the  ambition  of  victory,  and  of  fastening 
on  the  other  the  expense  of  a  bountiful  supper.  The  hunters 
range  the  forest  in  every  direction,  and  the  accounts  given  us 
of  the  number  of  squirrels  brought  together  at  the  evening 
rendezvous,  are  almost  incredible. 

In  addition  to  the  usual  enemies  of  this  species  in  the 
northern  states,  such  as  the  weasel,  fox,  lynx,  &c,  the  red- 
tailed  hawk  seems  to  regard  it  as  his  natural  and  lawful  prey. 
It  is  amusing  to  see  the  skill  and  dexterity  exercised  by  both 
in  the  attack  and  defence.  When  the  hawk  is  unaccompanied 
by  his  mate,  he  finds  it  no  easy  matter  to  secure  the  squirrel ; 
unless  the  latter  be  unconsciously  pounced  upon  whilst  on 
the  ground,  he  is  enabled,  by  his  dodgings  and  twistings 
round  the  limb  of  a  tree,  to  evade  the  attacks  of  the  hawk  for 
hours,  and  frequently  worries  him  into  a  reluctant  retreat. — 
But  the  red-tail,  like  other  robbers,  has  learnt  by  experience 
that  he  is  most  certain  of  his  prey  when  hunting  in  couples. 
He  is  frequently  accompanied  by  his  mate,  especially  in  the 
breeding  season,  and  in  this  case  the  contest  is  soon  decided. 
They  course  rapidly,  in  opposite  directions,  above  and  below 
the  limb  ;  the  attention  of  the  squirrel  is  thus  divided  and  dis- 
tracted, and  before  he  is  aware  of  it,  the  talons  of  the  hawk 
are  in  his  back,  and  with  a  shriek  of  triumph  the  latter  bears 
him  off,  either  to  the  aery  of  his  young,  or  to  some  low  limb 
of  a  tree,  or  to  a  sheltered  situation  on  the  ground,  where,  with 
a  suspicious  glance  towards  each  other,  and  an  occasional 
hissing  and  growling  for  the  choice  parts,  the  hawks  devour 
their  prey. 

This  species  of  squirrel  has  occasionally  excited  the  won- 
der of  the  populace  by  its  wandering  habits,  and  its  singu- 
lar and  long  migrations.  Like  the  lemming  (Lemmus  Nor- 
vegicus)  of   the  eastern  continent,  it  is   stimulated,  either 

Vol.  III.— No.  29.  n.  s.  2  a 


226  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

from  a  scarcity  of  food,  or  from  some  other  inexplicable  in- 
stinct, to  leave  its  native  haunts,  and  seek  for  adventures  or 
for  food  in  some  distant  and,  to  him,  unexplored  portion  of 
our  land.     The  newspapers  from  the  west  contain  frequent 
details  of  these  migrations ;  they  appear  to  have  been  more 
frequent  in  former  years  than  at  the  present  time.     The  far- 
mers in  the  western  wilds  regard  them  with  sensations  which 
may  be  compared  to  the  anxious  apprehensions  of  the  east- 
ern nations  at  the  flight  of  the  devouring  locust.     At  such 
periods,  which  usually  occur  in  autumn,  the  squirrels  congre- 
gate in  different  districts  of  the  far  north-west,  and,  in  irre- 
gular troops,  bend  their  way  instinctively  in  an  eastern  direc- 
tion.   Mountains  and  cleared  fields, — the  head  waters  of  lakes 
and  broad  rivers, — present  no  unconquerable  impediments. — 
Onward  they  come,  devouring  on  their  way  everything  that  is 
suited  to  a  squirrel's  taste, — laying  waste  the  corn  and  wheat 
fields  of  the  farmer  ;  and  as  their  numbers  are  thinned  by  the 
gun,  the  dog  and  the  club,  others  are  ready  to  fall  in  the  rear 
and  fill  up  the  ranks,  till  they  occasion  infinite  mischief  and 
call  forth  no  empty  threats  of  revenge.     It  is  often  enquired 
how  these  little  creatures  that,  on  common  occasions,  have 
such  an  instinctive  dread  of  water,  are  enabled  to  cross  broad 
and  rapid  rivers,  like  the  Ohio  and  Hudson  for  instance.     It 
is  usually  asserted,  and  believed  by  many,  that  they  carry  to 
the  shore  a  suitable  piece  of  bark,  and  seizing  the  opportuni- 
ty of  a  favourable  breeze,  seat  themselves  upon  this  substitute 
for  a  boat,  hoist  their  broad  tails  as  a  sail,  and  float  safely  to 
the  opposite  shore.     This,  together  with  many  other  traits  of 
intelligence  ascribed  to  this  species,  I  suspect  to  be  apocry- 
phal.    That  they  do  migrate  at  irregular,  and  occasionally  at 
distant  periods,  is  a  fact  sufficiently  established ;  but  in  the 
only  instance  in  which  I  had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing 
the  migrations  of  the  squirrel,  it  appeared  to  me  that  he  was 
not  only  an  unskilful  sailor,  but  a  clumsy  swimmer.     It  was 
(as  far  as  my  recollection  serves  me  of  the  period  of  early  life) 
in  the  autumn  of  1808  or  9 ;  troops  of  squirrels  suddenly  and 
unexpectedly  made  their  appearance  in  the  neighbourhood, 
but  among  the  grey  ones  were  varieties  not  previously  seen  in 
those  parts;  some  were   broadly  striped  with  yellow  on  the 
sides,  and  a  few  with  a  black  stripe  on  each  side,  bordered 
with  yellow  or  brown,  resembling  the  stripes  of  the  little  chip- 
ping squirrel   (Tamias  Lysteri).     They  swam  the  Hudson  in 
various  places  between  Waterford  and  Saratoga;  those  which 
I  observed  crossing  the  river  were  swimming  deep  and  awk- 
wardly, their  bodies  and  tails  wholly  submerged ;  several  that 
had  been  drowned  were  carried  downward  by  the  stream,  and 


NOTICES  OF  IRISH  ENTOZOA.  227 

those  which  were  so  fortunate  as  to  reach  the  opposite  bank 
were  so  wet  and  fatigued,  that  the  boys  stationed  there  with 
clubs  found  no  difficulty  in  securing  them  alive  or  in  killing 
them.  Their  migrations  on  that  occasion  did  not,  as  far  as  I 
could  learn,  extend  farther  eastwardly  than  the  mountains  of 
Vermont ;  many  remained  in  the  county  of  Renssellaer,  and 
it  wras  remarked  that  for  several  years  afterwards  the  squirrels 
were  far  more  numerous  than  before.  It  is  doubtful  whether 
any  ever  return  westwardly,  but  finding  forests  and  food  suit- 
ed to  their  taste  and  habits,  they  take  up  their  permanent  re- 
sidence  in  their  newly-explored  country ;  there  they  remain 
and  propagate  their  species,  until  they  are  gradually  thinned 
off  by  the  effects  of  improvement,  and  the  dexterity  of  the 
sportsmen  around  them. 

(  To  le  continued.) 

Art.  IV. — Notices  of  Irish  Entozoa.     By  James  L.  Drummond, 
M.D.,  Professor  of  Anatomy  in  the  Royal  Belfast  Institution,  Pre- 
sident of  the  Belfast  Natural  History  Society. 
(Continued  from  p.  71.) 

Anthocephalus  rudicornis,  Drum. 

When  about  to  send  a  communication  to  the  '  Magazine  of 
Natural  History,'  relating  to  some  more  of  the  Echinorhyn- 
chi,  a  fish,  which  in  this  part  of  the  world  is  of  rare  occur- 
rence, appeared  in  the  Belfast  market ;  namely,  a  halibut, 
(Hippoglossus  vulgaris),  which  weighed  120  tbs.  My  indefa- 
tigable friend,  Wm,  Thompson,  Esq.,  secured  the  viscera,  at- 
tached to  which  I  found  a  great  number  of  tumors  containing 
Entozoa ;  and,  as  much  of  this  field  of  Helminthology  re- 
mains to  be  explored,  while  every  fact  pertaining  to  it  is  of 
importance,  I  have  thought  it  better  to  put  on  record  the  few 
observations  I  could  make  on  the  present  species,  than  for- 
ward the  remarks  I  had  to  offer  respecting  others  already  well 
known. 

In  the  alimentary  tube  there  was  not  an  Entozoon  of  any 
description,  but  ample  amends  were  made  for  this  by  the 
luxuriant  crop  on  its  external  surface.  The  stomach,  liver, 
spleen,  mesentery,  and  intestines  were  everywhere  studded 
with  almost  innumerable  white  or  cream-coloured  tumors, 
from  the  size  of  a  large  pea  down  to  that  of  a  grain  of  clover 
seed ;  while,  at  the  same  time  wrere  seen,  under  the  transpa- 
rent peritoneal  coat  of  these  viscera,  numerous  Nematoidea 
coiled  up  in  spires. 


228 


NOTICES  OF  IRISH  ENTOZOA. 


The  smallest  vesicular  tumors  were  spherical,  but  the 
larger  were  all  depressed  or  lenticular,  with  a  round  or  ellip- 
tical outline  [Fig.  32,  a).  On  examining  these  tumors,  I  had 
first  to  remove  the  peritoneal  covering,  under  which  was  a 
white,  thickish  coat,  of  so  soft  a  consistence  that  it  could  not 
be  torn  off  like  a  membrane,  but  yielded  to  the  forceps. — 
When  this  coat  was  perforated,  a  white,  curdy  fluid  could  be 
pressed  out  in  considerable  quantity,  and  along  with  it  the 
Entozoon  itself,  (or  sometimes  two  from  the  same  capsule),  of 
very  small  size,  the  animal  bearing  no  correspondence  in  its 
bulk  to  that  of  the  entire  tumor. 

32 


'T7~7~^  r  * 


Anthocephalus  rudicomis,  Drum. 


{a),  portion  of  the  intestine  with  the  attached  tumors  containing  the  Anthocephalus.  (b),  the 
Entozoon  as  it  appeared  when  first  removed  from  a  tumor,  (c),  a  protruded  rostellum.  [d  e) 
magnified  view  of  the  Anthocephalus  when  compressed,  the  head  and  neck  protruding. 

On  getting  the  animal  freed  from  its  habitation,  and  wash- 
ing off  all  extraneous  matter,  it  appeared  of  an  ovate  form, 
and  was  very  sluggish,  though  exhibiting  signs  of  vitality  by 
soon  losing  its  regular  outline,  and  contracting  its  margin  so 
as  to  form  various  scallops  and  indentations ;  and  after  long 
watching  it  in  the  microscope  no  farther  change  could  be  ob- 
served. 

I  then  tried  the  effect  of  compression :  a  specimen  was  laid 


NOTICES  OF  IRISH  ENTOZOA.  229 

on  a  slip  of  glass  in  a  drop  of  water,  and  another  slip  placed 
over  it.  This  had  the  effect  of  causing  the  head,  which  was 
previously  invisible,  to  protrude ;  then  the  neck  appeared, 
and  it  became  evident  that  the  animal  was  formed  on  the  mo- 
del of  the  Anthocephali.  Four  transparent  sacs  were  seen  in 
the  anterior  part  of  the  body,  {Fig.  32,  e)  and  from  these,  four 
tubes  ran  up  to  the  head,  each  evidently  containing  a  rostellum. 
After  watching  in  vain  for  the  protrusion  of  the  latter,  I  had  re- 
course to  stronger  pressure,  and  in  several  instances  succeed- 
ed in  getting  a  rostellum  to  issue  from  its  sheath,  and  show 
that  it  was  constituted  as  in  others  of  the  same  family,  that  it 
was  crystalline,  armed  with  numerous  uncinuli,  and  that  it 
was  protruded  by  eversion. 

Compared  with  the  bulk  of  the  animal,  the  rostella  are 
much  larger  than  in  any  others  of  the  same  family  that  I 
have  hitherto  examined ;  the  uncinuli,  too,  are  of  greater 
comparative  magnitude,  and  the  rostella  altogether  exhibit 
less  delicacy  of  workmanship  than  in  any  similar  organs 
I  have  heretofore  observed.  The  first  rostellum  which  I  suc- 
ceeded in  protruding,  reminded  me  strongly  of  the  appear- 
ance of  a  hairy  caterpillar :  Jig.  32,  c,  is  the  sketch  I  made  of 
it  at  the  time,  and  all  those  which  I  afterwards  saw  bore  an 
exact  resemblance  to  the  first.  In  one  instance  only  did  I 
succeed  in  getting  a  view  of  the  whole  four  extruded  from 
their  theccd. 

Considerable  difficulty  was  experienced  in  getting  the  ani- 
mal freed  from  a  small  quantity  of  very  tough  mucus  which 
adhered  to  it,  and  which,  in  being  torn  away,  assumed  the 
appearance  of  a  membrane  of  great  tenuity,  but  I  believe  it  to 
have  been  mucus  alone.  The  substance  of  the  Entozoon  is 
granular  throughout,  having  no  appearance  of  vessels,  intes- 
tine, ovaries,  or  caudal  aperture,  but  in  several  specimens, 
(not  in  all),  when  the  head  and  neck  were  protruded,  a  large 
transparent  space  was  conspicuous  in  the  anterior  end  of  the 
body,  in  which  the  head  and  neck,  I  presume,  had  been  pre- 
viously lodged. — (Fig,  32  d). 

That  this  species  has  four  bothria  there  can,  I  think,  be 
little  doubt ;  but  as,  from  its  sluggishness,  the  head  could 
only  be  seen  when  compressed,  their  natural  appearance  could 
not,  of  course,  be  ascertained.  In  several  instances,  however, 
I  observed  the  dilated  portions  of  the  head  expanding  and 
contracting  (though  very  slowly)  with  an  undulatory  motion 
of  their  margins,  like  that  of  the  Bothriocephalic  Scolex  poly- 
morphus,  &c. 

These  are  all  the  observations  I  have  been  enabled  to  make 
on  this  species,  which,  I  believe,  has  not  been  previously  de- 


230  DESCRIPTION  OF  A  NEW  srECIES  OF  LAMIA. 

scribed,  and  I  have  referred  it  to  the  genus  Anthocephalus,  (as 
in  a  former  paper  I  did  that  which  I  named  Anth.  paradoxus), 
not  on  account  of  its  agreeing  exactly  with  the  character  of 
that  genus,  for  it  has  no  caudal  vescicle,  but  because  it  ap- 
proaches more  nearly  to  it  than  to  any  other.  Much,  I  be- 
lieve, must  yet  be  known  concerning  the  encysted  Entozoa, 
before  a  proper  arrangement  and  nomenclature  can  be  applied 
to  them ;  and  in  the  mean  time  it  is  perhaps  better  to  refer 
them  to  known  genera,  at  the  risk  of  some  inaccuracy,  than  to 
fabricate  new  names,  which,  after  a  time  would,  in  all  pro- 
bability, have  to  make  way  for  others  of  still  newer  coinage. 
The  specific  title,  rudicornis,  I  have  applied  on  account  of 
the  coarse  appearance  of  the  rostella  as  compared  with  that 
of  any  others  which  I  have  hitherto  observed. 

The  only  other  Entozoon  which  I  observed  in  this  large 
halibut  was  the  Filaria  capsularia,  which,  in  great  numbers, 
lay  coiled  up  in  the  peritonaeum  of  the  stomach,  liver,  and  in- 
testines. But,  however  copious  they  might  be  in  these  loca- 
lities, still  the  number  was  small  when  compared  with  that 
which  I  detected  between  the  middle  and  inner  coats  of  the 
stomach.  The  former,  or  muscular  coat  of  this  viscus,  in  the 
halibut,  is  connected  with  the  inner  or  mucous  coat,  through- 
out a  great  part  of  its  extent,  by  a  thick,  lax  layer  of  cellular 
membrane  ;  and  on  separating  the  one  coat  from  the  other,  I 
found  this  layer  to  be,  in  many  places,  literally  crammed  with 
the  FilaricB.  They  were  in  hundreds,  each  rolled  up  singly 
in  a  spiral  form,  but  more  frequently  with  several  others 
under  the  same  covering,  forming  so  many  distinct,  round, 
flattened  masses,  lying  as  close  to  each  other  as  stones  in  a 
pavement. 

Belfast,  March  5th,  1839. 

(  To  be  continued.) 


Art.  V. — On  a  new  Species  of  Lamia  from  the  vicinity  of  the  Swan 

River,  New  Holland.     By  The  Rev.  F.  W.  Hope,  F.R.S., 

F.L.S.,  &c,  &c,  &c. 

I  send  for  insertion  in  your  c  Magazine  of  Natural  History,1 
a  description  of  a  new  species  of  Lamia  from  the  vicinity  of 
the  Swan  River,  in  Australia.  My  chief  object  in  selecting 
Lamia  is  in  consequence  of  the  Baron  De  Jean,  in  his  last 
Catalogue,  omitting  that  term  altogether,  while  he  coins  and 
publishes  a  new  name  to  include  under  it  insects  which  have 
years  ago  been  ably  described  by  the  celebrated  Fabricius. 
If  entomologists  of  the  present  clay  are  allowed  to  expunge, 


<N 


*i 


DESCRIPTION  OF  A  NEW  SPECIES  OF  LAMIA.  231 

ad  libitum,  the  early  Linnean  and  Fabrician  names,  and  adopt 
others  merely  from  caprice,  there  will  be  no  end  of  confusion. 
Synonymy  is  always  a  perplexing  study,  and  it  is  to  prevent 
a  serious  evil  gaining  further  ground,  that  1  here  protest 
against  a  system  sadly  too  rife  amongst  naturalists,  of  chang- 
ing well  established  names.  The  Baron  De  Jean,  in  his  Ca- 
talogue of  1838,  adopts  the  term  Batocera  instead  of  Lamia 
of  Fabricius ;  why  a  new-fangled  term  is  to  be  used  instead 
of  an  old  familiar  name,  remains  to  be  explained.  On  the 
ground  of  priority  I  support  the  ancient  names,  and  I  feel 
convinced  that  there  are  many  others  who  undoubtedly  will 
advocate  the  same  cause.  Had  Lamia  been  the  only  Fabri- 
cian term  expunged  by  De  Jean,  I  might  have  passed  it  over 
with  a  slight  remark ;  but  when  I  find  Buprestis,  Stenocho- 
rus,  and  Haltica  entirely  abandoned,  and  the  genera  of  Ce- 
rambyx,  Elater,  Cnodidon,  and  Tritoma  sunk  into  mere  sy- 
nonyms, and  in  their  place  the  barbarous  terms  of  Hammati- 
cherus,  Ampedus,  and  Amarygmus  adopted,  it  is  high  time  to 
speak  out,  and  endeavour  to  put  a  stop  to  an  evil  which  must 
embarrass  science,  and  certainly  greatly  retard  its  progress. 
In  concluding  my  remarks,  I  quote  a  passage  from  the  pre- 
face of  the  Baron  De  Jean's  last  Catalogue,  (vide  page  11), 
and  for  the  future  leave  the  question  in  other  hands,  hoping 
that  those  who  wish  well  for  science  will  oppose  a  system 
which,  if  acted  on,  can  only  lead  to  inextricable  confusion. 
"  Quoique  je  me  sois  toujours  prononce  contre  le  principe  ex- 
clusif  de  l'adoption  du  nom  le  plus  anciennement  publie,  ce 
n'est  pas  cependant  que  je  pense  qu'  un  auteur  ait  le  droit  de 
changer  les  noms  qui  ont  ete  etablis  avant  lui,  ce  n'est  nulle- 
ment  cela  que  j'ai  voulu  dire.  Je  crois,  au  contraire,  qxCil 
faut  conserver  les  anciens  noms,  mais  lorsqu'il  y  en  a  plusieurs, 
on  a  le  droit  de  choisir,  et  il  faut  alors  prendre  le  plus  en 
usage,  ou  celui  adopte  dans  Touvrage  le  plus  marquant  et  le 
plus  repandu,  au  lieu  de  s'attacher  uniquement  a  la  date  de  la 
publication."  With  respect  to  the  above  passage  I  have  only 
to  add  "  that  the  ancient  names  ought  to  be  retained  ;  "  and 
acting  on  the  suggestion  of  the  Baron, -I  prefer  the  ancient 
Lamia  to  the  modern  Batocera,  as  it  is  a  name  in  common 
usage,  and  occurs  in  one  of  the  works  of  Fabricius,  certainly 
"  le  plus  marqnant  et  le  plus  repandu"  viz.  the  '  Sy  sterna 
Eleutheratorum.' 

Lamia  Boisduvalii,  Hope.     (Sup.  Plates  No.  2.) 
L.  Boisduvalii.     Long.  lin.  25  ;  lat.  lin.  8. 

Nigro-cinerea,  thorace  bispinoso  elylris  albidis  maculis  oraatis,  lmme- 
ris  subspinosis,  sutura  ad  apicem  in  spinam  dcsinentc. 


232  DESCRIPTION  OF  A  NEW  SPECIES  OF  LAMIA. 

Antenna  corpore  longiores  articulis  pedibusque  anticis  scabris. 

Caput  postice  annulo  albido  variegatum.  Thorax  utrinque  spinosus 
rugisque  transversis  notatus.  Scutellum  albovillosum  postice  rotunda- 
tum.  Elytra  nigro-cinerea  basi  scabra,  seu  melius  tuberculis,  parvis,  ni- 
tidis, parum  elevatis.  Apex  in  medio  spinosus.  Disco  maculis  cretaceis 
variegato.  Corpus  infra  nigro-cinereum,  femoribus  anticis  tibiisque  as- 
peris.     Plantis  fuscis  et  spongiosis. 

This  magnificent  insect  was  sent  me  by  my  friend  Captain 
Roe,  from  the  new  settlement  at  Swan  River,  in  Australia. — 
It  is  named  in  honour  of  M.  Bois  Duval,  the  author  of  the 
6  Voyage  de  Decouverte  de  1'  Astrolabe.'  The  above  indivi- 
dual is  justly  considered  one  of  the  leading  lepidopterists  of 
Europe.  I  have  mentioned  that  the  Baron  De  Jean  gives 
the  name  of  Batocera  to  true  Lamia ;  but  six  species  are  re- 
corded in  his  last  Catalogue,  and  all  of  them  but  one  are  de- 
signated as  inhabiting  the  East  Indies :  the  species  alluded 
to  is  Lamia  Rubus,  Fabr.,  from  the  Island  of  Mauritius.  The 
true  Rubus  of  Fabricius,  however,  inhabits  the  East  Indies, 
the  Rubus  from  the  Isle  of  France  appears  distinct,  and  is,  I 
believe,  as  yet  undescribed.  Lamia  according  to  my  views 
is  only  found  in  Africa  and  Asia,  and  some  of  the  adjacent 
isles  ;  three  species  from  the  former  continent  have  fallen  un- 
der my  notice,  and  about  twenty  from  the  latter,  besides  the 
species  above  described.  The  most  magnificent  of  them  all 
is  Lamia  Roy  Hi  from  the  Himalaya.  According  to  Mr.  W. 
W.  Saunders,  the  perfect  insect  feeds  on  the  blossoms  of  the 
pepal-tree  (Ficus  religiosa).  In  the  interminable  woods  of 
Travancore,  these  insects  abound ;  and  from  their  excessive 
numbers  and  the  effects  they  produce  by  perforating  the  trunks 
of  large  and  gigantic  trees,  they  act  as  useful  pioneers,  tend- 
ing to  clear  the  ground,  and  thin  the  exuberant  vegetation 
which  there  abounds,  Some  of  the  native  tribes  of  India  in 
the  vicinity  of  Travancore,  and  in  the  island  of  Ceylon,  feed 
on  the  larvae  of  Lamiadce,  as  is  the  case  in  Africa  with  Lamia 
gigas,  now  denominated  Omacantha  by  M.  Serville.  Col. 
Whithill  has  iu  his  superb  collection  many  of  the  larva  of 
Lamia  admirably  preserved.  It  is  a  subject  of  regret  among 
entomologists,  that  few  collectors  preserve  insects  in  their  ear- 
liest stages,  in  spirits ;  when  we  become  better  acquainted 
with  them,  and  have  it  in  our  power  to  give  the  anatomical 
details  of  such  gigantic  forms  as  belong  to  the  genera  Prio- 
nus  and  Lamia,  we  may  naturally  expect  that  much  light  will 
be  thrown  on  the  sensorial  organs  of  insects,  which  are  at 
present  very  imperfectly  understood. 

March,  1839. 


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DESCRIPTIONS  OF  THE  SPECIES  OF  LIMA.  233 


Art.  VI. — Descriptions  of  the  Species  of  the  Genus  Lima,  from  the 
Coralline  Crag,  in  the  Cabinet  of  Searles  Valentine  Wood, 
Esq.,  late  Curator  to  the  Geological  Society  of  London. 

13,  Bernard  St.,  Russell  Square, 

March  lOih,  1839. 

Sir, 

During  a  residence  of  some  years  in  the  county 
of  Suffolk,  I  devoted  the  greater  part  of  my  time  to  collecting 
the  numerous  fossils  of  the  crag,  and  particularly  those  of  the 
inferior  beds  described  under  the  name  of  "  coralline  crag"  in 
the  'Phil.  Mag.'  for  August,  1835.  The  whole  of  my  collec- 
tion has  been  lately  removed  to  the  metropolis ;  and  as  a  con- 
siderable number  of  the  species  which  it  contains  are  new  to 
science,  it  is  desirable  that  figures  and  descriptions  of  these 
should  be  published,  as  well  as  of  those  shells  which  have 
been  described  from  inferior  or  imperfect  specimens.  I  there- 
fore forward  to  you  the  enclosed  MSS.,  and  accompanying 
series  of  the  genus  Lima,  and  if  you  think  them  of  sufficient 
interest  for  publication,  with  illustrations,  in  the  '  Magazine 
of  Natural  History,'  I  will,  on  a  future  occasion,  continue  the 
description  of  the  new  species  contained  in  my  cabinet. 

Yours,  «&c. 

S.  V.  Wood. 

Editor  of  the  Magazine  of  Natural  History. 

The  genus  Lima,  Brug.,   is   characterised  as   inequilateral 
and  oblique,  with  an  opening  on  one  side,  as  the  passage  for 
a  byssus :  but  there  are  some  shells  which,  though  they  do 
not  possess  all  these  distinctions,  retain  other  characters  in 
common  with  the  true  Limes,  and  cannot  with  propriety  be 
entirely  removed  from  the  genus.     The  crag  yields  two  spe- 
cies, perfectly  equilateral,  and  apparently  closed  bivalves,  so 
far  deviating  from  the  generic  character  that  I  have  thought 
it  necessary  to  institute  for  them  a  sub-genus,  which  I  pur- 
pose to  call  Limatula.     The  Plagiostoma  of  Lluyd  has  been 
long  established,  and  many  different  species  delineated  by 
Sowerby  and  other  conchologists  from  the  external  character 
alone;  and  it  is  but  recently  that  a  specimen  has  been  disco- 
vered (I  understand  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  J.  D.  C. 
Sowerby)  which  shows  the  hinge  to  be  the  same  as  that  of 
Lima.     Goldfuss  unites  Plagiostoma  to  Lima,  and  has  in- 
cluded all  the  species  of  the  former  in  the  latter  genus,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Plag.  spinosa,  which  he  has  altogether 
rejected.     The  only  difference  that  I  have  been  able  to  ob- 
serve between  Plagiostoma  and  Lima  is  the  opening  which 
Vol.  III.— No.  29.  n.  s.  2  b 


234  DESCRIPTIONS  OF  THE  SFECIES  OF  LIMA. 

appears  on  the  anterior  side  of  some  of  those  which  belong  to 
the  secondary  formations,  while  those  of  more  modern  depo- 
sits have  the  large  opening  for  the  byssus  f  on  the  posterior 
side.  I  do  not  know  whether  I  am  right  as  to  the  universality 
of  this  character,  but  it  is  uniform  in  all  the  species  that  I 
have  examined.  Goldfuss  has  given  figures  of  forty-six  spe- 
cies, (from  the  lias  to  the  tertiary  inclusive),  and  Deshayes 
six  more,  from  the  Paris  basin. 

1.  Lima  exilis,  Nobis.     Suppl.  PI.  No.  3,  fig.  1. 

Shell  inequilateral,  oblique,  slightly  convex,  slender,  gaping,  costated,  (cos- 
tee numerous,  irregular,  small,  and  distant),  hinge-line  oblique,  ligamen- 
tal  area  large,  central  pit  rectangular,  umbones  distant,  lunula  smooth. — 
Length,  l£  inch,  breadth  l£  inch,  depth  one  valve  T30. 

Localities:  Coralline  crag,  Ramsholt. 
Red  crag,  Walton,  Essex. 

The  lines  of  growth  are  very  distinct,  and  carried  over  the 
ribs,  producing  a  slight  imbrication,  giving  the  whole  exte- 
rior the  characteristic  roughness  of  the  file :  ribs  sharp  and 
elevated  on  the  anterior  slope,  but  growing  indistinct  towards 
the  posterior  side ;  beyond  the  slope  it  is  free  from  strife,  the 
opening  for  the  byssus  is  on  the  posterior  side  near  the  hinge, 
but  it  gapes  also  slightly  on  the  other  side  near  the  front ; 
the  lines  of  the  central  pit  diverge  from  the  umbo  at  an  angle 
of  90°,  pit  projecting  inwards,  a  slight  depression  is  visible 
internally,  produced  by  the  ribs,  and  it  has  one  large,  oval, 
muscular  impression  near  the  posterior  side. 

This  is  identical  with  a  recent  species  in  the  possession  of 
Mr.  G.  B.  Sowerby,  without  name  or  locality. 

2.  Lima  oblonga,  Nobis.     PI.  3.  fig.  2. 

Shell  oblong,  inequilateral,  oblique,  depressed,  gaping  on  both  sides,  cos- 
tated, costee  slightly  waved,  projecting  beyond  the  edge,  ligamental  area 
large,  hinge-line  oblique,  umbones  distant.  Length  1  inch,  breadth  •&, 
depth  t|. 

Locality:  Coralline  crag,  Ramsholt. 

Shell  depressed,  gaping  on  both  sides,  the  anterior  open- 
ing large  and  somewhat  triangular,  with  an  internal  margin, 
striae  numerous,  becoming  raised  into  costee  as  they  approach 
the  anterior  slope,  beyond  which  it  is  smooth,  lines  of  strice 
slightly  visible  internally,  and  one  large,  lateral,  sub -oval, 
muscular  impression. 

A  recent  species,  Lima  tenera,  figured  and  described  by 
Turton  in  the  '  Zool.  Journal,'  vol.  ii.  p.  363,  tab.  13,  /.  2, 
much  resembles  this  in  general  appearance,  and  may  hereaf- 


DESCRIPTIONS  OF  THE  SPECIES  OF  LIMA.  235 

ter  prove  to  be  a  variety  of  the  same,  but  a  specimen  of  it, 
the  same  valve  and  the  same  size  as  my  fossil,  kindly  lent  me 
by  Mr.  G.  B.  Sowerby  for  comparison,  presented  the  follow- 
ing differences.  Posterior  opening,  wider  and  shorter,  conse- 
quently the  slope  not  so  great  nor  the  opening  so  long  as  in 
the  recent  shell,  which  is  also  more  oblique,  rather  deeper, 
and  the  ligamental  area  not  so  large  as  in  the  fossil,  and  the 
stria  are  finer  and  more  regular  in  the  recent  shell,  nor  does 
our  shell  deserve  the  name  of  tenera  or  fragilis,  (the  name 
given  to  it  by  Dr.  Fleming),  as  it  is  thick  and  strong. 

I  presume  it  is  rare  in  the  crag,  not  having  found  the  op- 
posite valve. 

3.  Limafragilis,  Auct.     PI.  3,  fig.  3. 

Pecten fragilis ;  Montague,  'Test.  Brit.'  p.  63,  Supplement. 

Localities:  Coralline  crag,  Sutton. 

Red  crag,  Walton,  Essex. 

The  copious  description  given  by  Col.  Montague  leaves 
nothing  to  be  added.  Our  shell  appears  rather  thicker  and 
firmer,  with  a  very  slight  difference  in  the  stria. 

By  no  means  rare  at  Sutton ;  rather  more  so  in  the  red  crag, 
owing  probably  to  its  fragility. 

4.  Lima  plicatula,  Nobis.     PI.  3,  fig.  4. 

Shell  inequilateral,  oblique,  convex,  ovato-orbicular,  anterior  truncated, 
costated,  costm  14-16,  ligamental  area  small,  oblique,  lunula  transversely 
crenulated.    Length  -^  of  an  inch. 

Locality :  Coralline  crag,  Sutton. 

A  small  shell  and  rare ;  my  specimens  not  more  than  ■£?  of 
an  inch  in  length.  The  ribs  are  elevated,  and  as  broad  as 
the  spaces  between  them,  which  are  strongly  imbricated; 
the  ribs  showing  slight  indentations ;  (a)  is  an  enlarged  fi- 
gure with  a  portion  more  highly  magnified.  One  ear  on  the 
posterior  side  is  large  and  projecting  while  the  other  is  scarce- 
ly visible ;  it  differs  from  Lima  plicata  of  Deshayes,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  smaller  and  more  orbicular.  The  central  liganlental 
area  is  very  small  and  oblique,  sloping  towards  the  posterior 
side,  which  is  not  given  in  the  figure. 

Sub-genus  Limatvla. 

1.  L.  Limatula  ovata,  Nobis.     PI.  3,  fig.  5. 

Shell  equilateral,  ovate,  convex,  equivalved,  closed  ?  bivalve ;  ligamental 
area  large ;  umbones  distant,  costated,  costce  6-8,  edge  crenulated. — 
Length  ^  of  an  inch,  breadth  jf ,  depth  of  single  valve  ^. 


236  THE  CROSSBILL  BREEDING  IN  ENGLAND. 

Locality :  Coralline  crag,  Sutton. 

This  shell  is  very  abundant  at  the  above  locality.  Although 
the  coralline  crag  is  generally  considered  to  have  been  a  deep 
water  deposit,  it  must  have  been  subject  to  some  degree  of 
agitation,  as  we  find  separated  those  bivalves  whose  attach- 
ment depends  solely  upon  the  ligament,  and  only  under  very 
favourable  circumstances  are  their  valves  ever  united.  I  have 
found  some  hundred  single  valves  of  this  species,  but  never  a 
double  specimen. 

The  smaller  figures  are  of  the  natural  size,  letter  a  is  a  mag- 
nified representation.  There  are  about  seven  angular  central 
ribs,  beyond  which  are  very  faint  traces  of  striae,  in  well-pre- 
served specimens  the  ribs  are  visible  internally,  giving  about 
half-a-dozen  rough  crenulations  in  front.  Ligamental  area 
large,  the  lines  of  the  central  pit  diverging  from  the  umbo  at 
an  angle  of  about  80°,  muscular  impression  sub-central  and 
ovate.  The  shell  figured  by  Brocchi,  tab.  14/.  14.  is  larger 
and  longer.  The  young  of  the  following  species  is  much 
more  cylindrical  and  not  so  largely  costated. 

2.  L.  Limatula  subauriculata,  Nobis.     PI.  3,  fig.  6. 
Pecten  subauriculata ;  Montague, '  Test.  Brit.'  Supplement,  p.  63,  t.  29, 

Length  i  an  inch,  breadth  £  of  an  inch,  depth  \  of  an  inch. 
Locality :  Coralline  crag,  Sutton  and  Ramsholt. 

(a)  is  a  magnified  portion. 

This  corresponds  with  Montague's  description  in  every  re- 
spect, but  I  have  not  seen  the  shell.  The  central  costce  are 
angulated,  dwindling  into  striae  on  the  sides,  visible  internal- 
ly, crenulating  the  margin  in  front.  The  two  opake  striae 
mentioned  by  Montague  are  not  shown  in  the  figure,  but  they 
are  distinctly  visible  in  two  of  my  specimens.  Montague's 
shell  was  only  one  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length,  breadth  half 
its  length. 


Art.  VII. — Notice  of  the  discovery  of  the  Nests  and  Eggs  of  the 
common  Crossbill,  near  Farnham,  Surrey.  By  H.  L.  Long,  Esq. 
With  additional  Remarks  by  Mr.  Yarrell. 

It  is  now  fi\e  or  six  years  since  I  began  to  observe  the  cross- 
bills ;  they  were  at  first  but  few,  and  rarely  seen,  now  they 
are  in  considerable  numbers,  and  visible  every  day.     If  they 


THE  CROSSBILL  BREEDING  IN  ENGLAND.  237 

migrate  at  all  in  the  summer,  some  of  them,  the  young  birds 
perhaps,  certainly  remain  behind,  for  some  are  to  be  seen 
here  every  month  in  the  year. 

They  generally  fly  in  flocks  of  from  five  to  twenty,  or  up- 
wards, hurrying  along  from  plantation  to  plantation  with  an 
irregular  flight,  and  a  note  expressive  of  alarm ;  when  they 
are  settled  the  note  is  changed  into  one  of  a  lower  tone,  which 
continues  in  a  sort  of  running  colloquial  gazouillement,  while 
they  feed  on  the  cones  of  the  larch,  the  spruce  fir,  or  Scotch 
pine.  The  male  bird  has  a  gentle  agreeable  song,  and  I  have 
this  year  frequently  observed  one  singing,  in  fine  weather, 
perched  alone  upon  the  summit  of  a  fir. 

The  appearance  of  these  birds,  no  longer  occasional  acci- 
dental passengers,  but,  it  would  seem,  permanently  domicili- 
ated among  us,  is  very  remarkable.  If  the  climate  and  lati- 
tude of  England  should  suit  their  habits,  why  should  they 
not  always  have  been  found  in  our  island  ? 

Perhaps  the  cause  of  their  appearance  is  to  be  ascribed  to 
the  enormous  extent  of  plantations  of  coniferous  trees, — the 
growth  almost  entirely  of  the  present  century,  and  now  invit- 
ing the  crossbills  by  the  abundance  of  fruit  they  offer.  And 
indeed  their  appearance  may  be  only  a  re-appearance ;  for, 
if  ever  in  distant  ages  the  Scotch  and  spruce  firs  were  com- 
mon in  Britain,  these  birds  might  have  inhabited  our  forests. 
Traces  of  the  existence  of  these  trees  are  too  familiar  in  our 
peat-bogs  to  leave  a  doubt  of  their  having  been  originally  and 
indigenously  most  abundant ;  although  the  excellence  of  their 
timber,  suitable  to  all  purposes,  in  season  at  all  times  of  the 
year,  easily  cut,  and  easily  convertible, — led  then  perhaps  to 
their  reckless  consumption  and  almost  total  extinction,  as  it 
is  now  leading,  under  more  prudent  management,  to  their  re- 
establishment  throughout  the  country.  With  the  re-appear- 
ance of  these  coniferous  trees  occurs  the  appearance  of  the 
crossbills  which  feed  upon  them. 

It  seemed  probable,  after  observing  them  here  in  every 
month  of  the  year,  and  in  increasing  numbers  annually,  that 
they  bred  here  ;  and,  according  to  M.  Neckar's  observation, 
their  nidification  commences  very  early,  almost  in  the  winter. 
I  therefore,  early  in  February  last,  urged  upon  the  attention 
of  the  labourers  hereabouts,  to  keep  a  diligent  watch  in  the 
plantations;  and  this  day  (April  13th)  I  have  had  the  satis- 
faction of  receiving  a  nest  with  four  eggs,  from  the  Holt  fo- 
rest in  this  neighbourhood.  This  is  the  third  nest  that  has 
been  met  with  in  the  Holt ;  the  first  was  taken  with  two  eggs ; 
and  then,  on  the  7th  of  April,  one  with  four  young  birds,  ap- 
parently above  a  fortnight  old,  which  would  date  the  com- 


238  THE  CROSSBILL  BREEDING  IN  ENGLAND. 

mencement  of  the  nest  early  in  the  month  of  March  last. — 
These  three  nests  were  all  found  in  the  thick  top  of  a  young 
Scotch  fir,  of  about  thirteen  or  fourteen  years'  growth.  The 
nest  is  of  grass  ;  the  eggs  are  beautifully  shaped,  of  an  agree- 
able transparent  white,  and  slightly  speckled.  In  the  young 
birds  the  crossing  of  the  mandibles  was  scarcely  discoverable, 
in  accordance  with  the  remarks  in  M.  Necker's  paper.  Such 
a  construction  of  the  bill  would  indeed  be  useless,  as  long  as 
the  parent  birds  supplied  the  food.  The  contents  of  the  crop 
of  the  young  birds  appear  to  consist,  almost  exclusively,  of 
the  blanched  seeds  of  the  larch. 

I  have  thus  the  pleasure  of  sending, — 

1.  The  top  of  a  young  Scotch  fir,  with  the  nest  of  a  cross- 
bill in  it. 

2.  Two  of  the  eggs. 

3.  A  young  bird,  (preserved  sufficiently  to  keep  a  short 
time),  exhibiting  the  immature  state  of  the  beak. 

4.  The  contents  of  the  crop  of  the  young  bird. 

M.  Necker  de  Saussure,  in  his  very  agreeable  "  Memoire 
sur  les  Oiseaux  des  environs  de  Geneve,1  "  (a  work  upon  a 
similar  plan  would  be  a  pleasing  addition  to  English  Orni- 
thology), has  given  some  interesting  details  respecting  the 
crossbill. 

Hampton  Lodge,  near  Farnham,  Surrey  ; 
April,  1839. 


[Conceiving  that  the  above  notice  would  prove  extremely  interesting  to 
Mr.  Yarrell,  we  forwarded  the  MS.  to  him,  along  with  the  nest,  eggs,  and 
young  crossbill :  his  acknowledgment  of  their  receipt,  which  we  are  enabled 
to  subjoin,  gives  additional  value  to  Mr.  Long's  communication- — jEd.~\ 

Ryder  Street,  22nd  April,  1839. 

Dear  Sir, 

I  am  very  much  obliged  by  the  opportunity 
you  have  afforded  me  of  examining  the  nest,  eggs,  and  young 
bird  of  our  common  crossbill ;  and  if  the  following  descrip- 
tions of  them  are  worthy  of  being  appended  to  the  interesting 
communication  forwarded  by  your  correspondent,  they  are 
very  much  at  your  service. 

The  nest  is  rather  small  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the 
bird,  being  only  four  inches  and  a  half  across  the  top,  out- 

1  Lu  a  la  Societe  de  Physique  et  d'  Histoire  Naturelle  de  Geneve,  et  ex- 
trait  du  second  volume  des  Memoires  de  cette  Societe.  Reprinted  in  sm. 
4to.  by  Paschaud,  Paris  and  Geneva,  1823. 


PLANTS  ABOUT  KIRTLINGTON.  239 

side  measure,  where  it  is  widest,  and  the  cavity  but  three 
inches  in  diameter.  The  outside  is  strengthened  with  a  few 
slender  twigs  of  fir,  then  a  layer  of  coarse  dry  grass,  lined 
with  finer  grass  and  a  few  long  hairs.  It  is  lodged  close  to 
the  central  stem  of  a  Scotch  fir,  about  thirty  inches  below  its 
highest  point,  at  the  base  of  the  shoots  of  the  year  1837 ;  here 
the  nest  is  supported  underneath  by  five  or  six  ascending  la- 
teral branches  of  the  fir,  which  so  entirely  conceal  it,  that  it 
can  scarcely  have  been  perceptible  from  the  ground,  and  the 
occasional  visits  of  the  parent  birds  probably  betrayed  their 
retreat. 

The  eggs  measure  seven  eighths  of  an  inch  in  length  and 
breadth,  the  colour  white,  slightly  tinged  with  pale  skim-milk 
blue,  and  sparingly  speckled  with  red,  which  is  of  a  darker 
shade  on  one  egg  than  on  the  other ;  the  character  of  the  egg 
like  that  of  the  greenfinch,  but  larger,  with  the  smaller  por- 
tion of  red  colour  not  confined  to  the  larger  end. 

The  young  bird  appears  to  be  about  three  weeks  old,  and 
measures  four  inches  and  a  half  in  length,  the  wing  from  the 
carpal  joint  to  the  end  only  two  inches  and  a  half  long,  the 
base  of  each  primary  being  covered  with  its  membranous 
sheath,  or  only  as  yet  what  is  commonly  termed  pen-feather- 
ed. Both  mandibles  of  the  beak  straight,  the  under  mandi- 
ble shutting  within  the  upper;  the  plumage  of  the  head,  back, 
rump,  and  all  the  under  surface  of  the  body  greyish  white, 
tinged  with  yellow,  and  streaked  longitudinally  with  dusky 
brown  ;  the  feathers  of  the  wings  and  tail  dark  brown,  edged 
and  tipped  with  pale  wood  brown.    Legs  and  toes  flesh  colour# 

Yours  very  truly, 

Wm.  Yarrell. 

Editor  of  the  'Magazine  of  Natural  History.1 


Art.  VIII. — List  of  a  few  Rare  or  Interesting  Plants  noticed  in  the 

neighbourhood  of  Kirtlington,  Oxfordshire.      By  W.  Wilson 

Saunders,  Esq.,  F.L.S.,  &c. 

Local  lists  of  plants,  however  small,  often  prove  interesting 
to  the  practical  botanist,  and  with  this  idea  I  have  drawn  up 
the  following,  which  pretends  to  nothing  more  than  pointing 
out  the  localities  of  a  few  rare  or  interesting  plants  which  I 
met  with  last  summer  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Kirtlington. 
The  country  about  Kirtlington  is  gently  undulating  in  its  out- 
line, and  free  from  wood,  except  near  the  parks  of  Sir  George 
Dashwood  and  —  Annesley  Esq.    The  river  Cherwell  bounds 


240  PLANTS  IN  THE  NEIGHBOURHOOD  OF 

Kirtlington  parish  to  the  west,  accompanied  by  a  belt  of  wet 
meadow  land ;  and  to  the  east,  near  the  village  of  Weston,  is 
a  very  interesting  locality  called  "  the  Peat-pits,"  a  boggy 
tract  of  very  limited  extent.  Limestone  is  found  at  a  few  feet 
below  the  surface  of  the  soil  in  all  the  elevated  parts  of  the 
neighbourhood.  Oldbury,  wThich  occurs  several  times  as  a  lo- 
cality, is  a  portion  of  Sir  G.  Dashwood's  park  at  Kirtlington, 
adjoining  the  church-yard. 

Salvia  pratensis,  Linn.  This  rare  plant  occurs  sparingly  in  the  Green  Lane 
as  it  is  called,  leading  from  Kirtlington  to  the  western  extremity  of 
Lord  Jersey's  Park  at  Middleton.  The  plants  grow  close  by  the  road 
side,  in  that  part  of  the  lane  immediately  under  Lord  Jersey's  park,  but 
at  a  distance  from  gardens  or  buildings.  This  lane  is  generally  sup- 
posed to  be  the  remains  of  an  old  Roman  road,  and  the  surface  of  the 
soil  has  probably  been  undisturbed  for  ages.  • 

Fedia  dentata,  Vahl.  Grows  abundantly  in  the  corn  fields  near  the  loca- 
lity for  Salvia  pratensis. 

Schoznus  nigricans,  Linn.  Common  in  the  boggy  parts  of  the  Peat-pits  at 
Weston. 

Festuca  Myurus,  Linn.  This  grass,  so  often  confounded  with  Fes.  bro- 
moides,  is  common  about  the  village  of  Kirtlington,  where  it  reaches 
from  15  to  18  inches  in  height,  in  rich  soils. 

Avena  pubescens,  Linn.  In  dry  pastures  and  by  road-sides  to  the  south- 
west of  the  village. 

Brachypodium  pinnatum,  Beauv.  Abundant  about  some  shallow  stone- 
pits  at  the  commencement  of  the  Common  through  which  the  road 
passes  from  Middleton  to  Hayford,  near  Lord,  Jersey's  park. 

Potamogeton  pectinatus,  Linn.     In  the  great  pond  in  Kirtlington  park. 

Myosotis  ccespitosa,  Schultz.  An  interesting  variety,  with  the  corolla  of 
a  pure  white,  occurs  on  the  banks  of  the  great  pond  in  Kirtlington 
park.  The  colour  of  the  flower  of  this  variety  remains  constant  under 
cultivation. 

Campanula  hybrida,  Linn.  Common  in  the  corn-fields  to  the  west  of  the 
village  of  Kirtlington,  especially  near  the  Washford  stone-pits. 

Ribes  rubrum,  Linn.  A  few  plants  grow  in  the  drier  parts  of  the  Peat-pits 
at  Weston. 

CEnanthe  peucedanifolia,  Poll.  Common  in  the  Peat-pits  at  Weston. — 
This  is  surely  a  good  species;  the  want  of  the  universal  involucre,  and 
the  linear  radical  leaflets,  leaving  the  difference  of  locality  out  of  the 
question,  distinguish  it  from  CEn.  pimpinelloides,  Linn.,  and  these  dif- 
ferences I  find  constant,  after  examining  a  great  many  specimens  from 
this  locality  as  well  as  from  others. 

Silaus  pratensis,  Besser.  Abundant  in  Oldbury  and  the  parts  of  the  park 
adjoining. 

Sambucus  Ebulus,  Linn.  In  the  copse  at  the  boundary  of  Kirtlington 
park  through  which  the  foot-way  passes  from  Kirtlington  to  Weston. 
Also  by  the  gate  at  the  entrance  to  the  Peat-pits  from  Stonehouse  farm. 

Parnassia  palustris,  Linn.  Occurs  sparingly  in  the  Peat-pits  to  the  north 
of  the  little  stream  which  runs  through  them. 

Berberis  vulgaris,  Linn.  A  few  bushes  of  this  plant  occur  in  the  hedges 
at  the  lower  part  of  Oldbury ;  and  it  abounds  in  the  hedges  of  the  lane 
leading  from  Stonehouse  farm  to  the  Peat-pits. 

Hyacinth  us  non-scriptus,  Linn.    A  variety  with  delicate  pink  flowers  grows 


KIRTLINGTON,  OXFORDSHIRE.  241 

in  a  copse  by  the  side  of  the  canal  near  the  stone-pits  at  Enslow  bridge. 

Rumex  Hydrolapathum,  Huds.  Abundant  by  the  side  of  the  Cherwell. — 
I  have  gathered  radical  leaves  of  this  plant  in  the  above  locality  which 
were  3  feet  6  inches  long  and  8  inches  broad, — the  largest  leaf  produ- 
ced by  any  of  our  native  plants.  A  thin  transverse  slice  of  the  leaf- 
stalk is  a  beautiful  object  under  the  microscope. 

Colchicum  autumnale,  Linn.  This  plant  abounds  in  a  field  to  the  south 
of  the  village  of  Kirtlington,  called  "Galway-close;"  and  also  sparing- 
ly in  Oldbury. 

Silene  noctiftora,  Linn.  In  the  corn-fields  to  the  right  of  the  foot-way 
from  Kirtlington  to  Bletchington.  This  I  insert  on  the  authority  of 
Miss  Mara  Saunders,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  some  fine  specimens 
from  this  locality,  which  were  gathered  last  year. 

Spiraea  Filipendula,  Linn.  In  the  drier  parts  of  Kirtlington  park,  near  the 
great  pond ;  and  also  in  the  Green  lane,  near  the  locality  for  Salvia 
pratensis. 

Geum  rivale,  Linn.  In  Oldbury,  near  the  spring,  and  in  a  meadow  near 
the  Oxford  canal,  at  the  very  south-west  extremity  of  Kirtlington  pa- 
rish. In  the  former  locality  it  occurs  from  6  to  10  inches  high,  with 
one  or  two  flowers  on  a  stem ;  in  the  latter,  which  is  much  wetter,  from 
1  foot  to  20  inches  in  height,  with  several  flowers  on  a  stem,  and  here 
and  there  a  flower  showing  a  tendency  to  become  double. 

Thalictrum  Jlavum,  Linn.  By  the  side  of  the  Cherwell,  and  in  the  Peat- 
pits. 

Adonis  autumnalis,  Lin.  Corn-fields  between  Kirtlington  and  Bletchington. 

Ranunculus  aquatilis,  var.  /3,  pantothrix,  DC.  In  wet  ditches  between 
Kirtlington  and  Bletchington  parks. 

Acinos  vulgaris,  Pers.  In  the  corn-fields  between  Kirtlington  park  and  the 
village  of  Weston. 

Pedicularis  palustris,  Linn.    Abundant' in  the  Peat-pits. 

Lin  aria  minor,  Desf.     In  the  same  locality  as  Acinos  vulgaris. 

Draba  verna,  Linn.  This  plant  grows  to  an  unusually  large  size  in  the 
corn-fields  near  the  Washford  stone-pits,  having  flower-stems  from  4  to 
5  inches  long,  and  many  springing  from  the  same  root. 

Cardamine  amara,  Linn.  By  the  side  of  the  Oxford  canal,  in  the  meadow 
at  the  south-west  extremity  of  Kirtlington  parish,  mentioned  as  a  lo- 
cality for  Geum  rivale. 

Lathyrus  Aphaca,  Linn.  Grows  in  some  abundance  in  Clay  Hill,  a  large 
field  on  the  outskirts  of  Kirtlington  village,  on  the  road  to  Woodstock. 
A  field-way  runs  down  the  northern  side  of  this  field,  and  the  plant 
grows  between  the  way  and  the  hedge. 

Cnicus  eriophorus,  Willd.  In  the  lane  leading  from  Stonehouse  farm  to 
the  Peat-pits. 

An  the  mis  arvensis,  Linn.  By  the  sides  of  the  road  leading  from  Kirtling- 
ton to  Bletchington. 

Achillea  Ptarmica,  Lin.  Grows  to  a  very  large  size,  and  with  a  yellow- 
ish tinge  in  the  flowers,  in  the  meadows  by  the  side  of  the  Cherwell. 

Epipactis  palustris,  Sw.  An  interesting  variety  of  this  plant,  with  large 
flowers,  and  pale  green  stem,  bracteas,  and  calyx,  grows  in  the  wet 
parts  of  the  Peat-pits,  and  in  appearance  is  very  unlike  the  usual  state 
of  the  plant. 

Orchis  Morio,  Linn.  Abounds  in  Oldbury  and  the  parts  of  Kirtlington 
park  adjoining. 

Carex  intermedia,  Gooden.  ?  A  plant  which  I  take  to  be  a  variety  of  this 
species,  with  distant  spikelets,  occurs  in  some  plenty  on  a  boggy  piece 
of  ground,  at  the  west  end  of  the  great  pond,  in  Kirtlington  park.  It 
Vol.  III.— No.  29.  n.  s.  2  c 


242  FOSSIL  REMAINS  OF  HYBODTJS 

is,  I  believe,  the  Carex  uliginosa  of  Suter,  not  Linnaeus ;  but  was  made 
a  variety  of  Car.  intermedia  by  Hegetschweiler,  in  an  edition  of  Suter's 
'  Flora  Helvetica,'  in  1822,  with  the  following  character: — "Spicis  in- 
ferioribus  distantibus."  I  have  the  same  plant  from  meadows  near 
Mortlake,  Surrey;  and  Dr.  Bromfield  has  kindly  forwarded  it  to  me 
from  the  Isle  of  Wight.  In  the  Kirtlington  locality  I  could  not  find 
Carex  intermedia  in  its  usual  state. 
paniculata,  Linn.  In  the  osier  beds  near  the  Cherwell  below  En- 
slow  bridge.  I  insert  this  locality  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  James  Saun- 
ders, who  showed  me  a  series  of  specimens  he  had  gathered  there. 
ampullacea,  Gooden.     In  the  Peat-pits,  common. 


Myriophyllum  verticillatum,  Linn.  In  ditches  in  the  meadows  between 
the  Oxford  canal  and  the  Cherwell,  particularly  near  the  swing  bridge. 

Salix  pentandra,  Linn.  A  tree,  bearing  sterile  catkins,  of  this  beautiful 
species  of  willow,  hangs  over  the  spring  in  Oldbury,  and  when  in  flow- 
er quite  perfumes  the  air  with  the  fragrance  of  its  blossoms,  which  are 
also  much  resorted  to  by  bees  of  various  kinds. 


Art.  IX. — Illustrated  Zoological  Notices.    By  Edward  Charles- 
worth,  F.G.S.,  &c. 
( Continued  from  Vol.  i.  n.  s.  p.  534.^ 

On  the  Fossil  Remains  of  a  Species  of  HYBODUS,  from  Lyme  Regis. 

Our  acquaintance  with  the  zoological  history  of  the  defen- 
sive fin-bones  termed  Ichtkyodorulites,  both  as  it  respects 
their  specific  determination  and  the  group  of  fishes  to  which 
they  appertain,  is  principally  due  to  the  labours  of  Louis 
Agassiz  :  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  work  now  in 
course  of  publication  by  this  eminent  naturalist, — the  '  Re- 
cherches  sur  les  Poissons  Fossils,' — is  devoted  to  the  illus- 
tration and  description  of  these  interesting  fossils.  Ranging 
vertically  from  the  deposits  of  the  cretaceous  period  to  those 
of  the  Silurian  system,  and  horizontally  throughout  an  area 
of  probably  unlimited  extent,  the  Ichthyodorulites,  owing  to 
their  bony  texture  and  exterior  of  enamel,  have  been  preserv- 
ed during  the  long  period  of  their  entombment  with  singular 
fidelity :  and  when  disinterred  from  their  matrix,  assisted  by  a 
knowledge  of  the  teeth,  with  which  these  osseous  rays  were 
formerly  associated,  the  ichthyologist  may  safely  venture  to 
infer  their  relation  to  existing  types,  though  all  other  traces 
of  the  skeleton  may  have  disappeared. 

The  genus  Hybodus  is  spoken  of  by  Agassiz  as  being  per- 
haps the  most  important  of  the  extinct  genera  of  placoid  or 
cartilaginous  fishes,  in  which  one  or  both  dorsal  fins  were 
armed  with  these  defensive  weapons.  A  large  number  of 
species  are  already  characterised  in  the  ( Poissons  Fossils,' 


^gvTMur^ 


V<^AU  H*g£ 


FROM  LYME  REGIS.  243 

the  greater  portion  of  which  appear  to  have  existed  during 
the  deposition  of  the  secondary  rocks  of  this  country.  In 
1822  Mr.  De  la  Beche  figured  a  spine  and  jaw  of  this  genus 
in  the  *  Transactions  of  the  Geological  Society ; '  but  fossil 
Ichthyology  had  at  that  time  received  little  attention,  and 
even  up  to  a  much  more  recent  period,  the  Ichthyodorulites 
were  erroneously  imagined  to  belong  to  genera  allied  to  Ba- 
listes  or  Silurus,  although  a  comparative  examination  of  the 
basal  termination  of  these  organs  would  have  readily  shown 
the  incorrectness  of  the  supposition.  Agassiz,  in  his  general 
observations  upon  the  Ichthyodorulites,  acknowledges  the 
valuable  assistance  which  he  received  from  a  manuscript  pa- 
per by  Dr.  Buckland  and  Mr.  De  la  Beche,  containing  the 
descriptions  of  twelve  species ;  and  he  remarks  that  the  au- 
thors of  this  paper  had  then  arrived  at  a  knowledge  of  the 
true  affinities  of  the  rays  in  question. 

A  few  weeks  since  Mr.  Edmund  Higgins,  of  Cheltenham,, 
a  gentleman  who  has  for  some  time  been  a  very  ardent  col- 
lector of  fossil  remains,  brought  for  my  inspection  the  beau- 
tiful specimen  which  forms  the  subject  of  these  observations,, 
the  joint  discovery  of  himself  and  Miss  Anning,  in  the  lias  of 
Lyme  Regis.  Appearing  to  be  the  most  perfect  jaw  of  the 
Hybodus  I  had  yet  seen,  and  to  possess  a  feature  altogether 
new  to  the  genus,  in  the  presence  of  a  curved  spine  about 
the  region  of  the  head,  I  requested  and  readily  received  per- 
mission from  its  owner  to  draw  up  the  present  notice  for  the 
'  Magazine  of  Natural  History.' 

The  specimen  consists  of  two  tabular  masses,  (see  Sup- 
plementary Plates,  No.  4,  fig.  1  &  2),  on  which  the  teeth  are 
arranged  in  a  regular  series.  The  larger  fragment  (of  which, 
in  the  engraving,  some  portion  is  omitted)  is  of  a  quadrate 
shape,  and  from  half  an  inch  to  three  quarters  in  thickness. 
Its  anterior  border  is  raised,  slightly  curved  outwards,  and 
bristled  with  teeth,  which  are  disposed  along  it  in  parallel 
rows  six  deep,  the  external  row  being  placed  upon  the  ex- 
treme edge.  The  remaining  three  borders  have  abruptly  bro- 
ken edges,  and  from  the  section  of  the  interior  thus  displayed, 
the  mass,  with  the  exception  of  a  part  of  the  jaw  forming  the 
anterior  border,  appears  to  consist  of  folds  of  skin  and  por- 
tions of  bone,  probably  of  the  head,  compressed  together;  but 
the  whole  is  so  blended  with  the  lias  which  has  filled  the  in- 
terstices, as  to  render  the  separation  or  discrimination  of  the 
parts  a  matter  of  impossibility.  On  one  surface,  however,  of 
the  mass,  the  opposite  to  that  represented  in  the  plate,  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  skin  is  preserved  apparently  uninjured, 
and  it  is  seen  thickly  beset  with  beautifully  enamelled  coni- 


244  FOSSIL  REMAINS  OF  HYBODUS 

cal  studs,  each  of  which  is  attached  by  a  neck  to  a  round  and 
expanded  base,  (fig.  5,  b  &  c).  The  surface  of  these  dermal 
points  is  marked  with  very  prominent  cost<e,  and  their  sub- 
stance appears  to  be  exactly  analogous  to  that  of  the  teeth. 
The  portion  of  the  skin  of  Acrodus,  an  allied  genus,  figured 
in  Dr.  Buckland's  Bridgewater  Treatise,  seems  to  present  a 
closely  analogous  character. 

Notwithstanding  that  the  teeth  in  this  specimen  are  very 
numerous,  and  for  the  most  part  implanted  in  the  bone  by  their 
original  attachments,  I  have  been  quite  unable  to  form  an  idea 
respecting  the  character  which  the  entire  jaws  would  present, 
and  the  relations  which  they  have  borne  to  the  surrounding 
parts.  The  fragments  of  jaws  figured  by  Agassiz,  throw  no 
light  upon  this  matter ;  and  although  in  the  '  Poissons  Fos- 
sils '  a  great  many  species  are  characterised  by  the  osseous 
spines,  and  the  genus  often  alluded  to  in  the  remarks  upon 
Ichthyodorulites,  the  complete  history  of  its  characters  and 
probable  affinities  has  as  yet  been  postponed. l 

I  am  not  able  to  determine  whether  the  two  fragments  fi- 
gured belong  to  one  and  the  same  side  of  the  mouth,  or  to 
the  upper  and  lower  jaws :  there  is  nothing  like  a  symphysis, 
nor  at  the  termination  of  the  rows  do  the  teeth  present  any 
decided  diminution  in  size  or  number,  by  which  the  position 
of  the  lateral  ligamental  articulations  might  be  detected. — 
The  series  of  teeth  on  the  larger  fragment  consists  of  seven 
rows,  six  deep,  disposed  along  the  anterior  border  of  the 
mass ;  at  one  extremity  the  continuity  of  the  series  being  in- 
terrupted by  the  fractured  lateral  edge  or  border  of  the  mass 
itself,  the  rows  of  teeth  are  continued  nearly  to  the  margin  of 
the  opposite  lateral  border,  but  here  they  make  a  sudden  bend 
inwards  and  backwards,  by  which  their  continuity  is  pre- 
served ;  the  portion  so  recurved  consists  of  five  additional 
rows,  and  its  termination  about  the  centre  of  the  mass  is 
shown  in  the  figure.  Reasoning  from  the  analogy  of  the 
jaws  in  the  existing  genera  of  sharks,  and  also  from  the  ap- 
parently forcible  displacement  of  the  teeth  at  the  immediate 
spot  where  the  bend  occurs,  this  sudden  curve  would  appear 
to  be  the  result  of  accident,  rather  than  the  natural  disposi- 
tion of  the  parts.  The  smaller  fragment  however  exhibits  a 
very  similar  and  equally  sudden  alteration  in  the  direction  of 
the  rows  of  teeth,  and  the  same  thing  may  be  observed  in  the 
original  jaw  figured  by  M.  de  la  Beche  in  the  ?  Geological 
Transactions.' 

I I  "believe  the  12th  livraison  of  the  '  Poissons  Fossils'  is  very  shortly  ex- 
pected, and  it  may  possibly  contain  the  history  of  the  genus  Hybodus. 


FROM  LYME  REGIS.  245 

A  very  strong  and  irregularly  shaped  bone  arises  from  the 
centre  of  the  mass,  and,  with  its  base  apparently  resting  up- 
on this  bone,  is  placed  the  curved  spine  which  constitutes 
the  principal  feature  of  interest  in  the  present  specimen. — 
From  the  position  which  this  spine  now  occupies,  it  would 
appear  to  have  been  situated  about  the  region  of  the  head, 
bending  abruptly  forwards  directly  it  emerged  from  the  in- 
teguments. The  apex  of  the  spine  is  unfortunately  broken 
off;  but  the  portion  left  is  about  half  an  inch  long,  covered 
with  a  smooth  glistening  coat  of  enamel,  and  presenting  a 
slight  but  well-defined  upper  edge.  A  few  elevated  and  wa- 
vy striae  are  irregularly  distributed  upon  its  surface.  The 
spine  arises  from  a  strong,  expanded,  bony  base,  which  is 
formed  by  three  obtuse  processes  united  in  a  common  centre, 
one  of  them  extending  anteriorly  in  the  median  line,  and  the 
other  two,  which  may  be  termed  the  lateral  processes,  at  right 
angles  to  the  anterior  one.  Some  portions  of  the  surfaces  of 
these  processes  would  appear  to  have  given  attachment  to 
very  strong  muscles,  (fig.  7  &  8). 

At  the  first  glance  this  hooked  spine  might  be  thought  to 
be  related  to  those  which  characterise  so  many  species  of  the 
genus  Raia  of  Linnaeus,  but  its  remarkable  bony  base,  and 
the  general  aspect  of  the  organ  itself,  would  seem  to  indicate 
its  connexion  with  more  important  functions  than  are  pos- 
sessed by  a  mere  dermal  prickle.  In  the  absence  of  evidence 
to  the  contrary,  I  should  feel  disposed  to  regard  it  as  a  soli- 
tary spine,  developed  in  the  median  line  of  the  frontal  region, 
and  connected  with  or  simply  resting  upon  the  bones  of  the 
cranium.  In  the  Chimera  monstrosa,  to  which  Hybodus  has 
some  affinity,  a  horn  or  frontal  process  is  also  present.  In  this 
instance,  however,  it  is  only  found  in  the  male  sex,  and  the 
process  itself  has  none  of  the  formidable  character  about  it 
presented  by  the  spine  of  Hybodus ;  having  but  a  compara- 
tively slight  base,  and  though  the  apex  is  armed  with  a  series 
of  small  prickles,  the  process  itself  is,  I  believe,  externally 
fleshy,  with  an  internal,  slight,  bony  support.  The  apparent 
analogy,  however,  is  worth  a  passing  notice,  because  the  teeth 
of  Chimera,  although  an  existing  genus,  have  been  found  fos- 
sil in  deposits  which  also  contain  the  remains  of  Hybodus. 

The  teeth  in  the  present  specimen  vary  from  half  an  inch 
to  three  quarters  of  an  inch  in  length.  They  are  slightly 
bowed,  with  the  convexity  outwards,  and  at  the  same  time 
arched  from  above  to  below,  so  that  the  apices  of  the  outer- 
most lateral  lobes,  in  many  instances,  are  nearly  on  the  same 
level  with  the  base  of  the  central  process.  The  crown  of  the 
tooth  slightly  projects  beyond  the  osseous  root  which  con- 


246  FOSSIL  REMAINS  OF  HYBODUS 

nects  it  with  the  jaw,  the  line  of  separation  being  marked  by 
a  well-defined  sulcus.  The  crown  is  composed  of  a  central 
conical,  blunt  process,  bounded  on  either  side  by  four  or  five 
small  lobes,  which  are  more  or  less  distinctly  developed.  A 
raised  median  line  extends  from  the  apex  to  the  base  of  the 
central  process,  both  on  the  inner  and  external  aspects,  giv- 
ing off*  other  lines,  which  diverge, ■  and  spreading  over  the  rest 
of  the  process,  become  suddenly  thickened  just  before  they 
reach  its  base.  Upon  the  smaller  processes  or  lobes  of  the 
teeth,  the  lines  also  exhibit  a  strong  tendency  to  converge  to- 
wards the  large  central  one.  The  space  between  these  raised 
lines  is  about  double  that  occupied  by  the  lines  themselves. 
On  the  internal  aspect  of  the  teeth,  the  lines  exhibit,  in  a 
greatly  diminished  degree,  the  tendency  to  converge  towards 
the  central  process,  (see  fig.  4).  In  many  of  them  indeed,  over 
the  internal  surface,  the  lines  are  vertical  in  their  direction. 
Below,  and  extending  parallel  to  the  groove  which  separates 
the  crown  from  the  osseous  root,  is  a  prominent  ridge,  (see  fig. 
3),  but  of  this  there  is  no  corresponding  indication  on  the  in- 
ternal aspect,  (fig.  4). 

The  above  description  must  be  considered  as  applying  to 
the  apparently  normal  or  typical  character  of  the  teeth,  many 
modifications  of  which  may  arise  from  their  position  in  a  par- 
ticular part  of  the  jaw,  or  from  accidental  circumstances. 

The  teeth,  as  shown  in  the  figure,  appear  to  have  been  uni- 
formly directed  backwards  and  inwards,  and  the  lowest  row 
in  the  series  lies  quite  flat,  as  in  the  recent  genera  Galeus, 
Carcharias,  &c.  A  circumstance  worth  notice  is  that  the 
lowest  row  in  the  series  is  shown,  by  fractured  specimens,  to 
be  fully  as  capable  of  taking  office  as  those  occupying  the 
front  rank;  now  the  corresponding  teeth  in  many  existing 
squaloid  genera  are  mere  hollow  cases,  which  become  gradu- 
ally filled  with  osseous  matter  as  they  ascend  in  the  series. 

I  have  been  led  rather  minutely  to  detail  the  characters 
presented  by  this  fossil  jaw,  because  so  large  a  number  of 
species  are  included  in  the  genus,  and  also  because  I  have 
not  been  able  to  refer  it  to  any  species  hitherto  described. — 
Agassiz  has  figured  the  teeth  of  three  species  of  Hybodus 
from  the  lias  of  Lyme  Regis  and  Bristol,  namely,  Hyb.  rari- 
costatus,  reticulatus,  and  medius.  The  teeth  of  the  present 
species  differ  from  the  first  of  these  in  the  greater  size  of  the 
central  process,  and  the  less  distinct  development  of  the  la- 
teral ones,  and  in  presenting  much  more  numerous  and  small- 

1  The  divergence  of  these  lines  is  "best  shown  hy  the  recumhent  teeth 
about  the  middle  of  the  anterior  border  of  the  larger  fragment,  (fig.  1). 


FROM  LYME  REGIS.  247 

er  striae;  from  Hyb.  reticulatus  they  are  at  once  distinguished 
by  the  'bluntness  of  the  dental  processes,  and  the  divergence 
of  the  stria  upon  their  surface :  the  teeth  of  Hyb.  medius 
differ  in  the  indistinctness  of  the  division  of  their  crowns  into 
lobes,  and  in  the  regularity  of  the  compressed  cones  which 
their  forms  exhibit. 

By  far  the  greater  number  of  species  of  Hybodus  enume- 
rated in  the  *  Poissons  Fossils '  are  merely  known  by  the  Ich- 
thyodorulites ;  and  Agassiz  regrets  that  the  rare  occurrence 
of  the  teeth  and  spines  under  circumstances  which  establish 
their  relation  to  the  same  individual,  compels  him  to  intro- 
duce a  double  nomenclature.  It  fortunately  happens  in  the 
present  instance,  that  in  addition  to  the  frontal  spine,  both 
dorsal  were  also  discovered.  One  of  these  is  represented  in 
the  plate  of  the  natural  size,  (fig.  9).  Its  fellow  differs  in 
being  about  two  inches  longer,  in  presenting  a  much  slighter 
decrease  in  the  width  of  the  grooved  sides,  and  in  having  a 
smaller  number  of  denticulations.  The  character  of  these  parts 
is  so  well  conveyed  by  Mr.  Sowerby's  engraving,  that  it  is 
unnecessary  for  me  to  enter  into  any  minute  description. 

In  the  future  identification  of  this  species,  it  should  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  supposed  frontal  spine  may  be  lost, 
while  the  jaws  or  other  parts  of  the  skeleton  may  be  pre- 
served ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  this  singular  appendage  may 
not  improbably  be  common  to  several  species  of  the  genus. 
The  circumstance  of  this  fossil  appearing  to  be  generally  un- 
known to  collectors,  even  in  a  detached  state,  strengthens  my 
assumption  that  the  shark  to  which  it  belonged  was  not  fur- 
nished with  a  series  of  these  spines,  and  indeed  perhaps  in- 
dicates the  rare  occurrence  of  the  particular  species  which  it 
may  serve  to  characterise.  I  hope  the  publication  of  this 
notice  may  draw  the  attention  of  those  interested  in  fossil 
Zoology  to  the  subject,  but  at  present  Mr.  Lonsdale  is  the 
only  person  of  those  to  whom  the  fossil  in  question  has  been 
shown,  who  had  previously  seen  anything  of  the  kind;  and 
he  tells  me  that  a  similar  but  detached  fossil  body,  also  from 
the  lias,  is  preserved  in  the  Bath  Museum. 

Being  unable  to  identify  the  present  species  with  any  one 
that  has  been  described,  I  have  called  it  Hybodus  Delabecheii, 
M.  De  la  Beche  having,  I  believe,  been  the  first  geologist  who 
drew  attention  to  the  fossil  remains  of  the  genus. 


REFERENCES  TO  PLATE  NO.  4. 

Figs.  1  &  2.    Tabular  masses  upon  the  borders  of  which  the  teeth  are  dis- 
posed.   The  posterior  and  right  lateral  borders  extend  farther  than  re- 


248  SPECIES  DES  COLEOPTERES. 

presented  in  the  engraving.  The  parts  connecting  the  two  fragments  are 
missing. 

Fig.  3  is  a  small  tooth,  showing  the  prominent  transverse  ridge  which  marks 
the  roots  on  their  outer  side. 

Fig.  4.  The  inner  side  of  a  larger  tooth  of  the  form  which  appears  to  cha- 
racterise the  species. 

Fig.  5,  a,  apparently  a  portion  of  skin  without  studs ;  e  and  b,  studs  of  the 
natural  size.     (From  the  under  surface  of  the  mass  fig.  1). 

Fig.  6,  b,  a  stud  magnified. 

Figs.  7  &  8.     Two  views  of  the  supposed  frontal  curved  spine. 

Fig.  9.  One  of  the  two  Ichthyodorulites,  or  spines  supporting  the  dorsal 
fins  found  with  the  jaws. 


REVIEWS. 

Art.  I. — Species  General  des  ColSopte'res.  Tome  6ieme.    Paris,  1839. 
Par  Ch.  Aube. 

The  Baron  Dejean,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  first 
five  volumes  of  this  work,  comprising  the  Cicindelidce  and 
Carabidae  of  his  magnificent  collection,  having  found  it  im- 
possible, from  his  numerous  political  and  military  avocations, 
to  continue  it  with  regularity,  has  confided  the  descriptions 
of  the  water-beetles,  composing  the  families  Dyticida  and 
Gyrinid<e,  to  Dr.  Charles  Aube  ;  and  it  is  impossible  to  have 
placed  the  subject  in  better  hands.  Already  well  known  by 
his  monograph  on  the  Pselaphida  as  a  microscopical  coleop- 
terist,  this  gentleman  has  added  greatly  to  his  fame  by  this 
elaborate  volume  of  upwards  of  800  pages,  in  which  nearly 
as  many  species  of  aquatic  Coleoptera  are  carefully  described. 
He  has  not,  judiciously  as  we  think,  confined  himself  to  the 
collection  of  Dejean,  but  being  in  correspondence  with  the 
chief  European  entomologists,  he  has  been  enabled  to  produce 
a  volume,  superior,  in  our  opinion,  not  only  as  to  the  extent 
of  its  materials,  but  also  in  the  style  of  its  execution,  to  any 
of  the  previous  volumes  of  the  work.  There  are  several  new 
genera  established ;  and  amongst  the  species  we  find  those 
described  by  Mr.  Babington  in  the  '  Transactions  of  the  En- 
tomological Society'  adopted  and  referred  to,  but  under  names 
previously  given  to  them  by  other  writers. 


Art.  II. — Zeitschrift  fur  die  Entomologie ;  Herausgegeben  von  Ernst 
Friedrich  Germar.  Erster  Band  Erster  Heft.  8vo.  196  pp.  2  plates. 
Leipzig,  1839. 

Having  just  received  from  the  author  a  copy  of  this  work,  we 
hasten  to  announce  its  appearance,  being  convinced  that  the 


BEALE's  HISTORY  OF  THE  SPERM  WHALE*  249 

re-appearance  of  the  venerable  Germar,  the  friend  of  Latreille 
and  Leach,  will  be  hailed  with  satisfaction  by  our  readers. — 
In  this,  the  first  number  of  a  work  similar  in  character  to  his 
'  Magasin  der  Entomologie,'  are  contained  memoirs  of  various 
groups  of  insects  by  the  editor  and  others.  They  are  as  fol- 
lows.— 

1.  A  Memoir  upon  the  Scutelleridce,  by  M.  Germar,  in 
which  a  great  number  of  species  of  this  interesting  group,  to- 
gether with  several  new  genera,  are  described,  and  in  which 
we  find  the  works  of  Burmeister,  Guerin,  &c,  and  the  synop- 
tical catalogue  of  Mr.  Hope,  carefully  cited. 

2.  A  Monograph  on  the  genus  Mantissa,  by  Dr.  Erichson, 
preceded  by  various  considerations  as  to  the  place  occupied 
by  this  anomalous  genus,  together  with  descriptions  of  twen- 
ty-four species.  We  may  here  take  occasion  to  observe  that 
the  author  has  not  consulted  the  last  volume  of  the  ( Ency- 
clopedic Methodique,'  (wherein  his  Mant.  chalybea  has  been 
previously  described  under  the  name  of  Mant.  semihyalina), 
nor  the  f  Entomological  Magazine,'  in  which  a  species  has 
been  described  by  Mr.  Newman :  neither  is  the  author  ac- 
quainted with  any  Australian  species,  of  which,  however,  we 
are  aware  of  the  existence. 

3.  Memoir  on  the  chemical  composition  of  the  fatty  mat- 
ter and  oily  secretion  of  lepidopterous  insects,  by  Professor 
Dtibner,  of  Augsburg. 

4.  Descriptions  of  three  new  genera  of  Cicadida,  by  Dr. 
Germar  :  1st,  Clastoptera,  near  Penthimia,  seven  American 
species :  2nd,  Xerophloea,  near  Gypona,  oue  Brazilian  spe- 
cies :  3rd,  Phylloscelis,  near  Eurybrachis,  two  Pennsylvanian 
species. 


Art.  III. — The  Natural  History  of  the  Sperm  Whale.  By  Thomas  Beale, 
late  Surgeon  to  the  '  Kent '  and  '  Sarah  and  Elizabeth '  South-Seamen. 
London :  Van  Voorst,  1 839. 

The  author  of  this  work  is  favourably  known  as  the  writer  of 
a  brief  sketch  of  the  natural  history  of  the  sperm  whale  which 
was  published  three  or  four  years  since  ;  and  the  information 
which  he  then  communicated  to  the  public  in  the  shape  of  a 
pamphlet,  has  been  re-printed,  and  now  comes  before  us  in 
the  more  important  character  of  a  volume.  Since  the  publica- 
tion of  his  first  edition  it  appears  that  Mr.  Beale  has  examin- 
ed the  skeleton  of  a  cachalot  in  the  possession  of  Sir  Clifford 
Constable,  near  Hull,  and  has  thereby  been  enabled  to  draw 
Vol.  III.— No.  29.  n.  s.  2d 


250  beale's  history  of  the  srEiiM  whale. 

up  a  detailed  description  of  its  osteology ;  and  by  freely  avail- 
ing himself  of  the  labours  of  his  predecessors  in  his  account 
of  the  soft  parts,  he  has  thrown  together  a  good  summary  of 
all  that  is  known  respecting  the  anatomical  history  of  this  gi- 
gantic mammal.  His  remarks  upon  the  habits  &c.  of  the  ca- 
chalot, are  clearly  the  result  of  careful  and  well-directed  ob- 
servation ;  and  though  here  and  there  a  few  passages  are 
penned  a  little  in  the  *  book-making"*  style,  yet  the  volume,  up- 
on the  whole,  is  a  very  creditable  production,  and  in  some 
respects  a  highly  acceptable  contribution  to  the  science  of 
Zoology.  Mr.  Beale  is  perfectly  satisfied  that  he  has  never 
encountered  more  than  one  species  of  sperm  whale,  and  that 
the  Phi/seter  macrocephalus  of  authors,  which  he  tells  us  has 
yet  "  to  assume  the  station  to  which  it  is  entitled  in  the  his- 
tory of  animated  nature."  It  seems  that  Cuvier  and  a  host 
of  other  distinguished  savans  who  have  taken  upon  them- 
selves to  write  about  the  sperm  whale,  have  made  all  sorts  of 
misrepresentations  in  their  attempts  to  describe  this  cetacean, 
and  the  absurdity  of  the  greater  part  of  their  lucubrations  is 
shown  up  by  Mr.  Beale  in  the  most  able  and  praiseworthy  man- 
ner. Our  author  indeed  plainly  shows  that  in  handling  the 
subject  he  is  no  respector  of  persons  ;  and  Sir  William  Jar- 
dine,  or  even  the  great  Linnaeus,  come  in  for  a  rap,  if  he  thinks 
they  have  done  ought  to  merit  castigation. 

Mr.  Beale's  observations  agree  in  their  essential  points  with 
those  of  Mr.  F.  Debell  Bennett,  published  in  the  '  Proceed- 
ings of  the  Zoological  Society'  for  1837 ;  and  our  author  has 
therefore  the  merit  of  priority.  On  the  subject  of  the  ejec- 
tion of  a  column  of  water  from  the  spiracle,  which  has  long 
been  a  matter  in  dispute,  we  have  the  following  remarks. — 

"  Out  of  the  thousands  of  sperm  whales  which  I  have  seen  during  my 
wanderings  in  the  south  and  north  Pacific  Oceans,  I  have  never  observed 
one  of  them  to  eject  a  column  of  water  from  the  nostril.  I  have  seen  them 
at  a  distance,  and  I  have  been  within  a  few  yards  of  several  hundreds  of 
them,  and  I  never  saw  water  pass  from  the  spout-hole.  But  the  column  of 
thick  and  dense  vapour  which  is  certainly  ejected,  is  exceedingly  likely  to 
mislead  the  judgment  of  the  casual  observer  in  these  matters ;  and  this  co- 
lumn does  indeed  appear  very  much  like  a  jet  of  water,  when  seen  at  a  dis- 
tance of  one  or  two  miles  on  a  clear  day,  because  of  the  condensation  of  the 
vapour,  which  takes  place  the  moment  it  escapes  from  the  nostril,  and  its 
consequent  opacity,  which  makes  it  appear  of  a  white  colour,  and  which  is 
not  observed  when  the  whale  is  close  to  the  spectator,  and  then  it  appears 
only  like  a  jet  of  white  steam ;  the  only  water  in  addition  is  the  small  quan- 
tity that  may  be  lodged  in  the  external  fissure  of  the  spout-hole,  when  the 
animal  raises  it  above  the  surface  to  breathe,  and  which  is  blown  up  into 
the  air  with  the  spout,  and  may  probably  assist  in  condensing  the  vapour 
of  which  it  is  fonned. 


BEALES  HISTORY  OF  THE  SPERM  WHALE. 


251 


"  It  has,  however,  been  stated  by  some  naturalists  that  it  is  onlv  at  times 
that  this  whale  projects  water  from  the  nostril,  and  that,  thoy  say,  is  at  the 


25*2  beale's  history  of  the  sperm  whale. 

time  of  his  feeding.  How  far  such  an  observation  can  apply  to  the  Green- 
land whale,  which  feeds  near  the  surface,  will  be  noticed  in  the  conclusion 
of  these  remarks ;  but  I  can  state  here,  that  such  an  observation  cannot 
hold  good  with  regard  to  the  sperm  whale,  for  that  creature  feeds  far  below 
the  surface,  and,  in  so  doing,  the  large  male  continues  in  the  depths  of  the 
ocean  from  an  hour  to  an  hour  and  twenty  minutes,  without  once  showing 
himself  above ;  so  that,  if  he  wishes  to  eject  water  from  the  mouth  through 
the  nostril,  to  avoid  swallowing  it,  (if,  indeed,  he  has  any  anatomical  ar- 
rangement for  so  doing),  it  must  be  performed  in  the  depths  of  his  native 
element,  into  which  he  descends  to  feed,  and  therefore  the  operation  is  re- 
mote from  observation." 

Mr.  Beale  appears  to  be  completely  in  his  element  when 
describing  the  chase  and  capture  of  this  giant  of  the  ocean. 

"  Let  the  reader  suppose  himself  on  the  deck  of  a  south-seaman,  cruising 
in  the  North  Pacific  Ocean  at  its  Japanese  confine.  He  may  be  musing 
over  some  past  event, — the  ship  may  be  sailing  gently  along  over  the  smooth 
ocean,  every  thing  around  solemnly  still,  with  the  sun  pouring  its  intense 
rays  with  dazzling  brightness ;  suddenly  the  monotonous  quietude  is  brok- 
en by  an  animated  voice  from  the  mast-head  exclaiming  "  there  she  spouts." 
The  captain  starts  on  deck  in  an  instant,  and  inquires  "  where  away  ?  "  but 
perhaps  the  next  moment  every  one  aloft  and  on  deck  can  perceive  an  enor- 
mous whale  lying  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  ship,  on  the  surface  of 
the  sea,  having  just  come  up  to  breathe, — his  large  "hump  "  projecting 
three  feet  out  of  the  water,  when  at  the  end  of  every  ten  seconds  the  spout 
is  seen  rushing  from  the  fore-part  of  his  enormous  head,  followed  by  the  cry 
of  every  one  on  board,  who  join  heart  and  soul  in  the  chorus  of  "there 
again!"  keeping  time  with  the  duration  of  the  spout.  But  while  they  have 
been  looking,  a  few  seconds  have  expired — they  rush  into  the  boats,  which 
are  directly  lowered  to  receive  them — and  in  two  minutes  from  the  time  of 
first  observing  the  whale,  three  or  four  boats  are  down,  and  are  darting 
through  the  water  with  their  utmost  speed  towards  their  intended  victim, 
perhaps  accompanied  with  a  song  from  the  headsman,  who  urges  the  quick 
and  powerful  plying  of  the  oar  with  the  common  whaling  chant,  of — 

"Away  my  boys,  away  my  boys,  'tis  time  for  us  to  go." 

But  we  have  not  time  to  go  with  them,  and  must  therefore 
refer  our  readers  to  the  preceding  spirited  sketch,  which  forms 
one  of  the  series  in  Mr.  Beale's  work ;  at  the  same  time  hear- 
tily recommending  the  volume  to  their  perusal,  as  containing 
a  great  deal  of  entertaining  matter,  blended  with  really  valua- 
ble scientific  information. 


EDITORIAL  REMARKS.  253 


MAGAZINE  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

MAY,  1839. 

We  have  this  month  devoted  a  portion  of  the  Magazine  to  the  papers 
read  before  the  Geological  Society,  on  the  zoological  characters  of  the 
Stonesfield  jaws ;  and  having  previously  given  translations  of  the  Me- 
moirs upon  the  same  subject  by  MM.  de  Blainville  and  Valencienues, 
our  columns  will  be  found  to  embody  all  the  reasoning  that  has  been 
advanced  for  and  against  the  mammiferous  nature  of  these  fossil  re- 
mains. The  whole  subject  is  one  of  which  the  investigation  is  at- 
tended with  extraordinary  interest,  depending,  however,  not  so  much 
upon  the  abstract  importance  attached  to  the  solution  of  the  problem 
that  has  arisen  from  the  "  doutes"  of  M.  de  Blainville,  as  upon  the 
ultimate  considerations  involved  in  the  issue  of  the  controversy.  Are 
we  mistaken  in  supposing  that  the  comparative  anatomist  has  obtain- 
ed such  an  insight  into  those  laws  which  regulate  the  development  of 
organic  structure, — such  a  knowledge  of  the  limits  assigned  to  devi- 
ation from  uniformity  in  their  operation, — that  from  a  characteristic 
fragment  of  a  skeleton  he  shall  be  able  to  restore  the  entire  fabric, 
determine  the  element  in  which  it  was  destined  to  exist,  and  the  rank 
which  it  held  in  the  scale  of  creation  ? 

This  inquiry,  arising  out  of  the  present  discussion,  naturally  forces 
itself  upon  our  attention ;  and  its  vital  relation  to  the  science  of  Ge- 
ology is  so  obviously  apparent,  that  the  mere  allusion  to  its  impor- 
tance is  all  the  notice  that,  in  this  view,  the  subject  requires.  In 
approaching  the  original  question,  it  is  hardly  possible  to  shake  off 
the  impression  conveyed  by  negative  geological  evidence,  and  to  re- 
gard the  matter  as  one  in  which  the  only  legitimate  data  to  guide 
our  decision,  must  be  sought  for  in  the  inductive  reasoning  of  the 
comparative  anatomist. 

The  frequency  and  abundance  in  which  we  find  terrestrial  mam- 
mals imbedded  in  tertiary  rocks  of  marine  origin,  and  the  ample  evi- 
dence which  exists  of  secondary  strata  having  often  been  deposited  by 
the  waters  of  bays,  estuaries,  or  rivers,  and  under  conditions  which 


254  EDITORIAL  REMARKS. 

must  have  been  favourable  for  the  transportation  of  terrestrial  produc- 
tions, are  facts  which  the  geologist  cannot  easily  exclude  from  recol- 
lection ;  and  as  the  result  of  geological  research  in  every  country  of 
the  world  where  fossiliferous  strata  have  been  studied,  the  Stonesfield 
relics  come  before  him,  the  one  single  exception — the  solitary  record 
during  that  period  of  the  earth's  history,  of  the  existence  of  beings 
in  the  same  elevated  class  in  which  man  himself  has  been  stationed. 
We  had  a  few  casual  remarks  to  offer  on  this  subject,  rather  from 
a  feeling  that  we  ought  not  to  pass  by  a  topic  in  Paleontology  that 
has  excited  such  an  unusual  degree  of  attention,  than,  with  the 
idea  of  testing  the  strength  of  the  respective  positions  assumed  dur- 
ing the  course  of  the  discussion ;  but  perceiving  that  our  observations 
would  extend  over  a  greater  space  than  we  can  venture  to  afford,  we 
must  take  another  opportunity  of  reverting  to  the  subject. 

Some  numbers  of  a  work  have,  within  the  last  few  days,  come  un- 
der our  notice,  the  publication  of  which  we  see  with  no  small  share 
of  surprise,  mingled  wrth  a  feeling  not  far  short  of  indignation. — 
The  covers  bear  the  following  indication  of  their  contents. — "  Concho- 
logie  Mineralogique  de  la  Grande  Bretagne,  par  James  Sowerby. — 
Traduction  Franchise  revue,  corrigee,  augmentee,  par  L.  Agassiz."  A 
French  version  of  the  text  of  Mr.  Sowerby's  '  Fossil  Conchology,'  with 
coloured  imitations  of  the  accompanying  figures,  and  this  published 
at  one  fourth  the  cost  of  the  original  work,  is  about  the  last  thing 
we  should  have  looked  for  from  the  hands  of  Louis  Agassiz.  The 
illustrations,  for  the  most  part,  are  but  sorry  imitations,  though  suf- 
ficiently characteristic  to  serve  for  the  identification  of  the  species,  and 
thus  check  at  least  the  foreign  demand  for  a  work,  upon  which  so 
many  years  of  toil  have  been  expended.  As  a  set-off  against  this  un- 
due appropriation  of  the  labours  of  another, — this  inroad  upon  the 
property  of  a  fellow-labourer  in  the  field  of  science,  we  are  told  that 
"l'utilite  d'une  edition  Franchise  du  Mineral  Conchology,  mise  a  la 
portee  de  toutes  les  bourses,  devant  etre  incontestable  aux  yeux  de 
tous  ceux  qui  favorisent  les  progres  de  la  Geologic" 

Now  if  some  noble  patroniser  of  science  in  this  country,  acting  un- 
der a  conviction  that  an  English  translation  of  the  'Poissons  Fossils,' 
with  a  fac-simile  of  the  numerous  illustrations,  would,  if  published 
at  ten  shillings  each  part,  instead  of  thirty,  be  very  acceptable  to 
all  those  who  are  favourable  to  the  progress  of  Geology,  were, 
either  by  the  aid  of  a  government  grant,  or  from  his  own  private  re- 


WOODCOCKS  BREEDING   IN  ENGLAND.  255 

sources,  to  carry  this  idea  into  execution,  the  "utilitt"  of  such  an 
edition  would,  in  this  case,  be  equally  incontestable,  and  probably  no 
one  would  be  better  able  to  appreciate  its  value  than  Louis  Agassiz 
himself.  We  believe  the  number  of  copies  of  Agassiz'  work  sold 
in  this  country  exceeds  one  hundred,  and  were  this  demand  sup- 
planted by  an  English  translation,  we  would  not  venture  to  predict 
how  many  more  livraisons  of  the  'Poissons  Fossils'  would  be  forth- 
coming. Of  this  we  feel  satisfied,  that  the  '  Fossil  Conchology'  would 
never  have  been  undertaken,  if  its  authors  (the  Messrs.  Sowerby)  had 
anticipated  such  a  course  as  that  pursued  in  the  present  instance  by 
Agassiz,  and  if  his  first  speculation  succeed,  we  suppose  he  will  fol- 
low it  up  with  a  regular  system  of  piracy  upon  the  literary  produc- 
tions of  English  naturalists. 

Personal  knowledge,  and  a  feeling  of  respect  for  the  proud  position 
in  the  zoological  world  occupied  by  the  author  of  the  '  Poissons  Fos- 
sils, '  make  us,  on  the  present  occasion,  most  reluctant  censurers. — 
Agassiz  has  met  with  the  most  cordial  support  on  all  sides,  and  in 
various  ways,  from  the  cultivators  of  science  in  this  country ;  and  al- 
though it  may  appear  harsh  thus  to  express  ourselves,  we  do  not  he- 
sitate openly  to  declare  our  conviction,  that  in  editing  a  transcript  in 
the  French  language  of  the  'Mineral  Conchology  of  Great  Britain,' 
its  author  cannot  be  said  to  have  really  promoted  the  objects  of  sci- 
ence, still  less  to  have  added  to  his  own  reputation. 


SHORT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

Breeding  of  the  Woodcock  in  England. — On  the  24th  of 
March  a  woodcock  was  flushed  in  a  wood  near  my  house ; 
and  on  examining  the  spot  from  whence  it  rose,  a  nest  with 
four  eggs  in  it  was  discovered.  It  was  not  disturbed  for  four 
or  five  days ;  when,  finding  it  deserted,  the  eggs  were  taken 
and  brought  to  me,  and  are  now  in  a  glass  case.  They  had 
not  been  sat  upon,  as  upon  blowing  them  they  were  perfectly 
fresh.— E.  Eardly  Wilmot.—Berkswell,  April  11th,  1839. 

Iconographie  des  Insectes  Coleopteres,  par  De  Laporte 
Comte  de  Castelneau  et  H.  Gory. — According  to  the  prospec- 
tus, the  above  work  was  to  consist  of  20  livraisons  ;  having 
just  received  the  27th  and  28th,  I  beg  leave  to  offer  to  your 
readers  some  observations  on  the  publication.  Livraison  27 
contains  twenty-three  figures  in  five  plates ; — livraison  28  on- 
ly thirteen.     The  anatomical  details  are  not  worthy  of  com- 


256  ICONOGRAPHIE  DES  COLEOPTERES. — FROG  IN  AMBER. 

parison  with  those  published  by  M.  Guerin,  and  there  are 
also  other  faults  requiring  notice.  A  monograph,  according 
to  my  views,  should  give  the  derivation  of  the  new  generic 
names  adopted  by  the  monographer ;  the  authors  have  omit- 
ted to  give  them.  Some  are  easy  enough  to  guess  at ;  others 
are  very  recondite  and  obscure,  and  require  some  explanation. 
Some  again  exhibit  a  sad  want  of  taste  and  euphony.  What 
is  the  signification  of  Temina,  and  the  meaning  of  the  absurd 
term  of  Nascio  t  Acherusia,  Asthrceus,  Bulls  and  Bubastes 
require  their  derivatives  to  be  mentioned.  It  is  high  time 
that  this  work  should  be  brought  to  a  close ;  if  not,  subscrib- 
ers will  probably  withdraw  their  names,  and  not  submit  to 
receive  a  fasciculus  in  which  only  thirteen  species  are  figured 
instead  of  at  least  thirty,  as  there  ought  to  be.  We  recom- 
mend the  attention  of  the  authors  to  the  latinity,  as  absolutely 
necessary.  The  typograpical  errors  are  numerous,  and  ought 
to  be  corrected.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  index  will  be  more 
perfect  than  that  of  the  Cetoniada  published  by  M.M.  Gory 
and  Percheron.  A  word  respecting  the  plates.  The  figures 
are  engraved  under  the  superintendence  of  Dumesnil,  and  cer- 
tainly do  him  credit ;  the  colours  are  too  vivid,  many  of  the 
species  are  more  like  peacocks  than  the  insect  originals ;  and 
the  quantity  of  gum  used  to  set  off  the  colouring  comes  off, 
and  damages  the  appearance  of  the  plates.  We  have  yet 
another  fault  to  find ;  the  Latin  descriptions  of  the  species 
are  too  concise,  and  the  French  descriptions  which  follow  are 
little  more  than  a  mere  copy  of  the  former ;  the  whole  are  so 
meagre  and  scanty  that  it  is  impossible  to  make  out  any  spe- 
cies with  certainty ;  the  characteristic  distinctions  are  gene- 
rally omitted.  So  much  for  the  Iconographie,  a  work  which 
has  only  one  recommendation,  namely,  Dusmesnil's  engrav- 
ings.— F.  W.  Hope. 

New  species  of  frog  in  yellow  amber. — Baron  Bulow-Rieth 
of  Stettin,  is  in  possession  of  a  very  curious  specimen  of  a 
frog,  imbedded  in  yellow  amber,  which  appears  to  be  the  on- 
ly known  instance  of  an  antediluvian  amphibian  being  hand- 
*  ed  down  to  our  time  with  its  external  characters.  That  this 
individual  has  not  been  imbedded  in  the  amber  by  artificial 
means,  appears  evident  from  its  differing  specifically  from  all 
living  frogs.  Mr.  Schmidt,  of  Stettin,  considers  it  to  belong 
to  the  true  Ranee  of  the  moderns,  and  that  it  is  nearly  allied 
to  Rana  temporaria,  Linn.,  which  it  resembles  in  the  colour 
of  the  .skin  and  markings  on  the  legs,  but  essentially  differs 
from  that  species  in  the  thinness  and  delicacy  of  the  toes, 
which  taper  almost  to  a  point. —  W.  Weissenborn. —  Weimar 


THE  MAGAZINE 


OF 


NATURAL  HISTORY. 


JUNE,  1839, 


Art.  I — Observations  on  the  History  and  Classification  of  the 
Marsupial  Quadrupeds  of  Neiv  Holland.  By  W.  Ogilby,  Esq. 
M.A.,  &c.  &c. 

(  Continued  from  page  1 37.) 

With  regard  to  the  history  and  nomenclature  of  the  mar- 
supials, it  must  be  recollected,  that,  at  the  period  when  Lin- 
naeus published  the  12th  edition  of  the  '  Systema  Naturae,' 
Captain  Cook  had  not  yet  commenced  that  brilliant  career  of 
discovery,  which  has  since  made  us  acquainted  with  the  most 
remote  parts  of  the  habitable  globe,  and  rendered  his  name 
as  illustrious  as  that  of  Columbus  himself.  The  Australian 
mammals  were  consequently  unknown  to  the  Swedish  natu- 
ralist, and  the  few  marsupial  quadrupeds  with  which  he  was 
acquainted,  admitted  of  an  easy  and  natural  classification,  in 
accordance  with  the  principles  of  the  system  which  he  adopt- 
ed. They  were  accordingly  formed  into  a  single  genus,  nam- 
ed Didelphis,  (from  the  nature  of  the  abdominal  pouch  with 
which  they  were  provided,  executing,  as  it  were,  the  func- 
tions of  a  second  uterus),  and  characterised  by  having  ten  in- 
cisor teeth  in  the  upper  and  eight  in  the  lower  jaw;  a  cha- 
racter the  more  appropriate  from  being  altogether  peculiar  to 
these  animals.  This  classification,  applied  as  it  was  to  the 
American  opossums,  with  which  alone  Linnaeus  was  acquaint- 
ed, is  altogether  unobjectionable,  and  has  been  adopted,  with- 
out alteration,  by  the  most  judicious  of  subsequent  zoologists ; 
but  after  the  discoveries  of  Cook  and  other  navigators  in  the 
Pacific,  and  above  all,  the  settlement  of  the  British  colony  on 
the  eastern  shores  of  New  Holland,  had  opened  to  investiga- 
tion the  Zoology  of  these  distant  regions,  the  dasyures,  kan- 
garoos, and  phalangers  of  the  east  were  unadvisedly  incorpo- 
rated in  the  same  genus  with  the  opossums  of  the  western 
Vol.  III.— No.  30.  n.  s.  2  e 


258      MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND. 

world,  from  the  single  consideration  of  the  abdominal  pouch, 
and  with  an  utter  disregard  of  all  other  organic  characters, 
however  prominent  or  influential.  Thus  were  the  natural 
harmony  of  the  genus,  and  the  logical  simplicity  and  preci- 
sion of  its  definition,  at  once  destroyed ;  nor  was  it  till  many 
years  afterwards,  that  the  confusion  thus  introduced,  was  fi- 
nally corrected.  Dr.  Shaw,  the  first  describer  of  most  of  the 
Australian  marsupials,  and  the  principal  author  of  all  this 
perplexity,  has,  at  the  same  time,  the  merit  of  having  first  led 
the  way  towards  its  subsequent  reform,  by  separating  the  kan- 
garoos and  flying  phalangers  from  the  true  didelphes  of  Lin- 
naeus, and  establishing  them,  in  separate  genera,  under  the 
denominations  of  Macropus  and  Petaurus,  by  which  names 
they  still  continue  to  be  designated.  This  division  was  pro- 
posed in  the  first  volume  of  the  c  Naturalist's  Miscellany,' 
published  in  the  year  1790,  but  attracted  little  notice  till  M. 
Geoffroy  St.  Hilaire  effected  a  more  complete  arrangement  of 
the  marsupials  in  the  'Magasin  Encyclopedique '  for  1796. 
In  that  monograph,  he  restored  the  genus  Didelphis  to  the 
original  simplicity  which  Linnaeus  himself  had  contemplated 
at  its  formation,  by  separating  from  it  all  the  Australian  spe- 
cies which  Gmelin  and  Shaw  had  incorporated  with  it ;  and, 
adopting  the  Macropus  of  Shaw,  arranged  the  remaining  spe- 
cies in  two  new  genera,  by  the  names  of  Phalangista  and  Da- 
syurus.  The  following  abstract  of  this  distribution,  will  ex- 
hibit more  clearly  the  principles  upon  which  it  was  founded. 

1.  Didelphis.    Teeth  'g0:  Jft  ^•,  tail  naked  and  prehensile ;  toesff;  hind 

feet  with  an  opposable  thumb. 

2.  Dasyurus.    Teeth  § :  jj :  Ifi;  tail  hairy  and  unprehensile ;  hind  thumb 

short ;  other  toes  separate. 

3.  Phalangista.    Teeth  § :  |§ :  || ;  tail  naked  and  prehensile ;  hind  thumb 

turned  backwards ;  index  and  middle  hind  toe  united. 

4.  Macropus.    Teeth  §  :  §§ :  || ;  tail  very  long,  hairy  and  unprehensile ;  no 

hind  thumb ;  index  and  middle  toe,  behind,  very  small  and  united, 

It  will  be  observed  that,  in  this  arrangement,  M.  Geoffroy 
suppresses  the  genus  Petaurus  formerly  proposed  by  Shaw, 
incorporating  the  animals  thus  designated  with  the  phalan- 
gers ;  though  in  so  doing  he  has  unwittingly  stumbled  upon 
the  identical  fault  which  his  whole  labour  was  designed  to 
correct ;  introducing  into  his  new  genus  the  very  confusion 
complained  of  in  the  original  distribution  of  Shaw  and  Gme- 
lin, and  rendering  his  definition  of  the  phalangers  totally  in- 
applicable to  the  majority  of  the  species ;  for  the  petaurists 
differ  from  the  phalangers  as  well  by  the  unprehensile  nature 
of  the  tail,  as  by  the  possession  of  lateral  membranes.  The 
only  natural  genus,  therefore,  which  M.  Geoffroy  definitely 


MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND.  259 

formed  at  this  period,  was  that  which  still  continues  to  bear 
the  name  of  Dasyurus,  by  which  it  was  then  distinguished ; 
though  he  has  undoubtedly  the  farther  merit  of  having  at 
least  indicated  the  affinities  of  the  phalangers,  and  the  neces- 
sity of  their  generic  separation. 

Such  was  the  state  in  which  this  department  of  Zoology 
continued  till  the  return  of  Baudin's  expedition  in  1804 ; 
when,  to  use  M.  Geoffroy's  own  words,  the  rich  materials  col- 
lected by  the  accompanying  naturalists,  Peron  and  Lesueur, 
added  to  the  marsupial  animals  already  known  on  the  conti- 
nent, new  systems  of  organic  modifications,  and  types  of  new 
genera.  From  these  data  the  French  naturalist  was  enabled 
to  establish  the  genera  Perameles  and  Phascolomys ;  though 
it  must  be  observed  that  the  animals  so  denominated,  as  well 
as  the  dasyures  and  phalangers  before  mentioned,  had  been 
long  previously  described  in  the  works  of  Shaw,  Bewick,  and 
other  British  zoologists.  Monographs  of  these,  and  of  some 
of  the  former  genera,  were  afterwards  published  in  successive 
volumes  of  the  'Annales  du  Museum  d'  Histoire  Naturelle; ' 
where  their  characters,  according  to  M.  Geoflroy's  view  of  the 
subject,  were  finally  settled,  and  their  different  species  accu- 
rately described.  From  this  period  nothing  farther  was  at- 
tempted in  the  Zoology  of  the  marsupials,  till  the  appearance 
of  Illiger' s  '  Prodromus  Systematis  Mammalium  et  Avium,'  in 
1811.  Three  important  separations  were  effected  in  this  va- 
luable work :  the  Cheironectes  were  distinguished  from  the 
JDidelphes,  the  Petaurisis  from  the  Phalangers,  and  the  Hyp- 
siprymni  from  the  Kangaroos.  In  adverting  to  this  subject, 
M.  Geoffroy  criticises, *  with  considerable  warmth  and  asper- 
ity of  language,  the  presumption  of  Illiger  in  interfering  with 
the  divisions  which  he  had  formerly  established ;  and  casts 
an  unmerited  reflection  on  the  memory  of  the  German  natu- 
ralist, as  having  been  more  conversant  with  the  details  of 
classical  philology,  than  with  the  organic  structure  and  affi- 
nities of  the  animal  kingdom.  Nevertheless,  the  labours  of 
Illiger  must  be  regarded,  by  every  impartial  judge,  as  the 
completion  of  the  work  which  M.  Geoffroy  had  himself  com- 
menced, and  as  presenting  the  first  really  natural  and  unex- 
ceptionable generic  distribution  of  marsupial  animals.  As 
such  it  was  adopted  by  Baron  Cuvier,  in  the  'Regne  Animal,' 
and  its  merits  have  since  been  tacitly  acknowledged  by  all 
subsequent  writers,  not  even  excepting  M.  Geoffroy  himself. 
M.  De  Blainville  added,  in  1814,  the  new  genus  Phascolarc- 
tos,  and  M.  Temminck,  on  the  appearance  of  his  '  Monogra- 

»  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat,,  Art. '  Marsupiaux. ' 


260  MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND. 

phies  de  Mammalogie'  in  1824,  completed  the  natural  distri- 
bution of  marsupial  quadrupeds,  by  separating  the  genera 
Thylacinus  and  Phascogale  from  the  Dasyuri,  with  which  M. 
Geoffroy  had  associated  them. 

As  at  present  constituted,  therefore,  the  marsupial  animals, 
excluding  the  Monotremata  of  Geoffroy  and  Cuvier,  are  ar- 
ranged in  the  following  twelve  natural  genera,  thus  shortly 
characterised. 1 

1.  Didelphis,  Lin.  Teeth  \p:  ft:  T^\  tail  naked  and  prehensile;  hind  feet 

with  a  clawless  opposable  thumb. 

2.  Cheironectes,  111.     Teeth  'F0:  ft:  1ft  \  tail  naked  and  unprehensile  ?  hind 

feet  palmated  and  with  unopposable  thumbs  ? 

3.  Phascogale.    Teeth  §:  ft:  ^;  the  two  middle  incisors  above  much  long- 

er than  the  lateral ;  the  molars  armed  with  sharp  tubercles;  tail  un- 
prehensile ;  toes  separate  and  slender ;  the  hind  thumb  tuberculous 
and  without  a  claw. 

4.  Dasyurus,  Geoff.    Teeth |:  ft:  §§;  tail  unprehensile ;  feet  digitigrade, 

with  separate  prehensile  toes,  and  a  rudimentary  tubercle  in  place 
of  the  posterior  thumb,  in  some  species. 

5.  Thylacinus,  Temm.     Teeth  § :     ft :     lft\  tail  unprehensile  ;  feet  digi- 

tigrade, five  toes  on  the  fore  and  four  on  the  hind. 

6.  Perameles,  Geoff.    Teeth  ^  or  'g0 :    ft :     "3ft  or  |§ ;  two  interior  toes  next 

the  thumb  of  hind  feet  united. 

7.  Phalangista,  111.     Teeth  § :     g§ :     gg ;  tail  prehensile ;  hind  thumb  op- 

posable, and  two  next  toes  united. 

8.  Petaurus,  Shaw.     Teeth  | :    gg :    $;  tail  unprehensile ;  lateral  mem- 

branes ;  feet  like  those  of  Phalangista. 

9.  Hypsiprymnus,  111.     Teeth  § :    $:    §§ ;  hind  feet  much  longer  than 

fore,  and  with  the  two  interior  toes  united. 

10.  Macropus,  Shaw.     Teeth  |:     gg:     ff ;  feet  as  in  Hypsiprymnus. 

11.  Phascolarctos,  De  Blainv.     Teeth  § :     $:    f§;  the  toes  before  separat- 

ed into  two  opposable  groups,  the  two  interior  on  one  side,  and  the 
three  exterior  on  the  other ;  hind  thumb  opposable,  and  two  next 
toes  united. 

12.  Phascolomys,  Geoff.     Teeth  § :    gg :     f| ;  hind  thumb  very  short,  and 

without  a  claw,  next  three  toes  united. 

It  will  be  observed  that,  from  this  enumeration  of  the 
genera  of  marsupials,  which  are  here  arranged  and  defined 
according  to  the  prevailing  ideas  upon  the  subject,  I  have 
excluded  the  Halmaturi  and  some  other  proposed  divisions 
of  M.  F.  Cuvier,  the  Isoodon  of  M.  Is.  Geoffroy  St.  Hilaire, 
and  the  Acrobata  of  M.  Desmarest,  as  not  being  founded 
upon  organic  modifications  sufficiently  influential  to  entitle 
them  to  the  rank  of  generic  groups.     With  these  exceptions, 

1  Since  the  autumn  of  1831 ,  when  this  paper  was  written,  two  new  gene- 
ra of  Marsupials  have  been  added  to  those  here  enumerated ;  Myrmecobius 
by  Mr.  Waterhouse,  and  Chceropus  by  myself.  The  former  is  described  in 
the  Transactions,  and  the  latter  in  the  Proceedings,  of  the  Zoological  So- 
ciety.—W.  0.    April,  1839. 


MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND.  261 

however,  I  consider  the  generic  distribution  of  marsupial  ani- 
mals as  approaching  more  nearly  to  a  perfect  and  natural 
division,  than  that  of  almost  any  other  order  of  mammals,  as 
at  present  constituted.  Indeed  I  know  of  none  against  which 
fewer  reasonable  or  valid  objections  can  be  urged,  upon  this 
head;  but  whilst  I  concede  this  just  praise  to  the  generic 
distribution  of  the  marsupials,  I  am  bound,  at  the  same  time, 
to  acknowledge,  that  I  know  of  no  other  order  of  which  the 
families,  or  intermediate  groups,  are  at  once  so  arbitrary,  so 
illogical,  and  so  entirely  inconsistent  both  with  the  structure 
and  economy  of  the  animals.  Yet  this  higher  step  in  gene- 
ralization is  a  most  important  link  in  that  chain  of  affinities 
which  constitutes  a  good  classification ;  since  upon  it  depend 
not  only  the  scientific  character  of  the  system,  but  even  its 
practical  value,  so  far  as  relates  to  the  knowledge  of  the  su- 
perior group,  and  the  nature  of  its  composition ;  and  it  be- 
comes, therefore,  a  matter  of  some  consequence,  to  point  out 
the  errors  of  the  present  division,  and  to  endeavour,  if  possi- 
ble, to  substitute  one  less  objectionable  to  logical  criticism, 
and  more  conformable  to  the  natural  affinities  of  the  animals. 
Baron  Cuvier,  and  after  him  M.  Desmarest,  divide  the  order 
Marsvpialia  into  six  families ;  to  which,  however,  they  have 
given  no  distinctive  names ;  probably  because  the  illustrious 
naturalist  first  named,  considered  the  primary  group,  at  the 
period  of  publishing  the  first  edition  of  his  '  Regne  Animal,' 
only  as  a  subordinate  family  of  his  order  Carnivora ;  and  it 
is  well  known  that  he  was  not  in  the  bad  habit,  which  has 
since  become  so  prevalent  among  a  very  inferior  class  of  imi- 
tators, of  burdening  the  memory  by  assigning  useless  and 
high-sounding  appellations  to  the  mere  subdivisions  of  fami- 
lies and  genera.  M.  Desmarest,  who  scrupulously  follows  the 
footsteps  of  Baron  Cuvier  in  every  department  of  Mammalo- 
gy, has  not  departed  from  his  guide  in  the  present  instance ; 
nor  does  the  second  edition  of  the  '  Regne  Animal '  make  any 
change  in  this  respect,  though  the  primary  group  is  there  ele- 
vated to  the  rank  of  an  order,  and  the  subordinate  divisions 
consequently  assume  the  station  of  families  ;  groups  which  it 
was  M.  Cuvier' s  invariable  practice  to  distinguish  by  appro- 
priate names.  This,  however,  had  been  done  some  years  pre- 
viously by  the  late  M.  Latreille,  who,  in  his  '  Families  Natu- 
relles,'  published  in  the  year  1825,  had  moreover  introduced 
some  modifications  into  the  divisions  of  Baron  Cuvier,  which 
have  but  tended  to  make  it  still  more  confused  and  unnatural 
than  it  was  before ;  and  only  show  how  imperfectly  this  emi- 
nent entomologist  was  acquainted  with  the  habits  and  structure 

2e3 


262 


MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND. 


of  marsupial  quadrupeds.     Such  as  they  are,  his  alterations 
in  both  respects  have  been  adopted  by  M.  Lesson. 

But  to  obtain  a  clear  insight  into  the  merits  and  defects  of 
these  arrangements,  I  shall  set  them  forth  in  the  order  and 
with  the  definitions  of  their  respective  authors.  That  of  M. 
Cuvier  is  as  follows.— 


"I.  Division.  Long  canines  and  small  in. 
cisors  in  both  jaws;  the  back  molars 
with  pointed  tubercles ;  and  in  general 
teeth  having  all  the  characters  of  in- 
sectivorous mammals 


MARIS  UPI ALIA  J 


fDidelphis. 

Cheironectes. 

Thylacinus. 

Phascogale. 

Dasyurus. 
KPerameles. 


Phalangista. 


Petaurus. 


Hypsiprymnus 


II.  Division.  Six  incisors  above,  and 
only  two  below ;  superior  canines  long 
and  pointed;  inferior  small,  sometimes 
entirely  wanting ;  hind  thumbs  oppo-" 
sable  and  without  claws ;  two  follow- 
ing toes  united ;  a  large  ccecum 

III.  Division.  Incisors,  upper  canines, 
and  two  hind  toes  united  as  in  2nd  Di- 
vision, but  without  opposable  thumbs 
or  inferior  canines ( 

IV.  Division.     Differs  from  the  last  on- J  ^ 
ly  in  having  no  canines  whatever {  " 

V.  Division.     Two  long  incisors  below ;  ( 
two  long  ones  in  the  middle,  and  a  few  j  Phascolarctos. 
rather  smaller  on  each  side,  above.    ...  ( 

^VI.  Division.    Purely  rodent  teeth Phaseolomys. 

The  arrangement  of  M.  Latreille  is  but  little  different  in 
reality,  except  that  it  does  far  more  violence  to  the  natural 
affinities  of  the  animals  than  even  that  of  M.  Cuvier;  but 
whilst  it  is  thus  inferior,  in  a  philosophical  point  of  view,  it 
has  certainly  the  merit  of  greater  logical  precision,  being 
founded  upon  a  simple  and  uniform  principle,  which  the  other 
is  not :  it  is  therefore  greatly  superior  as  an  artificial  method. 


I.    ENTOMOPHAGA; 

Two  canines  and  numerous  small- 
incisors  in  both  jaws. 


f  Didelphis. 
Cheironectes 


(Dasyurus 
Thylacinus 
Phascogale 
^Perameles 

II.  Carpophaga.         ( A  .  .       (Phalangista 
Six  incisors  above;    4suPenorcanmes|pAa,coLe^ 

no  inferior  canines  (2  superior  canines  Hypsiprymnus 

III.  Phyllophaga.     (kfMAi*miwi.«%'n*h   (Petaurus 
No  canines  in  either   6  mcisors  above  \Macropus 

jaw.  (2  incisors  above     Phaseolomys 

If  simplicity,  comprehensiveness,  and  something  at  least 
approaching  to  equality  of  distribution,  be  the  logical  ele- 


MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND.      263 

ments  of  a  good  system,  and  no  system  destitute  of  these  qua- 
lities can  be  either  true  to  nature  or  useful  in  its  application 
to  practical  purposes,  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  an  arrange- 
ment more  deficient  in  these  essential  characters  than  that 
of  M.  Cuvier.  It  is  in  vain  that  we  here  search  for  any 
systematic  or  leading  idea  of  classification;  there  is  no 
principle  of  method :  and  the  author's  only  rule  appears 
to  have  been  some  arbitrary  and  undefined  notions  of  rela- 
tions, which  he  himself  has  not  been  able  to  clothe  in  lan- 
guage. Nor  is  this  the  only  logical  objection,  however  fatal 
to  its  pretences  as  a  method.  Not  only  is  half  the  number 
of  genera  which  belong  to  the  order,  comprised  in  the 
first  division  alone,  but  no  fewer  than  four  but  of  the  six  di- 
visions of  M.  Cuvier  contain  only  a  single  genus  each,  whilst 
there  are  no  less  than  six  families  to  twelve  genera ;  circum- 
stances which  betray  either  an  unpardonably  faulty  classifi- 
cation, or  an  extremely  defective  knowledge  of  the  constitu- 
ent members  of  the  group.  The  latter  excuse,  however,  is 
by  no  means  admissible ;  the  generic  forms  of  the  marsupials 
were  perfectly  well  known  to  Baron  Cuvier,  who  has  denned 
and  characterised  them  with  his  accustomed  accuracy  and 
elegance ;  and  the  real  defects  of  his  arrangement  will  be 
found  to  arise  from  a  slavish  adherence  to  the  modifications 
of  the  dentition,  and  even  to  the  least  influential  and  impor- 
tant parts  of  it;  viz.  the  mere  number  of  the  incisors,  and  the 
comparative  size  and  number  of  the  false  molars  and  rudimen- 
tary canines ;  for  it  is  often  difficult  among  the  marsupials  to 
determine  to  which  of  these  orders  a  particular  tooth  belongs. 
This  is  the  only  thing  like  a  uniform  principle  that  I  can  dis- 
cover ;  but  it  is  so  awkwardly  mixed  up  with  other  extrane- 
ous characters,  as  to  deprive  the  arrangement  of  simplicity 
and  precision.  The  first  division,  for  instance,  unites  all  the 
marsupials  which  have  more  than  six  incisors  in  the  upper, 
and  more  than  two  in  the  lower  jaw,  without  regard  to  any 
other  quality,  however  prominent  or  influential.  Hence  we 
find  the  arborial  didelphs,  the  aquatic  yapocks,  the  digitigrade 
thylacines,  the  saltigrade  perameles,  the  carnivorous  dasyures, 
the  insectivorous  phascogales,  and  the  fhigivorous  opossums, 
some  with  large  caeca,  some  with  small  caeca,  and  some  with- 
out any  caeca  whatever,  *  all  jumbled  together  without  distinc- 
tion ;  and  separated  from  genera  to  which  they  are  most  in- 
timately related  by  the  more  influential  details  of  their-  struc- 
ture, habits  and  appetites,  merely  because  they  happen  to 
agree  in  the  very  uninfluential  character  derived  from  the 

1  On  the  faith  of  Dr.  Giant.     April,  1839. 


2()4  MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND. 

number  of  the  incisors.  The  second  and  fifth  divisions  of  M. 
Cuvier's  arrangement  differ  only  by  the  presence  or  absence 
of  a  small  canine,  frequently  a  mere  rudiment,  and  totally  de- 
void of  any  assignable  influence ;  the  same  remark  applies  to 
the  third  and  fourth  divisions,  the  separation  of  which  is  real- 
ly no  more,  as  far  as  the  natural  and  logical  principles  of 
classification  are  concerned,  than  a  distinction  without  a  dif- 
ference ;  nor  is  there  any  valid  reason  for  separating  the  opos- 
sums from  the  other  Pedimana,  or  the  Perameles  from  the 
kindred  saltigrade  genera. 

The  radical  defect  of  this  system,  in  a  scientific  or  zoologi- 
cal point  of  view,  and  it  is  an  error  which  systematists  con- 
stantly fall  into,  arises  from  attaching  an  undue  value  to  slight 
modifications  of  dentition,  without  attending  to  the  more  im- 
portant modifications  of  other  organs  not  less  influential ;  and 
often  without  even  regarding  the  relations  which  necessarily 
subsist  between  organic  modifications  and  the  habits  and  eco- 
nomy of  animal  life.  It  is  less  troublesome,  and  perhaps  more 
gratifying  to  the  vanity  of  our  intellectual  powers,  to  infer 
the  habits  and  appetites  of  animals  from  their  structure,  than 
to  undertake  the  painful  and  laborious  drudgery  of  observing 
them  ourselves,  or  searching  for  them  among  the  voluminous 
writings  of  foreign  travellers  and  historians ;  yet  this  latter 
process,  however  tedious  and  difficult,  is  the  only  mode  of 
investigation  which  deserves  the  name,  or  accords  with  the 
principles  of  inductive  philosophy,  or  by  which  Zoology  can 
eventually  pretend  to  a  really  scientific  character :  the  other, 
or  a  priori  process,  is  but  the  spurious  and  vainglorious  phi- 
losophy of  the  schools,  which,  ever  since  the  days  of  Bacon, 
has  been  banished  from  every  department  of  science  except 
Natural  History.  He  entertains  a  very  erroneous  idea  of  the 
science,  who  fancies  himself  a  zoologist,  because  perchance 
he  may  be  acquainted  with  the  outward  forms  of  animals,  and 
able  to  refer  any  given  specimen  to  its  proper  genus  and  spe- 
cies ;  he  is  not  less  mistaken  who  conceives  himself  to  be  a 
philosopher,  because  he  has  studied  their  internal  structure, 
and  the  modifications  of  their  different  organic  systems ;  these, 
no  doubt,  are  most  important  facts,  but  they  are  only  facts ; 
they  are,  in  conjunction  with  the  observed  habits  and  econo- 
my of  animals,  the  phenomena  or  raw  material  with  which 
the  scientific  zoologist  has  to  work ;  and  the  relations  which 
subsist  between  the  observed  phenomena  of  structure  and 
economy,  is  the  only  true  and  genuine  philosophy  of  Zoology; 
which,  like  all  philosophy,  is  the  knowledge,  not  of  simple 
facts,  but  of  abstract  relations.  It  is  only  when  a  distinct, 
palpable,  and  necessary  relation  subsists  between  structure 


ON  THE  CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA.  265 

and  habit,  that  we  are  justified  in  deducing  or  inferring  the 
one  from  the  other.  This  is  legitimate  induction,  but  it  has 
been  pushed  far  beyond  its  legitimate  limits  in  the  hands  of 
some  anatomists  and  zoologists. 

(To  be  continued.) 


Art.  II. — On  the  Classifications  of  the  Amphibia.  By  John  Hogg, 
Esq.,  M.A.,  F.L.S.,  C.P.S.,  &C.1 

In  my  short  paper  "  On  the  Snake-like  Proteus,""  contained  in 
the  first  volume  of  the  new  series  of  the  '  Magazine  of  Natu- 
ral History,'  I  assumed  the  permanency  of  the  gills, — from  a 
long  acquaintance  with  that  remarkable  fact, — as  the  princi- 
ple upon  which  the  Proteus  ought  to  be  characterised,  not 
only  in  conformity  with  its  natural  organization,  but  likewise 
in  respect  to  its  position  in  the  animal  kingdom,  as  so  nearly 
approximating  to  some  kinds  of  fishes. 

Whilst  examining  Mr.  Jenyns's  excellent  '  Manual  of  Bri- 
tish Vertebrate  Animals/  I  found,  at  p.  299,  that  he  arranged 
our  native  species  in  the  class  Amphibia,  and  in  an  order 
termed  "  Caducibranchia,"  from  the  gills  being  "deciduous ;" 
it  very  naturally  occurred  to  me  to  form  for  the  Proteus  ano- 
ther order,  which  I  named  Manentibranchia,  signifying  the 
gills  remaining  permanent ;  and  this  I  decided  on,  without 
investigating  under  what  orders  or  groups  zoologists  (with 
the  exception  of  Linnaeus  and  Cuvier)  had  distributed  the 
genera  of  amphibious  animals. 

Having  lately  had  an  opportunity  of  paying  some  attention 
to  this  class  of  animals,  I  shall  venture,  after  giving  an  out- 
line of  the  different  arrangements  that  have  been  adopted  by 
several  of  the  modern  naturalists,  to  add  one — partly  indeed 
derived  from  that  of  Latreille — which  I  hope,  notwithstand- 
ing our  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  rarer  American  kinds,  may 
not  altogether  be  disregarded  by  those  zoologists  who  are 
more  conversant  in  the  highly  interesting  subject  of  Amphi- 
biology. 

To  begin  with  Linnaeus.  He  arranged  such  of  these  ani- 
mals (except  the  genus  Ccccilia)  as  were  then  known,  in  his 
last  (the  12th)  edition  of  the '  Systema  IS  aturae,'  1766,  under  the 
first  order,  Reptiles,  of  the  third  class, — Amphibia;  and  which 
were  all  comprised  in  only  two  genera, — Rana  and  Lacerta. 

Lauren ti,  about  the  same  time  (1768),  publishing  his  '  Sy- 

1  Communicated  by  the  Author.  Read  at  the  Linnean  Society,  Feb.  6, 1838. 


266  CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA. 

nopsis  Reptilium,' — a  work  which  then  contained  more  ac- 
curate and  further  information  of  these  animals,  than  any 
other  that  had  appeared,  and  is  still  accounted  one  of  author- 
ity and  reference, — divided  his  seven  genera  into  two  orders, 
viz.,  those  reptiles  which  leap  in  their  progressive  motion, 
and  those  which  walk ;  as  follow.— 

Classis.— REPTILIUM. 

Ordo  I. — Salientia.     Genera. — Pipa.    Bufo.    Rana.    Hyla. 

Ordo  II. — Gradientia.     Genera. — Proteus.     Triton.     Salamandra. 

The  Count  de  La  Cepede,  in  the  i  Hist.  Nat.  des  Quad. 
Ovip.'  tome  i.,  which  was  given  to  science  in  1788,  naming 
them  Oviparous  Quadrupeds,  classed  his  four  genera  just  as 
simply,  by  taking  for  his  characters  the  presence  and  absence 
of  a  tail ;  thus. — 

Classis  I. — Quadrapedes  ovipari  caudati. 

Gen.  II.  Lacertus.     Div.  8.  Salamandra. 

Classis  II. — Quadrapedes  ovipari  ecaudati. 

Genera. — Rana.    Hyla.    Bufo. 

Dumeril,  (Zoologie  Analytique,  1806),  as  Daudin  had  be- 
fore done  in  his  beautiful  work, — c  Hist.  Nat.  des  Reptiles,' 
1802, — followed  Brongniart,  (see  his  Essai  dans  le  '  Bulletin 
de  la  Societe  Philomatique,'  No.  36),  who  in  1799  first  di- 
vided the  class  Reptilia  into  four  orders,  and  in  the  last  of 
which  he  placed  these  animals.  Dumeril  distinguished  them, 
after  La  Cepede,  by  the  want  and  presence  of  a  tail,  and 
merely  assigned  them  new  Greek,  instead  of  the  old  Latin, 
titles.  His  genera  are  the  same  as  Laurenti's,  with  the  addi- 
tion of  Siren ;  as  are  here  seen. 

Classe  III.— REPTILES. 

Ordre4.  Batraciens. 

Ire  Famille.    Anoures.     Sans  queue. 

Genres. — Pipa.     Crapaud.     Grenouille.    Rainette. 

2de  Famille.     Urodeles.     Avee  une  queue. 
Genres. — Triton.     Salamandre.     Protee.    Sirene. 

The  same  system  is  adopted  again,  but  with  a  new  family, 
by  Oppel  in  his  *  Reptilien,'  1811 ;  as  follows. 

Classis  III.— REPTILIA. 

Ordo  III.  Nuda,  (Klein).        Ordo  IV.  Batracii,  (Brongniart). 

1.  Familia. — Apoda.        Genus.  Cacilia. 


CLASSIFICATIONS  OF   THE  AMPHIBIA.  267 

2.  Familia.— ^-Caudata,  (Dumeril). 
Genera. — Triton.     Salamandra.     Proteus.     Siren. 

3.  Familia. — Ecaudata,  (Dumeril). 
Genera. — Hyla.    Rana.    Pipa.    Bufo. 

Merrem  published  his  '  Tentamen  Systematis  Amphibio- 
rum'  in  the  year  1820,  wherein  he  gave  a  more  extended  ar- 
rangement ;  retaining  Laurenti's  two  orders,  taken  from  the 
modes  of  progression  of  the  feet,  he  added  Oppel's  order, — 
"Apoda"  without  feet,— and  two  new  tribes;  in  which  lat- 
ter he  designated  those  animals  that  undergo  a  transforma- 
tion, and  those  that  do  not  But  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that 
he  restricts  the  first  tribe,  Mutabilia,  to  only  Salamandra 
and  Molge ;  whereas  he  ought  likewise  to  have  included  in 
that  tribe  all  (equally  undergoing  metamorphoses  in  their 
young  state)  the  genera  of  his  second  order,  and  to  have  pla- 
ced his  Tribus  I. — Mutabilia,  after  "  Or  do  II. — Salientia" 
and  before  the  " Genera"  which  would  have  rendered  his 
classification  more  perfect.     The  original  is  this. — 

AMPHIBIA. 

Classis  II.— BATRACHIA. 

Ordo  I. — Apoda.         Genus. — Ccecilia. 

Ordo  II. — Salientia. 
Genera. — Calamita.    Rana.    Breviceps.    Bombinator.     Pipa.    Bufo. 

Ordo  III. — Gradientia. 

Tribus  1.  Mutabilia;  i.  e.  Metamorphosin  subeunt. 

Genera. — Salamandra.     Molge. 

Tribus  2.  Amphipneusta.     Metamorphosis  nulla. 

G  enera. — Pro  tens .      Siren. 

Latreille,  five  years  afterwards,  introduced  to  the  world  a 
still  better  system,  (vide  '  Families  Naturelles  du  Regne  Ani- 
mal,' 1825,  p.  104),  in  which  he  judiciously  founded  his  two 
natural  orders  upon  the  branchia  being  deciduous  in  some 
species,  and  perennial  in  others,  though  in  two  families  he 
has  followed  Dumeril ;  thus. — 

Seconde  Classe. — AMPHIBIES.    Amphibia. 

Premier  Ordre. — Caducibranches.     Caducibranchia. 

Ire.  Famille. — Anoures.  Anoura,  (Dumeril). 

Les  Genres. — Pipa.     Crapaud.     Grenouille.    Rainette. 

2nd  Famille. — Urodeles.     Urodela,  (Dumeril). 

Les  Genres.— Salamandre.  Triton.  Axolotl. 


268  CLASSIFICATIONS   OF  THE  AMPHIBIA. 

Second  Ordre. — Perennibranches.     Perennibranchia. 

Ire  Famille. — Ichtyo'ides.     Ichthyoida. 

Les  Genres. — Protee.    Sirene. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Latreille  places  the  Axoloil  (Siredon 
pisciformis)  amongst  the  caducibranchious  Amphibia,  but  it 
had  been  previously  discovered  that  its  branchice  are  persist- 
ent ;  the  details  of  which  may  be  learnt  from  a  paper  by  Sir 
Everard  Home,  published  in  the  '  Philosophical  Transactions' 
for  the  year  1824,  p.  419.  One  of  the  accompanying  plates 
accurately  represents  the  external  gills  as  still  remaining 
on  a  female  Axolotl  when  in  the  state  of  possessing  fully  de- 
veloped ova  ria,  and  just  before  the  ova  are  shed;1  thereby 
proving  her  to  be  a  perfect  animal.  Consequently  Latreille 
should  have  stationed  the  Axolotl  next  to  the  Proteus  in  his 
second  order. 

The  Baron  Cuvier,  in  both  editions  of  the  i  Regne  Animal ' 
(1817  and  1829),  has  merely  followed  Brongniart  in  consi- 
dering the  animals  now  under  our  notice,  as  forming  a  part  of 
the  third  order,  and  the  whole  of  the  fourth  order,  of  Reptiles, 
being  his  third  class  of  Vertebrata. 

Dr.  Wagler,  in  his  work  entitled  '  Natiirliches  System  der 
Amphibien,'  1830,  calls  the  class,  (after  Linnaeus)  Amphibia, 
in  which  he  separates  the  different  animals,  under  the  names 
of  Testudines,  Crocodili,  Lacertae,  Serpentes,  Angues,  making 
them  his  first  five  orders  respectively ;  and  then  follow  his 

Ordo  VI. — C&cilijE. 

Familia  1.  Hedrceoglossce.     Genus.  Cacilia. 

Ordo  VII.— Ranje. 

Familia  1.  Aglossce.     Genus.  Asterodactylus,  (Pipa). 

Familia  2.  Phaneroglossce. 

Div.  1 .  Cauda  nulla. 

Genera. — Dactyleihra.     Rana.    Hyla.     Ceratophrys.    Breviceps.    Bombi- 
nator.     Bufo.     Otilopha.     Rhinella. 

Div.  2.  Cauda  distincta. 

Genera. — Salamandra.     Triton. 


1  For  a  similar  anatomical  plate  exhibiting  the  ovaria  and  ova  of  a  female 
Proteus  anguinus,  together  with  its  description,  see  '  Articolo  sopra  un  Pro- 
teo  femmina,  con  tavolo  di  Rusconi,'  1828.  We  must  hope  that  some  able 
American  zootomist  will  ere  long  dissect  a  mature  and  oviferous  female,  of 
every  one  of  the  remaining  Diplopneumenous  species,  and  make  the  like  il- 
lustrations, with  accurate  engravings,  in  order  to  determine,  after  this  most 
satisfactory  manner,  the  exact  form  and  structure  of  each  animal,  in  its 
perfect  state . 


CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA.  269 

Ordo  VIII. — Ichthyodi. 

Familia  1.  Hedrceoglossi. 

Tribus  1 .  Branchiis  nullis. 

Genera. — Menopoma.    Amphiuma. 

Tribus  2.  Branchiis  distinctis. 

Genera. — Siredon.     Proteus.    Menobranchus.     Siren. 

Some  of  the  genera  above  given  are  not  those  of  Wagler, 
but  they  are  here  introduced  to  avoid  an  unnecessary  increase 
of  synonymes.  The  families  are  characterised  by  the  tongue; 
and  the  other  characters  are,  the  absence  and  presence  of  a 
tail,  and  of  gills.  The  name  of  the  last  order  is  taken  from 
.  Latreille. 

In  his  '  Synopsis  of  the  Species  of  the  Class  Reptilia?  ap- 
pended to  the  9th  vol.  of  Cuvier's  '  Animal  Kingdom,'  trans- 
lated by  E.  Griffith,  1831,  Mr.  Gray  has  adopted  Merrem's 
two  tribes,  under  which  he  has  arranged  the  following  genera. 

AMPHIBIA. 

Section  I.  Mutabilia. — Undergoing  a  transformation.  Gills  deciduous, 
covered  with  a  deciduous  operculum. 

Genera. — Rana.  Ceratophrys.  Hyla.  Bufo.  Rhinella.  Otilopha. 
Dactylethra.  Bombinator.  Breviceps.  Pipa.  Salamandrina.  Salaman- 
dra.    Molge. 

Section  II.  Amphipneusta. — Not  undergoing  transformation. 

Genera. — Proteus.  Menobranchus.  Siredon.  Siren.  Pseudobranchus. 
Menopoma.    Amphiuma.     Ccecilia. 

With  regard  to  the  next  classification,  Professor  Bell  ob- 
serves,— "  it  appears  to  me  that  no  one  arrangement  hitherto 
given  sufficiently  distinguishes  the  different  forms;  and  I  ven- 
ture to  propose  the  following  modifications,  as  more  consist- 
ent with  the  diversities  of  structure  in  the  different  groups." 

Class.— AMPHIBIA. 

Order  1.  Amphipneusta.  Genera. — Proteus.  Siredon.  Menobran- 
chus     Siren.     Pseudobranchus. 

Order  2.  Anoura.  Genera. — Rana.  Hyla.  Ceratophrys.  Bufo.  Rhi- 
nella.    Otilopha.     Dactylethra.     Bombinator.     Breviceps. 

Order  3.  Urodela.     Genera. — Salamandrina.     Salamandra.    Molge. 

Order  4.  Abranchia.     Genera. — Menopoma.     Amphiuma. 

Order  5.  Apoda.     Genus. — Ccecilia. 

This  arrangement  comprehending,  1st,  the  manner  of 
breathing ;  2ndly,  the  absence  of  a  tail  in  the  adults  ;  3rdly, 
the  presence  of  a  long  tail ;  4thly,  the  ivant  of  gills ;  and 


270  CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA. 

5thly,  the  want  of  feet ; — as  the  five  different  characters 
whereby  the  five  several  orders  are  classed,  strikes  me  as  be- 
ing too  varied,  and  too  much  departing  from  simplicity  and 
uniformity ;  which,  in  my  opinion  at  least,  are  so  essential  in 
every  classification,  and  in  which  indeed  consist  the  real  abi- 
lity and  clearness  of  the  methods  of  arrangement,  so  manifest 
in  the  Linnean  g  Sy sterna  Naturae.' 

Although  I  may  thus  differ  from  my  friend  Prof.  Bell  in 
his  view  of  the  above  classification,  yet  I  must  be  allowed  to 
call  the  attention  of  my  readers  to  his  able  essay  on  the  Am- 
phibia, in  which  are  given  instructive  and  perspicuous  de- 
scriptions, not  only  of  the  anatomical,  but  also  of  the  physio- 
logical structure  and  organization,  of  this  class  of  animals. — 
The  essay  is  illustrated  with  many  good  woodcuts,  and  is 
contained  in  Todd's  *  Cyclopaedia/  Part  I,  p.  90,  &c,  pub- 
lished in  June,  1835. 

The  last  arrangement  which  I  have  met  with,  is  that  intro- 
duced by  Mr.  Kirby,  in  his  Bridgewater  Treatise,  (vol.  ii.  p. 
415),  as  here  shown. 

REPTILES. 

Sub-class  I.  Soft-coated.     (Reptilia  Malacoderma). 

Order  1.  Amphibians.     Siren.    Proteus.    Axolotl,     &c. 

Order  2.  Batrachians.     Amphiuma.    Triton.    Salamander.    Toad. 
Frog.     &c. 

Next,  if  one  person  should  be  desirous  of  classifying  the 
Amphibia,  as  the  Count  de  La  Cepede,  M.M.  Dumeril,  Op- 
pel,  and  others  have  done,  by  making  the  tail,  or  the  absence 
of  one,  the  characters  of  the  adult  animals,  for  his  two  divi- 
sions or  orders ;  the  modern  genera  would  then  be  distributed 
in  this  manner. — 

Order  I. — Urophora.  Tail  present. 

Genera. — Ccscilia.  Salamandra.  Salamandrina.  Molge.  Triton.  Me- 
nopoma.  Amphiuma.  Siren.  Parvibranchus.1  Proteus.  Menobranchus. 
Siredon. 

Order  II. — Andra.     Tail  wanting. 

Genera. — Rana.  Ceratophrys.  Hyla.  Bufo.  Rhinella.  Otilopha. 
Dactylethra.     Bombinator.     Breviceps.     Astrodactylus. 

Also,  if  another  person  should  prefer  to  characterise  these 

1  As  the  generic  name  Pseudobranchus  is  apt  to  convey  an  incorrect  idea, 
concerning  the  use  and  function  of  the  small  gills,  in  the  branchial  classi- 
fication herein  subsequently  given,  I  have  thought  it  right  to  substitute 
that  of  Parvibranchus  for  it.  See  Cuvier's  note  (2)  at  p.  121 ,  tome  ii,  of  the 
'Regne  Animal, '  edit.  1829. 


CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA.  271 

animals  by  the  want  or  number,  of  feet,  when  in  their  per- 
fect or  full-grown  state,  the  annexed  classification  may  be 
conveniently  used. 

Order  I. — Apoda.     Without  feet. 
Genus. — Ccecilia. 

Order  II. — Dipoda.     With  two  feet. 

Genera. — Siren.     Parvibranchus. 

Order  III. — Tetrapoda.    With  four  feet. 

Genera. — Rana,  Ceratophrys.  Hyla.  Bufo.  Rhinella.  Otilopha. 
Dactylethra.  Bombinator.  Breviceps.  Astrodactylus.  Salamandra.  Sa- 
lamandrina.  Molge.  Triton.  Menopoma.  Amphiuma.  Proteus.  Me- 
nobranchus.     Siredon. 

Again,  if  a  third  person  should  arrange  all  the  adult  Am- 
phibia according  to  their  external  forms,  or  mere  shapes,  the 
genera  may  be  thus  placed  in  four  groups,  or,  as  I  shall  here 
call  them,  orders,  for  the  sake  of  concinnity. 

Order  I. — Anguiformia.     Snake-like. 
Genera. — Cacilia.    Amphiuma.     Siren.    Parvibranchus. 

Order  II. — Raniformia.     Frog-like. 

Genera. — Rana.  Ceratophrys.  Hyla.  Bufo.  Rhinella.  Otilopha. 
Dactylethra.     Bombinator.     Breviceps.     Astrodactylus. 

Order  III. — Lacertiformia.     Lizard-like. 

Genera. — Salamandra.  Salamandrina.  Molge.  Triton.  Menopoma. 
Proteus.    Menobranchus. 

Order  IV. — Pisciformia.    Fish-like. 
Genus. — Siredon. 

Having  before  observed  that  I  selected  the  permanency  of 
the  external  gills  for  the  character  of  an  Order,  in  which  to 
place  the  Proteus ;  I  will  now  subjoin  an  arrangement,  in- 
cluding both  that  order,  which  corresponds  with  the  second 
order  previously  instituted  by  Latreille, l  and  also  his  first 
order.    To  these  I  have  added  two  more  orders;  one,  Abran- 

1  But  it  is  interesting  to  learn  from  Prof.  Owen's  paper  mentioned  above, 
that  the  eminent  John  Hunter  first  suggested  the  idea  of  partly  character- 
ising these  animals  by  their  branchiae  or  gills.  Mr.  Owen  says  (p.  214),—. 
"  the  Siren,  the  Amphiuma,  the  Kaltewagoe  or  Menopoma  of  Harlan,  in 
short,  all  the  "  reptiles  douteux  "  of  Cuvier  that  Mr.  Hunter  was  acquaint- 
ed with,  he  considered  as  a  distinct  Class,  which  he  denominates  uPneumo- 
branchia,"  in  the  manuscript  which  is  quoted  by  Rusconi,  in  the  work 
entitled  'Amours  des  Salamandres  Aquatiques,'  (p.  12, 1821),  and  which  is 
^iow  published  in  the  '  Physiol.  Cat.  of  the  Hunterian  Collection,'  vol.  ii.  p. 
145,  1834. 


272  CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBTA 

cliia,  denotes  that  the  gills  (so  far  at  least  as  is  yet  known) 
are  always  wanting  :  and  another,  Imperfectibranchia,  sig- 
nifies that  the  gills  are  either  by  nature  imperfect,  or  that  we 
have  only  at  present  an  imperfect  knowledge  of  them.  The 
latter,  as  will  be  supposed,  I  have  introduced  as  a  provisional 
order.  This  arrangement  will  be  found  also  to  combine  all 
the  characters  given  in  the  last  three  classifications.  I  have 
likewise  considered  it  preferable  to  agree  with  that  systematic 
writer,  and  several  others  of  the  present  day,  in  making  the 
Amphibia  constitute  an  entire  Class  by  themselves.  Yet  I 
ought  to  state,  that  one  of  the  distinctions  relied  upon  for 
that  object  by  some  zoologists, — respecting  the  heart  of  these 
animals  having  but  one  auricle,  and  one  ventricle,  (cor  unilo- 
cular uniauritum), — and  in  which  Cuvier  himself  especially 
coincided;  for,  even  in  his  last  edition  (1829)  of  the  cRegne 
Animal,'  he  remarks  that  the  single  auricle  is  common  to,1 
and  therefore  characteristic  of,  the  Batrachian  order, — does 
not  in  reality  exist,  as  Prof.  Owen  lately  discovered  in  his 
very  skilful  dissections  of  the  hearts  of  some  of  the  doubtful 
species,  and  in  particular  of  that  of  the  Siren  lacertina.7-  It 
appears  then  from  the  accounts  mentioned  in  his  paper,  which 
is  published  in  the  '  Zoological  Transactions,'  (vol.  i.  p.  213, 
1835),  that  the  heart  of  the  Amphibia  has  one  uniform  exte- 
rior, but  is  in  the  interior  separated  into  two  distinct  auri- 
cles.2.    That  distinguished  comparative  anatomist  observes 

1  His  words  are, — "  n'  ont  au  cceur  qu'  une  seule  oreillette,  et  un  seul  ven- 
tricule." — 'Regne  Animal,'  tome  ii.  p.  101. 

2  See  the  beautiful  preparations  of  the  Siren,  numbered  912,  913,  914  ; 
and  particularly  913,  A,  which  shows  the  internal  structure  of  the  two  auri- 
cles in  the  heart  of  that  animal, — in  the  Museum  of  the  Royal  College  of 
Surgeons,  in  London. 

3  Hunter  instituted  an  elegant  system  of  classing  those  animals  which 
have  a  heart  {tcaftia)  by  its  cavities,  (xoihicci) ; — "  for  in  some  animals"  (as 
he  observes)  "  it  has  only  one,  others  two,  others  three,  and  the  most  com- 
plete of  all  four  cavities ;  and  this  difference  of  structure  forms  so  many 
grand  divisions  of  the  animal  kingdom,  which  I  must  be  permitted  to  call 
by  the  names  of  Monocoilia,  Dicoilia,  Tricoilia,  and  Tetracoilia." — (See 
Phys.  Cat.  vol.  ii.  p.  147).  In  the  third  order,  Tricoilia,  he  places  all  the 
Amphibia,  Linn.,  from  their  having  two  auricles  and  one  ventricular  cavity; 
but  his  pneumobranchiate  tribe  he  referred  to  the  second  order,  Dicoilia, 
from  their  having  only  one  externally  visible  auricle,  and  one  ventricle. — 
The  Radiata  were  named  Acardia.  Upon  this  system  Mr.  Owen  justly  re- 
marks,— "  like  all  classifications  founded  on  the  variations  of  a  single  organ, 
the  cardiac  arrangement  is  too  artificial  for  general  application. — "(Note  in 
loc.  cit.)  The  same  objection  cannot  equally  apply  to  the  branchial  classi- 
fication here  proposed,  because  the  absence  and  presence  of  gills  form  distinct 
and  externally  apparent  characteristics  in  these  animals ;  whereas,  on  the 
contrary,  the  chambers  of  the  heart,  being  internal  organs,  can  only  be  ex- 
amined by  very  careful  dissections. 


CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA.  273 

{loc.  cit.  p.  217), — "the  presence  of  two  auricles  in  the  heart 
of  the  reptiles  douteux  now  renders  applicable  to  the  whole 
class  of  reptiles  the  phrase  "  cor  uniloculare  biauritum?  and 
forms  an  additional  argument  for  retaining  as  an  order  of  that 
class,  the  Amphibia  of  Latreille."  Nevertheless,  for  several 
reasons,  which  are  unnecessary  to  be  here  given  in  detail,  but 
more  especially  on  account  of  the  remarkable  transformations 
undergone  by  so  many  of  these  creatures,  and  of  the  branchi- 
al apparatus  pertaining  to  almost  all  the  rest,  I  do  consider 
myself  fully  justified  in  keeping  the  Amphibia  in  a  class  alto- 
gether apart  from  the  Reptilia.  I  will  therefore  limit  the 
class  "  Amphibia  "  of  Linnaeus,  to  the  last  family  of  the  ophi- 
dians, and  to  all  the  batrachians  in  the  fourth  order  of  the 
third  class, — "Reptiles," — according  to  the  Cuvierian  system. 
Hence,  the  present  class,  Amphibia,  will  occupy  an  interme- 
diate station  between  the  class  Beptilia  and  the  class  Pisces; 
and  in  order  to  show  better  the  connecting  link  in  the  great 
chain  of  this  portion  of  the  animal  creation,  whereby  the  se- 
veral kinds  of  the  former  approximate  to  those  of  the  latter, 
I  place  the  genus  Cacilia  the  first,  on  account  of  its  great 
resemblance  to  some  of  the  ophidians,  or  serpents,  with  which 
indeed  many  naturalists,  besides  Cuvier,  have  classed  it. — 
and  I  terminate  the  amphibians  by  the  family  Proteidw,— 
which  by  their  permanent  and  fully-developed  gills  so  closely 
approach  to  fishes ; — and  among  them,  the  genus  Siredon  I 
station  quite  the  last,  because  Sir.  pisciformis,  the  Axolotl, 
is  in  shape  and  structure  most  nearly  allied  to  a  fish. 

Division  l.—  VERTEBRATA. 

Class  IV.— AMPHIBIA 

Sub-class  I. — MONOPNEUMENA.     Respiring  singly;  either  by  lungs 
only,  or  by  gills  alone. 

Order  I. — Abranchia.     Gills  wanting. 

Family  1.    CceciliadcE.     Body  lengthened,  slender,  snake-like.     Tail  ex- 
tremely short.     Legs  none. 
Genus. — Ccecilia. 

Order  II. — Caducibranchia.  Gills  decaying. 

Family  1.  Ranidce.      Adult  body  short,  roundish,  or  oval,  broad.     Tail 
wanting.     Legs  four.     Tongue  long.     Tympanum  open. 

Genera. — Rana.      Ceratophrys.    Hyla.     Bufo.     Rhinella.     Otilopha, 


Might  not  the  Fishes  also  be  clearly  arranged  in  one  uniform  branchial 
classification,  by  the  difference  of  form,  structure,  position  &c.  of  their gills? 
Vol.  III.— No.  30.  n.  s.  2  f 


274  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA. 

Family  2.  Dactylethrida.    Adult  body  short,  frog-like.     Tail  none.     Legs 
four.     Tongue  distinct.     Tympanum  hid. 

Genera. — Dactylethra.     Bombinator.     Breviceps. 

Family  3.  Astrodactylidce.    Adult  body  short,  flat,  frog-like,  tailless.  Legs 
four.     Tongue  wanting.     Tympanum  hid. 

Genus. — Astrodactylus.     (Pipa). 

Family  4.    Salamandridce.      Adult  body  long,  lizard-like.      Tail  long. — 

Legs  four. 

Genera. — Salamandra.     Salamandrina.    Molge.     Triton. 

Sub-class  ll.—DIPLOPNEUMENA.   Respiring  doubly;  both  by  lungs 

and  gills. 

Order  III. — Imperfectibranchia.    Gills  imperfect. 

Family  1.  Menopomatidce.     Body  long,  lizard-like;  or  lengthened,  snake- 
like; with  a  tail.     Legs  four.     Gill-like  organs  internal. 
Genera. — Menopoma.     Amphiuma. 

Order  IV. — Manentibranchia.    Gills  permanent. 

Family  1.  Sirenidce.    Body  lengthened,  snake-like,  having  a  tail.     Legs 
two  in  front.     Gills  tufted,  external. 

Genera. — Siren.      Parvibranchus. 

Family  2.  Proteidce.   Body  long,  lizard-like,  or  fish-like,  with  a  tail.    Legs 
four.     Gills  ramified,  external. 

Genera. — Proteus.     Menobranchus.     Siredon. 
(To  be  continued.) 


Art.  III. — Observations  on  the  Rodentia,  with  a  view  to  point  out 
the  groups  as  indicated  by  the  structure  of  the  Crania,  in  this  Or- 
der of  Mammals.  By  G.  R.  Waterhouse,  Esq.,  Curator  to  the 
Zoological  Society,  Vice-Pres.  of  the  Entomological  Society. 

(  Continued  from  page  188J 

Family  IV. — MuridjE. 

Dentition. — Incisors  compressed  laterally:  molars  44  Sn 
one  genus  -|4)>  rooted ;  the  anterior  molar  of  each  series  the 
largest,  and  the  posterior  one  the  smallest.  The  series  on 
each  side  of  each  jaw  widely  separated  and  parallel. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA. 

34 


275 


(a)  upper  view  of  the  skull  of  Mus  giganteus.  (b)  side  view  of  the  anterior  portion  of  the 

skull.        (c)  one  of  the  rami  of  the  lower  jaw,  inner  side. 

Skull. — Zygomatic  process  of  the  maxilla  broad,  continued 
obliquely  upwards  and  outwards  from  the  plane  of  the  palate, 
and  divided  into  three  parts,  one  of  which  is  extended  back- 
wards to  articulate  with  the  malar  bone,  and  complete  the 
zygoma ;  the  second  is  continued  forwards  in  the  form  of  a 
compressed  and  almost  vertical  plate,  which  serves  to  defend 
a  vacuity  connected  with  the  nasal  cavity.     This  vacuity  is 
situated  anterior  to  the  orbit,  and  seems  to  hold  the  place  of 
the  lachrymal  canal.     The  production  forwards  of  the  verti- 
cal plate  converts  the  anterior  outlet  of  the  ant-orbital  fora- 
men into  a  narrow  slit.     Connected  with  this  narrow  slit, 
(through  which  the  infra-orbital  nerve  passes),  there  is  another 
opening  of  a  larger  size,  and  the  outlet  of  which  is  directed 
upwards.     Through  this  upper  opening  passes  a  portion  of 
the  maseter  muscle.      The  third  division  of  the  zygomatic 
process  of  the  maxilla  is  continued  upwards  and  inwards,  ar- 
ticulates with  the  ant-orbital  process,  and  completes  the  an- 
terior boundary  of  the  orbit.     The  superior  maxillary  bone 
sends  backwards  a  vertically  compressed  process  almost  im- 
mediately behind  the  intermaxillary  suture.     The  zygomatic 
arch  runs  obliquely  downwards  and  outwards  from  the  ant- 
orbital  process,  and  is  recurved  at  the  temporal  portion.    The 
glenoid  cavity  is  of  considerable  extent  in  a  longitudinal  di- 
rection, and  has  a  moderate  transverse  diameter.     The  pala- 


276 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA. 


tine  portions  of  the  intermaxillary,  maxillary,  and  palatine 
bones  are  all  on  the  same  plane,  and  the  posterior  margin. of 
the  latter  is  almost  always  situated  behind  the  line  of  the  pos- 
terior molars.  The  incisive  foramina  are  large,  and  situated 
partially  in  the  intermaxillary,  and  partly  in  the  maxillary 
bones.  There  are  two  moderately  large  foramina  in  the  pa- 
lato-maxillary  suture. 

Lower  jaw. — The  eoronoid  process  is  usually  large,  and 
the  condyloid  elongated :  the  descending  ramus  approaches 
more  or  less  to  a  quadrate  form  ;  the  posterior  lower  angle  is 
rounded,  and  the  upper  angle  is  acute. 

35 


(o  and  b)  Psammomys  obesus.  (c)  Gerbillus  brevicaudatus.  {d)  GerbiUus  Indicus 

(c)  anterior  part  of  the  skull  of  Cricetus  auratus.  (/)  side  view  of  the  same. 

In  the  form  of  the  lower  jaw  the  Muridce  do  not  differ  es- 
sentially from  the  preceding  families,  the  skull  however  is  of 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA.  277 

a  more  elongated  form,  and  the  facial  portion  is  proportion- 
ately larger  as  compared  with  that  devoted  to  the  protection 
of  the  brain.  One  of  the  most  striking  characters  observable 
in  the  crania  of  the  Muridae,  consists  in  the  peculiar  thin 
plate  which  is  produced  anteriorly  from  the  zygomatic  pro- 
cess of  the  maxilla.  This  thin  plate  (see  a,  fig.  34,  and  d, 
fig.  35)  is  usually  of  considerable  extent,  and  is  sometimes 
nearly  vertical  (as  in  Gerbillus  Indicus,  fig.  35,  d),  but  is  ge- 
nerally carried  upwards  and  outwards  from  the  palate,  as  in 
the  common  rat  {Mus  decumanus).  This  plate  is  proportion- 
ately most  extended  in  the  species  of  Gerbillus  just  men- 
tioned, but  in  other  species  of  the  same  genus  it  is  very 
short ;  this  is  the  case  in  Gerb.  brevicaudatus  (fig.  35,  c)i 
Gerb.  otarius,  Gerb.  pygargus,  &C.1  In  the  hamster  {Cri- 
cetus  vulgaris)  its  outer  surface  is  concave,  and  in  Neotoma 
Floridana  it  is  also  concave,  though  in  a  less  degree.  Cri- 
cetus  auratus2  (fig.  35,  e  and  /)  is  remarkable  for  the  nar- 
rowness of  this  process  of  the  maxilla.  In  this  animal  it 
does  not  project  so  as  to  protect  the  opening  beneath,  which 
leads  into  the  nasal  cavity,  as  in  nearly  all  the  other  species 
of  th  e  Muridw  which  I  have  examined.  In  Hydromys 
chrysogasler  there  is  a  still  narrower  loop  of  bone  inclosing 
the  ant-orbital  foramen,  which  is  larger  than  usual,  and 
there  is  a  remarkable  angular  process  projecting  from  the  low- 
er and  anterior  portion  of  this  loop. 

The  two  animals  just  mentioned  {Cricetus  auratus  and 
Hydromys  clirysogaster),  and  the  Rhizomys  Sinensis  of  Mr. 
Gray  (which  is  the  Nyctocleptes  Dekan  of  M.  Temminck), 
constitute  the  only  species  of  the  present  family,  the  skulls 
of  which  I  have  examined,  in  which  the  thin  plate  arising 
from  the  maxilla  above  described  is  not  produced  anteriorly, 
as  we  find  it  in  the  rat. 

Judging  from  the  figure  of  the  skull  of  Nyctocleptes  Dekan 
given  by  Temminck  in  his  '  Monographies, '  I  feel  but  little 
doubt  that  this  animal  belongs  to  the  present  family ;  it  offers 
however  some  marked  exceptions  to  the  general  characters  of 
the  crania  of  the  Muridce:  the  most  remarkable  of  these  is  the 
want  of  the  thin  plate  of  the  maxilla  just  mentioned,  and  the 
absence  of  the  vertical  slit  through  which  (in  the  genus  Mus) 

1  See  M.  F.  Cuvier's  'Memoire  sur  les  Gerboises  et  les  Gerbilles,'  pub- 
lished in  the  '  Transactions  of  the  Zool.  Society,'  vol.  ii.  pt.  2,  plr25  &  26. 

2  A  beautiful  new  species  of  hamster,  from  Aleppo,  recently  described  by 
me,  and  to  which  I  have  applied  the  above  specific  name,  on  account  of  its 
rich  yellow  colouring ;  the  under  parts  of  the  body,  however,  are  nearly 
white.  The  length,  measured  in  a  straight  line,  is  6^  inches,  the  ears  are 
about  i  an  inch  long,  and  the  tail  is  about  the  same  length 

2f3 


278  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA. 

the  ant-orbital  nerve  passes.  Here  the  ant-orbital  foramen 
constitutes  a  tolerably  large  rounded  opening,  situated  near 
the  upper  surface  of  the  skull,  and  also  near  the  anterior  an- 
gle of  the  orbit.  The  broad  spherical  condyle  also  removes 
this  genus  from  the  typical  rats.  In  Mus  Braziliehsis,  how- 
ever, we  may  perceive  an  approach  to  this  spherical  form  of 
the  condyle.  The  great  size  and  strength  of  the  incisors  in 
Nyctocleples,  require  a  corresponding  development  of  the 
temporal  and  maseter  muscles;  hence  the  great  width  of  the 
temporal  fossae,  and  strength  of  the  zygomatic  arches,  charac- 
ters which  exist  in  a  minor  degree  in  the  common  hamster. 

The  skulls  of  upwards  of  forty  species  of  the  family  Muri- 
dce  have  been  examined  by  me,  and  among  these  were  crania 
of  the  following  genera.  Mus,  Gerbillus,  Psammomys,  Rei- 
throdon,  Hydromys,  Cricetus,  Sigmodon,  Neotoma,  Hapalotis 
and  Rhizomys. 

The  skull  of  the  Mus  giganteus  has  been  selected  to  exhi- 
bit the  most  common  form  observable  in  the  present  group, 
and  the  skulls  of  Psammomys  obesus  and  Gerbillus  brevicau- 
datus  have  been  drawn  to  show  the  approach  made  by  these 
species  to  those  of  the  preceding  family  (the  Gerboidce).  It  is 
not  only  in  the  general  form  of  the  skull,  with  its  narrow  and 
elongated  nasal  bones,  that  this  affinity  is  evinced,  but  what 
I  consider  more  important,  in  the  form  of  the  descending  ra- 
mus of  the  lower  jaw.  In  several  of  the  specimens  from 
which  M.  F.  Cuvier's  figures  of  the  Gerbilli  (in  the  memoir 
before  referred  to)  were  taken,  it  appears  that  this  portion  of 
the  lower  jaw  was  imperfect,  but  where  this  was  not  the  case, 
they  are  all  represented  as  having  the  upper  posterior  angle 
of  the  descending  ramus  acute  and  elongated,  as  in  the  Ger- 
boidce. 

The  principal  difference  between  the  Gerboidce  and  the 
Gerbilli  consists  in  the  size  of  the  ant-orbital  foramen,  but 
in  either  group  this  varies  considerably,  hence  in  all  proba- 
bility the  discovery  of  other  species  will  render  it  necessary 
to  merge  the  gerboas  into  the  Muridce.  I  have  thought  it 
desirable  however,  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  attention  to 
the  various  modifications  observable  in  the  crania  of  these 
animals,  to  separate  these  sections,  and  also  to  separate  the 
My  oxides  from  the  Muridce,  although  in  so  doing  I  may  give 
a  name  to  groups  which  really  are  not  distinct. 

The  genus  Psammomys  of  M.  Ruppell  is  evidently  an  off- 
shoot (if  I  may  so  term  it)  of  the  Gerbilli.  A  skull  figured 
by  M.  F.  Cuvier,1  as  Gerbillus ?  very  closely  resem- 
bles that  of  Psammomys  obesus. 

1  See  Transaetions  of  the  Zoological  Society,  vol.  ii.  pt.  2,  pi.  26,  fig.  1  &  2 


FRONTAL  SPINE  OF  HYBODUS.  279 


Lower  jaw  of  the  common  Hamster. 

I  have  also  drawn  one  of  the  rami  of  the  lower  jaw  of  the 
common  hamster,  since  it  exhibits  a  modification  of  form 
which  is  important,  especially  to  the  investigator  of  fossil 
remains.1  The  peculiarity  in  this  jaw  consists  in  the  ramus 
being  so  curved  that  the  angle  is  considerably  raised  above 
the  line  of  the  symphysis,  this  line  being  drawn  backwards 
from  the  symphysis  menti,  and  parallel  with  the  crowns  of 
the  molar  teeth,  as  represented  by  the  dotted  lines  in  the 
woodcut.  If  similar  dotted  lines  be  introduced  in  the  figure 
of  the  lower  jaw  of  the  Mus  giganteus,  it  will  be  seen  that  in 
that  animal  the  lower  boundary  of  the  descending  ramus  is  in 
the  same  line  as  the  lowest  anterior  portion  of  the  jaw.  In 
the  Arvicoli  (which  appear  to  constitute  a  sub-family  of  the 
great  group  Muridce)  the  angle  of  the  jaw,  as  in  Cricetus,  is 
considerably  raised,  but  excepting  in  these  animals  T  am  not 
acquainted  with  any  rodents  in  which  this  is  the  case. 
(To  be  continued). 


Art.  IV. — Description  of  the  Frontal  Spine  of  a  second  species  of 
Hybodus ;  from  the  Wealden  Clay,  Isle  of  Wight.  By  William 
Ogilby,  Esq.,  M.A.,  F.R.A.S.,  &c.  &c. 

The  beautiful  fragment  of  the  jaws  of  Hybodus  Delabechei, 
discovered  by  Mr.  Higgins,  and  described  in  the  last  number 
of  the  '  Magazine  of  Natural  History,'  whilst  it  throws  a  new 
and  valuable  light  upon  the  structure  and  characters  of  that 
remarkable  genus  of  extinct  fishes,  has  enabled  me  to  ascer- 
tain the  nature  of  a  small  fossil  which  had  been  for  some  time 
in  my  possession,  but  of  which  neither  myself,  nor  the  scien- 
tific friends  to  whom  I  showed  it,  could  imagine  the  origin  or 
relations.  It  consists  of  the  tri-furcated  base  of  a  cranial 
spine,  (fig.  37),  or  rather  of  the  middle  and  one  of  the  lateral 
processes,  the  corresponding  process  of  the  opposite  side 

1  Fossil  remains  of  a  species  of  this  group  are  figured  n  the  ■  Nouveaux 
Memoires  de  la  Societe  Imperiale  des  Naturalistes  de  Moscou  ;  see  tome 
iii.  tab.  20,  fig.  6. 


•280 


FRONTAL  SPINE  OF  HYBODUS 


having  been  broken  off,  as  well  as  a  small  portion  of  the  spine 
itself;  and  comes  very  happily  to  illustrate  some  obscure 
points,  which,  from  the  manner  in  which  the  former  specimen 
is  imbedded  in  the  lias,  Mr.  Charlesworth  was  obliged  to  leave 
doubtful.  I  found  it  myself  in  the  wealden  clay,  at  Sandown, 
Isle  of  Wight,  between  high  and  low  water  mark,  partially 
exposed  by  the  washing  of  the  previous  tide  ;  and  from  the 
recently  fractured  surface,  it  was  evident  that  the  spine  itself 
had  been  broken  and  washed  off  by  the  waves,  only  a  short 
time  before  I  found  it. 

37 


(a)  represents  the  specimen  of  the  natural  size,  as  seen  from  above,  (b  c  and  d)  are  enlarged 
views,  the  first  of  the  under  surface,  the  second  of  the  upper,  and  the  third  as  seen  sideways. 
(c)  is  a  view  of  the  superior  surface  of  Mr.  Charlesworth' s  specimen  of  H.  Delabechei  described 
in  the  last  number  of  the  Magazine,  of  the  natural  size,  introduced  for  the  sake  of  comparison. 

The  dimensions  of  this  specimen  are  considerably  smaller 
than  those  of  the  species  figured  and  described  by  Mr. 
Charlesworth,  its  texture  is  more  compact,  and  its  gene- 
ral figure  more  symmetrical.  The  central  process  is  com- 
paratively longer,  and  more  regularly  formed.  It  is  of  a 
brownish  horn  colour,  smooth  and  convex  on  the  upper 
surface,  but  with  a  shallow  longitudinal  depression  below, 


FROM  THE  ISLE  OF  WIGHT.  281 

bordered  on  each  side  by  a  slightly  elevated  ridge,  and  sur- 
rounded in  front  by  a  partially  raised  margin,  which  has 
evidently  given  attachment  to  a  powerful  muscle  for  elevating 
and  fixing  the  spine.  The  symmetrical  form  and  general  out- 
line of  this  process,  will  be  better  understood  from  the  accom- 
panying figures,  than  from  any  description  however  detailed. 
Of  the  lateral  processes,  the  right  alone  remains ;  this  is  short- 
er and  less  symmetrical  than  that  just  described,  more  gra- 
dually rounded  on  the  outer  margin,  coarse  and  open  in  its 
texture,  and  irregularly  convex  on  the  under  surface.  Its 
general  direction  forms  an  angle  of  about  45°  with  the  cen- 
tral process ;  and  the  whole  fossil  bears  a  not  unapt  resem- 
blance to  the  foot  of  a  minute  tapir  or  rhinoceros.  What 
may  be  called  the  heel,  or  junction  of  these  three  processes, 
is  likewise  irregularly  convex,  and  forms  a  continuous  curve, 
when  viewed  sideways,  with  the  fragment  of  the  spine  itself. 
This,  of  which  unfortunately  a  small  portion  alone  remains, 
is  of  a  very  dense  and  compact  structure  internally,  as  may 
be  seen  by  the  newly-fractured  surface,  beautifully  striated 
externally,  and  of  large  dimensions  compared  with  the  size 
of  the  whole  fragment.  This  basal  portion  exhibits  none 
of  the  enamel  so  apparent  in  the  specimen  described  by  Mr. 
Charlesworth ;  but  it  turns  forward  in  the  same  direction,  and 
appears  to  have  pretty  nearly  the  same  general  curvature. 

However  similar  the  specimen  at  present  under  considera- 
tion may  be  to  that  described  in  the  last  number  of  the  Ma- 
gazine, in  its  general  form  and  characters,  it  is  nevertheless 
very  distinct  in  those  minor  traits  which  constitute  specific 
differences ;  as  might  indeed  be  naturally  expected  from  the 
geological  position  of  the  deposits  in  which  they  were  respec- 
tively found.  The  bony  base  of  the  wealden  species  is  not 
more  than  half  the  size  of  that  from  the  lias,  though  the  spine 
itself  is  equally  large ;  the  former,  as  already  mentioned,  is 
more  symmetrical  in  form  and  closer  in  texture ;  and  the  la- 
teral processes,  instead  of  standing  out  at  right  angles  to  the 
central,  have  a  more  forward  direction,  whilst  all  the  process- 
es are  longer  and  more  slender.  The  following  are  some  of 
the  principal  comparative  dimensions  of  both. 

LIAS  WEALDEN 

SPECIMEN.  DITTO. 

Half  distance  between  the  tips  of  the  lateral  processes  ...  .85  in.  .45  in. 

Distance  from  the  heel  to  the  point  of  the  middle  process  1.2  .87 

Breadth  of  the  central  part  of  the  middle  process  55  .28 

marginal  rim  surrounding  front  of  ditto    .633  .34 

As  respects  the  Hybodus  Delabechei,  the  two  latter  mea- 
surements must  be  received  with  caution,  as  the  specimen  has 
been  a  little  injured  in  this  part  by  the  process  of  clearing 


282  SUPPOSED  FRONTAL  SPINE  OF  HYBODUS 

away  the  surrounding  lias ;  which  may  also  account  for  its 
less  symmetrical  form,  unpolished  surface,  and  the  absence  of 
the  marginal  rim.  The  processes  in  both  cases  unquestiona- 
bly gave  attachment  to  powerful  moving  muscles  ;  the  central 
serving  to  direct  the  spine  forwards,  the  lateral  to  either  side, 
and  all  to  fix  and  steady  it.  From  the  more  expanded  direc- 
tion of  the  lateral  processes,  also,  the  spine  of  Hybodus  Dela- 
bechei  must  have  been  capable  of  a  greater  extent  of  motion 
from  side  to  side  than  that  of  the  wealden  species ;  and  the 
nature  of  the  instrument  itself  shows  that  it  must  have  been 
a  powerful  weapon  of  offence.  The  specimen  here  described 
farther  proves  that,  like  the  horn  of  the  rhinoceros,  it  was 
connected  with  the  bones  of  the  skull,  only  by  muscles ;  but, 
unlike,  that  instrument,  it  must  have  possessed  great  powers 
of  motion.  M.  Agassiz,  is  said  to  have  a  manuscript  note  of 
the  only  species  of  Hybodus  which  has  been  hitherto  disco- 
vered in  the  wealden  formation.  Whether  the  fragment  here 
described  may  eventually  prove  to  belong  to  that  or  a  dif- 
ferent species,  time  must  determine ;  but  it  is  interesting  to 
know  that  the  character  of  the  frontal  spine,  first  discovered 
by  Mr.  Charlesworth,  is  not  confined  to  the  Hybodus  Dela- 
bechei,  but  common  to  the  whole  genus ;  or  at  least  to  the 
males,  as  in  the  allied  genus  Chimara. 


Art.  V. — Letter  addressed  to  the  Editor  by  Henry  Woods,  Esq., 
F.L.S.,  &c,  respecting  the  supposed  Frontal  Spine  of  Hybodus  in 
the  Bath  Museum. 

30,  Henrietta  St.,  Bath, 

May  \2th,  1839. 

My  Dear  Sir, 

A  letter  addressed  by  you  to  Mr.  H.  Jelly 
(who,  I  am  sorry  to  state,  has  been  for  some  time  absent  from 
Bath  in  consequence  of  ill  health)  having  been  handed  over 
to  me,  I  proceed  to  give  you  as  good  an  answer  as  is  in  my 
power. 

Before  the  receipt  of  your  letter  to  Mr.  Jelly,  I  had  search- 
ed over  the  Museum  of  our  Institution  for  the  specimen  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  Lonsdale,  and  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  it, 
or  at  least  that  which  I  consider  to  be  it ;  and  here  you  have 
the  best  drawing  I  can  make,  which  I  hope  is  precise  enough 
for  your  purpose.  It  is  of  the  natural  size,  and,  from  some 
peculiarities,  may  indicate  another  species  of  Hybodus :  fig. 
38,  a,  is  a  lateral,  and  b  a  dorsal  view  of  it.  The  specimen 
measures  lj  inch  in  length,  and  -/-§•  of  an  inch  in  breadth 


IN  THE  BATH  MUSEUM. 


283 


near  the  base,  which  is  much  mutilated.  The  apex  is  unfor- 
tunately broken  off",  but  enough  remains  to  show  that,  wrhen 
perfect,  it  described  a  reversed  curve  at  the  end,  as  in  fig.  38, 

38 


Spine  of  Hybodus. 

c.  Another  peculiarity  is  the  barb,  or  recurved  hook,  near 
the  point — a,  which,  in  your  specimen,  may  have  been  broken 
off.  Unfortunately,  no  part  of  the  tri-lobed  bony  base  is  at- 
tached to  this  specimen,  which  has  been  broken  into  four 
pieces.  Two  of  the  three  fractures  occurred  before  it  was 
found ;  and  I  think  the  curved  form  of  the  dorsal  aspect  is  in 
a  great  measure  owing  to  the  edges  of  the  fractured  parts  not 
being  in  exact  juxta-position,  the  interstices  being  filled  with 
day. 

Two  peculiarities,  in  addition  to  those  above  enumerated, 
I  consider  to  be  worthy  of  notice.  One  is  a  raised  and  ob- 
lique lateral  line,  as  seen  in  fig.  38,  a;  and  the  other,  a  num- 
ber of  nearly  parallel  stria  or  rug<B  on  the  dorsum,  which  so 
nearly  resemble  those  upon  the  palatal  or  dental  bones  of  the 

Acrodus ,  (vulgate  Leeches  of  the  quarrymen),  that  I 

cannot  help  thinking  this  is  rather  a  palatal  than  a  nasal  ap- 
pendage, notwithstanding  its  extraordinary  shape.  Whether 
it  may  be  identical  with  your  specimen,  or  belong  to  some 
kindred  species,  or  be  altogether  foreign  to  it,  you  must  your- 
self judge  ;  at  any  rate,  it  appears  to  me  an  object  of  interest, 
and  you  are  perfectly  welcome  to  make  what  use  you  please 
of  this  communication,  which  I  can  only  regret  is  not  more 
satisfactory  both  in  figure  and  description.1 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

H.  Woods. 

Editor  of  the  Magazine  of  Natural  History. 


1  The  specimen  was  found  in  the  lias  at  Weston,  a  village  two  miles  west 
of  Bath ;  and  was  presented,  about  twelve  or  thirteen  years  ago,  to  the  Mu- 
seum of  the  Institution,  by  Jacob  Wilkinson,  Esq. 


284  CATALOGUE  OF  THE  MALACOSTRACA 


Art.VI. — Catalogue  of  the  Malacostracous  Crustacea  of  South  De- 
von. By  Edward  Moore,  M.D.,  F.LS.,  Secretary  to  the  Ply- 
mouth Institution.1 

It  would  appear  almost  superfluous,  after  the  labours  of  Mon- 
tagu and  Leach,  to  attempt  to  take  up  the  subject  of  the 
Malacostraca  of  Devonshire,  as  it  constituted  almost  the 
chief  field  of  their  discoveries  ;  nevertheless,  in  pursuance  of 
my  original  object,  to  attempt  to  collect  as  many  illustrations 
of  the  Fauna  of  this  county  as  circumstances  will  allow,  I 
shall  make  no  apology  for  endeavouring,  "haud  passibus 
aequis,"  to  follow  in  their  steps:  with  this  view  I  have  sought 
from  all  sources  within  my  reach,  to  ascertain  what  species 
have  already  been  noticed,  so  as,  by  arranging  them  in  the 
following  catalogue,  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  more  perfect 
acquaintance  with  some  of  the  natural  productions  of  our 
coast.  The  existence  of  a  very  excellent  collection  in  the 
Museum  of  the  Plymouth  Institution,  for  which  we  are  prin- 
cipally indebted  to  Mr.  Charles  Prideaux,  of  Hatch  Arundel, 
near  Kingsbridge,  together  with  the  advantages  which  I  ob- 
tain by  a  correspondence  with  him  and  with  Mr.  J.  Couch, 
of  Polperro,  will,  I  hope,  render  my  catalogue  not  unaccept- 
able to  naturalists  generally ;  and  as  I  observe  that  Mr.  Bell 
is  shortly  about  to  publish  a  work  on  British  Malacostraca, 
I  am  unwilling  that  in  the  county  of  Montagu  and  Leach  the 
subject  should  appear  to  be  altogether  neglected,  possessing 
as  it  does  such  remarkable  advantages  for  the  pursuit.  Yet, 
after  all,  it  must  be  confessed  that  my  paper  will  aim  at  no 
higher  pretensions  than  that  of  a  Catalogue,  as  in  most  in- 
stances it  is  almost  impossible  to  obtain  information  beyond 
the  mere  fact  of  the  occurrence  of  many  species,  which,  living 
in  deep  water,  all  chance  of  obtaining  any  knowledge  of  their 
habits  is  precluded.  In  such  cases,  although  I  have  been 
able  to  verify  most  of  the  observations  of  my  predecessors,  I 
have  preferred  letting  the  fact  of  existence  stand  in  their 
names,  merely  referring  to  the  works  where  their  communica- 
tions are  to  be  found.  There  are,  however,  some  species 
which  I  have  been  unable  to  identify  as  Devon  specimens, 
from  an  inability  to  obtain  access  to  works  not  procurable  in 
this  remote  part  of  the  scientific  world ;  a  deficiency,  how- 
ever, the  less  to  be  regretted,  as  it  will  most  probably  be  sup- 
plied in  Mr.  Bell's  expected  work  on  British  Crabs,  a  publi- 

1  We  received  the  present  catalogue  from  Dr.  Moore  in  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember, 1838 ;  but  owing  to  the  number  of  communications  in  hand,  we 
have  been  unable  to  give  it  earlier  insertion. — Ed. 


OF  SOUTH  DEVON.  285 

cation  which  will  be  highly  acceptable  to  all  naturalists  in 
this  quarter. 

In  the  following  paper  I  have  followed  Cuvier's  ■  Regne 
Animal,'  in  which  the  Crustacea  were  arranged  by  Latreille. 

The  class  Crustacea  in  the  '  Regne  Animal  *  has  two  sec- 
tions, viz.,  Malacostraca  and  Entomostraca. 

The  Malacostraca  are  composed  of  five  Orders,  viz.,  De- 
capoda, Stomapoda,  Amphipoda,  Lcemodipoda,  and  Isopoda. 

MALACOSTRACA  with  pediculated  moveable  eyes. 

Order  I. — Crustacea  Decapoda.  These  have  the  head  close- 
ly united  to  the  thorax,  both  of  which  are  inclosed  in  one 
entire  shell  or  carapace,  divided  by  lines  into  different  re- 
gions, which  indicate  the  places  occupied  by  the  principal 
interior  organs ;  they  have  a  vascular  and  nervous  system ; 
the  lateral  borders  of  the  carapace  fold  down  to  protect  the 
branchicBy  leaving  an  opening  anteriorly  for  the  passage  of 
the  water;  the  six  jaw-feet  are  all  of  different  forms,  ap- 
plied to  the  mouth,  divided  into  two  branches,  the  exterior 
of  which  is  like  a  small  antenna ;  the  two  anterior,  and 
sometimes  the  four  following  feet  are  talon- shaped,  the 
last  articulation  but  one  is  dilated,  compressed,  and  in  the 
form  of  a  hand. 

Family  1.  Decapoda  brachyura,  or  short- tailed  Decapods. 

Genus  CANCER. 

Section  1.  Pinnipedes  or  swimmers  have  the  last  feet  with  a 
flattened  or  fin- shaped  articulation. 

Polybius,  sub-genus. 

P.  Henslowii.    A  tine  specimen  was  obtained  from  the  pilchard-nets  at 
Bantham,  in  deep  water,  by  Mr.  C.  Prideaux,  and  is  now  in  the  col- 
lection of  the  Plymouth  Institution. 
Portunus,  sub-genus. 

P.  puber,  Harbour  or  Mary  Crab.  Common  on  our  coast ;  three  speci- 
mens are  in  the  Museum  of  the  Plymouth  Institution. 

P.  mcenas,  (Carcinus,  Leach),  Common  shore  Crab.    Abundant. 

P.  corrugatus.  Dr. Leach  says  ('Linn.  Trans.'  vol.  xi.)  "habitat  in  Bri- 
tannia rarissime ;"  and  afterwards  states  that  the  young  was  obtained 
in  Plymouth  Sound  by  Mr.  C.  Prideaux,  who  informs  me  that  he  pro- 
cured it  by  the  trawl  net.  My  friend  Mr.  Couch,  of  Polperro,  also 
states  that  he  has  obtained  one  specimen  in  his  neighbourhood,  so  that 
it  may  be  considered  as  belonging  to  our  coast,  although  but  rarely 
found  from  its  habit  of  frequenting  the  deep  sea. 

P.  marmoreus.  Frequently  obtained  at  Torcross  by  Montagu ;  Edinb. 
Eucycl.  vol.  vii.  p.  391.  We  have  four  good  specimens  in  our  Muse- 
um, presented  by  Mr.  C.  Prideaux. 

P.  depurator,  the  Flying  Crab  of  fishermen.  Not  uncommon :  we  have 
two  specimens,  obtained  by  the  trawl,  from  Mr.  C.  Prideaux. 


286  CATALOGUE  OF  THE  MALACOSTRACA 

P.  lividus.  One  Plymouth  specimen  in  our  Museum,  from  Mr.  C.  Pri- 
deaux,  by  the  trawl ;  others  have  been  obtained  by  Montagu. 

P.  emarginatus.  One  specimen  found  at  Torcross ;  (Leach, '  Lin.  Tran.' 
vol.  xi.,  and  Edinb.  Ency.  vii.,  p.  390).  Mr.  Prideaux  tells  me  it  was 
also  obtained  in  Plymouth  by  Gibbs. 

P.  pusillus.    Two  Devon  specimens  in  our  Museum  from  Mr.  C.  Pri- 
deaux. 
Platyonichus,  sub-genus. 

P.  variegatus ,  (Portumnus  of  Leach,  whose  designation  is  changed  by 
Cuvier,  from  being  "  trop  rapprochee  du  mot  Portune,  deja  employee." 
It  is  said  to  be  very  common  on  our  sandy  shores  ;  ('  Linn.  Trans.'  xi. 
314).    Mr.  Prideaux  informs  me  it  is  found  in  Bigbury  Bay. 

Section  2.  Arcuata,  have  the  shell  arched  anteriorly,  and 
all  the  feet  pointed. 

Cancer,  sub-genus. 

C.  pagurus,  Common  Market  Crab.  Museum  of  the  Plymouth  Institu- 
tion. Large  quantities  of  these  are  caught  in  crab -baskets  along  our 
coast,  from  Plymouth  to  Torbay,  the  majority  of  which  are  picked  up 
by  the  passing  steam  boats,  and  conveyed  to  Portsmouth  and  London 
for  sale. 

C.  poressa,  Oliv.,  (Xantho  Jlorida,  Leach).     Common  in  South  Devon ; 
we  have  several  specimens. 
Pi  rime  la,  sub-genus. 

P.  denticulata.    Rare ;  we  have  three  specimens,  sent  by  Mr.  Prideaux 
from  Bantham.    Mr.  Couch  finds  them  in  Cornwall,  though  rarely. 
Atelecychus,  sub-genus. 

A.  septemdentatus.  Found  frequently  in  Plymouth  sound  by  Mr.  Cranch, 
Edinb.  Ency.  vii.  430.  A  male  and  female  are  in  our  Museum,  sent 
by  Mr.  Prideaux. 

Section  3.  Quadrilatera^  having  the  carapace  square  or 
heart-shaped,  with  the  front  prolonged,  inflected,  and  form- 
ing a  sort  of  hood ;  tail  of  seven  segments ;  eyes  on  thick 
pedicles. 

Pilumnus,  sub-genus. 

P.  hirtellus.     Obtained  only  in  South  Devon,  Leach,  Edinb.  Ency.  vii., 
391.      It  is  rare  here,  we  have  only  three  specimens  from  Mr.  C.  Pri- 
deaux, obtained  at  Bantham.    Mr.  Couch  states  that  in  Cornwall  they 
are  frequently  found  in  crab-pots  at  from  4  to  6  fathoms  water. 
Gonoplax,  sub-genus. 

G.  bispinosa.     Abundant  in  Salcombe  Bay  (Montagu),  and  in  Plymouth 
Sound  (Leach,  'Linn.  Trans.'  xi.)    We  have  four  specimens,  and  there 
are  others  in  the  possession  of  different  collectors  in  the  town. 
Pinnotheres,  sub-genus. 

P.  varians.  One  Devon  specimen  is  in  our  Museum,  found  by  Mr.  Pri- 
deaux in  a  Cardium.  The  Pin.  pisum  (Mytilorum,  Latr.)  appears  to 
be  the  female,  (see  '  Diet,  des  Sciences  Nat.'  t.  xxviii,  238),  of  which 
we  have  four  specimens. 

P.  veterum.  Of  this  we  have  one  Devon  specimen.  Mr.  Prideaux  has 
found  them  in  oysters  as  well  as  Pinnce ;  the  Pin.  pinna  appears  to  be 
the  same,  and  was  found  at  Salcombe,  Devon,  by  Montagu  and  Cranch, 
Edinb.  Ency.  vii.  431. 

P.  mytili,  (Cranchii  P).     Kingsbridge,  Devon ;  Edin.  Ency.,  vii.  430. 


OF  SOUTH  DEVON.  287 

P.  Modioli,  (Montagui).     Eclinb.  Ency. 

P.  Latreillii.     '  Diet,  des  Sciences  Nat.'  xxviii. 

Section  4.  Orbiculata,  have  the  carapace  rhomboidal  or 
ovoid,  always  solid ;  eye-pedicles  short ;  claws  of  unequal 
length  in  the  males  and  females,  longest  in  the  former ;  third 
articulation  of  the  exterior  jaw-feet  always  an  elongated  tri- 
angle. 

Corystes,  sub-genus. 

C.  cassivelaunus,  Pennant;  (personatus,  Herbst.)     Found  on  our  sandy 

shores,  and  sometimes  thrown  up  during  storms.     We  have  two  males 

and  two  females  in  our  Museum. 
Leucosia,  {Ebalia,  Leach),  sub-genus. 

L.  Pennantii.    We  have  three  specimens,  obtained  by  Mr.  Prideaux  at 

Salcombe. 
L.  Cranchii.    Two  specimens  in  our  collection,  obtained  in  Plymouth 

Sound  by  Mr.  Prideaux. 
L.  Bryerii.    One  specimen,  obtained  with  the  trawl  at  Plymouth,  by  Mr. 

Prideaux. 

Note. — Ad  hoc  genus  pertinent  species  indigent  Cancer  tuberosus,  Pen- 
nant, '  Brit.  Zool.'  iv.,  et  Can.  tumef actus,  Mont,  'Lin.  Trans.'  ix.  (Leach, 
1  Linn.  Trans.'  xi.) 

Section  5.  Trigonia,  have  the  carapace  triangular,  pointed 
anteriorly,  and  generally  irregular  and  rough ;  claws,  espe- 
cially of  the  males,  always  large  and  elongated,  the  last  arti- 
culation of  the  exterior  jaw-feet  always  nearly  square,  or 
hexagonal :  segments  of  the  tail  seven  or  less :  many  of  them 
are  called  "  sea-spiders." 

Parthenope,  {Eurynome,  Leach),  sub-genus. 

P.  aspera.    We  have  eight  specimens  of  this  crab,  all  young,  sent  by  Mr. 
Prideaux  from  Bantham ;  who  has  also  obtained  them  by  the  trawl  in 
Plymouth  Sound. 
Pisa,  sub-genus. 

P.  Gibbsii.  First  found  in  Devon  by  Montagu,  'Linn.  Trans.'  vol.  xi. 
Five  specimens  in  our  Museum  were  obtained  at  Plymouth  and  Ban- 
tham by  Mr.  Prideaux  ;  they  have  also  been  found  by  Mr.  Couch  at 
Polperro,  Cornwall. 
P.  Tetraodon,  (Blastus,  Leach).  One  specimen  sent  by  Mr.  Prideaux, 
who  informs  me  that  it  was  also  found  by  Dr.  Leach  at  Teignmouth. 
Maia,  sub-genus. 

M.  squinado,  Thomback  or  King  Crab ;  Corwich  Crab,  (Cornwall) ;  Spi- 
der Crab  of  the  Plymouth  fishermen.  We  have  several  specimens ;  it 
is  common  here,  and  is  occasionally  eaten,  though  its  forbidding  aspect 
prevents  its  general  use.  It  is  always  destroyed  when  caught,  as  the 
fishermen  imagine  it  deters  the  edible  crab  from  entering  the  crab-pots. 
Hyas,  sub-genus. 
H.  araneus.    Three  specimens  in  our  Museum  from  Plymouth  Sound, 

obtained  by  the  trawl. 
H.  coarctatus.     Plymouth  Sound  and  Salcombe  ;  Leach,  'Linn.  Trans.' 
xi.,  239. 


288  CATALOGUE  OF  THE  MALACOSTRACA 

Inachus,  sub-genus. 

I.  Dorsettensis.    Found  in  deep  water  at  the  mouths  of  rivers.    We  have 

three  specimens  from  Salcombe ;  Mr.  Prideaux. 
I.  dorhynchus.     Discovered  by  Dr.  Leach  among  some  of  the  preceding 
species  from  Kingsbridge  estuary.     Mr.  Couch  says  it  is  common  in 
Cornwall. 
I.  leptorhynchus,  (Leach,  '  Mai.  Brit.')    We  have  two  specimens  from 
Mr.  Prideaux,  taken  in  Bigbury  Bay. 
Ach^us,  sub-genus. 

A.  Cranchii,  (Leach,  '  Mai.  Brit.'  22).     Found,  though  rarely,  in  Devon 
and  Cornwall. 
Stenorhynchus,  (Macropodia,  Leach),  sub-genus. 

S.  tenuirostris.    Plymouth  Sound.    We  have  four  Devon  specimens ;  it 
is  also  common  in  Cornwall,  according  to  Mr.  Couch. 

Family  2.  Decapoda  macroura,  or  long-tailed  Decapods. 
Genus  ASTACUS. 

Section  1.  Anomala,  have  two  or  four  hind  feet,  always 
smaller  than  those  which  precede  them ;  the  under  part  of  the 
tail  never  displays  more  than  four  pairs  of  appendices  or  false 
feet,  the  lateral  fins  at  the  end  of  the  tail  do  not  form,  with 
the  last  segment,  a  fan- shaped  extremity. 

Pagurus,  sub-genus.  * 

P.  Streblonyx  ;  {Cancer  Bernhardus,  Linn.) ;  Hermit  or  Soldier  Crab. — 
Common  on  our  coast.  We  have  several  small  specimens  correspond- 
ing to  the  description  of  Pag.  araneiformis,  but  which  Dr.  Leach  con- 
siders to  be  the  young  of  the  former.  Mr.  Prideaux  tells  me  that  he 
found  two  different  species  on  this  coast,  one  of  which  has  been  named 
after  him  by  Dr.  Leach. 
P.  Prideauxianust  Leach, '  Diet,  des  Sciences  Nat.'  tome  xxviii. 

Section  2.  Locustce,  have  only  four  pairs  of  false  feet,  the 
posterior  extremity  of  the  fin  forming  the  tail  is  always  more 
membranous  than  the  rest;  all  the  feet  are  nearly  alike,  and 
pointed  at  the  end ;  the  thorax  is  almost  square,  without  any 
lance-shaped  prolongation. 

Scyllarus,  sub-genus. 

S.  tridentatus.    In  the  collection  of  Mr.  Comyns,  of  Dawlish,  Edin.  En. 
vii.  397 ;  but  I  am  doubtful  if  it  is  a  Devonshire  specimen. 
Palinurus,  sub-genus. 
P.  quadricornis,  (Fab.) ;  Thorny  Lobster,  or  Sea  Cray-Fish.     This  spe- 
cies is  sold  in  our  markets  under  the  name  of  "Crawfish."     It  is  very 
common :  we  have  one  specimen  in  the  Museum. 

Section  3.  Astacini,  are  distinguished  from  the  preceding 
by  the  form  of  the  two  anterior  feet,  which  terminate  by  a  di- 
dactylous  hand ;  the  extremity  of  the  tail  is  fan-shaped  ;  the 
thorax  is  narrow  in  front  and  the  forehead  more  or  less  pointed. 

Galathjea,  sub-genus. 

G.  spinigera,  oxstrigosa,  (Leach);  Plaited  Lobster.   Mr.  C.  Prideaux  has 


OF  SOUTH  DEVON.  289 

furnished  us  with  two  specimens  from  the  estuary  of  Salcombe.     It  is 
about  6  inches  long. 

G.  squamifera.  Discovered  by  Montagu  in  South  Devon,  where  it  is  not 
uncommon.  We  have  four  specimens,  they  are  about  5  inches  long. 
It  is  common  in  Cornwall,  (Couch). 

G.  rugosa,  or  Bamfia.     Very  rare :  Mr.  Prideaux  has  only  seen  three  spe- 
cimens, which  were  obtained  by  trawling  in  Plymouth  Sound. 
Porcellana,  sub-genus. 

P.  platycheles.  Found  in  Devon  under  stones,  at  low  tides ;  Leach,  Ed. 
Ency.  vii.  398.  We  have  four  specimens.  They  are  common  also  in 
Cornwall,  says  Mr.  Couch. 

P.  hexapus,  (Pisidia,  Leach).  Found  on  the  roots  of  fuci  after  storms. 
We  have  one  Devon  specimen. 

P.  Leachii,  Gray.     I  am  not  aware  if  this  was  found  in  Devonshire,  al- 
though it  is  probable ;  it  is  common  in  Cornwall,  (Couch). 
Megalopa,  sub-genus. 

M.  Montagui,  (Cancer  rhomboidalis,  Mont.)  Three  lines  long :  found  in 
Devonshire,  Leach, '  Mai.  Brit.' 

M.  armata,  (Leach,  'Diet,  des  Sciences  Nat.'  tome  xxviii).     Found  in 
Bigbury  Bay,  Prideaux. 
Gebia,  sub-genus. 

G.  stellata,  (Cancer  Astacus  stellatus,  Mont.)  Obtained  from  Salcombe 
estuary,  in  holes  in  the  sand  made  by  solens  &c.  It  is  very  rare  ;  we 
have  one  specimen  from  that  locality. 

G.  deltaiira.     Found  in  similar  situations  as  the  last  by  Cranch  and  J. 
Sowerby  Jun.  Leach, '  Linn.  Trans.'  vol.  xi.  342. 
Callianassa,  sub-genus. 

C.  subterranea,     Found  by  Montagu  in  sand  at  Salcombe,  "  haud  valde 
infrequens,"  Leach, '  Linn.  Trans.'  xi.  343.     We  have  two  specimens 
from  Mr.  Prideaux. 
Axius,  sub-genus. 

A.  stirhynchus.      Rare :  specimens  found  at  Sidmouth  and  Plymouth, 
Leach,  'Linn.  Trans.'  xi.  343.     Mr.  Couch  has  seen  it  in  Cornwall, 
and  thinks  its  rarity  may  only  arise  from  its  retired  habits. 
Astacus,  sub-genus. 

A.  marinus,  the  Lobster.     Common. 

A.jluviatilis,  (Lat),  the  river  Crawfish.  I  am  doubtful  if  this  be  com- 
mon in  our  rivers,  as,  on  trying  to  procure  specimens  we  are  sure  to 
have  the  Palinurus  sent.  We  have,  however,  a  good  Devon  specimen 
in  our  Museum,  from  Mr.  Prideaux. 

A.  Norvegicus,  (Nephrops,  Leach).  Rare :  we  have  two  excellent  Devon 
specimens  in  our  Museum. 

Section  4.  Carides,  have  the  body  arched  and  less  solid 
than  in  the  preceding  ;  the  front  is  always  pointed,  compress- 
ed, and  toothed  on  its  edges ;  antennae  always  advanced,  la- 
teral ones  very  long,  the  exterior  jaw-feet,  being  very  long, 
resemble  antennae ;  one  of  the  first  pair  of  feet  is  often  dou- 
bled on  itself;  the  segments  of  the  tail  are  dilated  laterally; 
the  exterior  leaflet  of  the  terminal  fin  always  divided  into  two 
by  a  suture,  the  middle  piece  elongated  and  spinous  above ; 
the  false  feet,  five  pairs  in  number,  are  long  and  foliaceous. 

Pen^us,  sub-genus. 

P.  trisulcatus  (Leach, '  Mai.  Brit.'  42)  of  our  coast  is  a  local  variety  of  the 
Vol.  III.— No.  30.  n.  s.  2  g 


290  CATALOGUE  OF  THE  MALACOSTRACA 

Pen.  sulcatus  of  Olivier  according  to  Cuvier,  'Regne  Animal,'  iv.  92. 
Crangon,  sub-species. 

C.  vulgaris,  Shrimp.     Common  on  our  coast. 

C.  spinosus,  (Pontophilus,  Leach,  Egeon  loricatus,  Risso).      Obtained  in 

Plymouth  Sound  by  Mr.  C.  Prideaux.     Mr.  Couch  says  it  is  l£  inch 

long,  with  the  carapace  covered  with  spines  in  regular  rows,  and  the 

chelce  singularly  formed :  he  has  only  seen  one  specimen,  which  was 

taken  from  the  stomach  of  a  fish. 
Processa,  sub-genus. 

P.  canaliculata,  (Nika,  Leach).     Found  at  Torcross  by  Montagu. 
Hippolyte,  sub-genus. 

H.  varians.     Rocky  shores  of  Devon,  plentiful ;  Leach, '  Mai.  Brit.' 
H.  inermis.     "  Habitat  cum  praecedente ; "  Leach, '  Lin.  Trans.'  xi.  347. 

Taken  by  dredging  at  Torcross ;  '  Linn.  Trans.'  ix. 
H.  Prldeauxiana.  Devon  coast ;  Leach, '  Mai.  Brit.' 
H.  Moorii,    Plymouth.    Named  by  Leach  after  a  friend  and  cotempo- 

rary  of  his  at  Plymouth. 
H.  Cranchii.    Found  in  the  crab-pots  here  and  in  Cornwall. 
Pandalus,  sub-genus. 

P.  annulicomis.    Coast  of  Devon,  common,  particularly  in  summer,  when 

they  yield  a  greater  supply  than  the  true  shrimp.     Museum  of  the  Ply- 
mouth Institution. 
Pal^mon,  sub-genus. 

P.  serratus,  (Pal.  Squilla  of  Latreille),  Prawn.      Devon  coast ;  Leach, 

*  Linn.  Trans.'  xi.  343.     They  are  not  very  common  at  Plymouth. — 

Museum  of  the  Plymouth  Institution. 
P.  Squilla.     "  Habitat  cum  praecedente  in  Danmonia  australi  vulgate ;" 

Leach,  ubi  supra. 
P.  varians.    "  Habitat  in  Danmonia ; "  Leach, '  Linn.  Trans.'  xi. 
Athanas,  sub-genus. 

A.  nitescens.     Found  in  South  Devon  by  Montagu ;  Leach, '  Edin.  Enc' 

vii.  401 . 

Section  5.  Schizopoda,  have  the  feet  void  of  pincers,  slen- 
der, and  in  form  of  lashes,  exclusively  adapted  for  swimming; 
the  ova  are  placed  between  them,  and  not  under  the  tail ;  eye- 
pedicles  very  short ;  the  front  is  pointed  or  beaked,  the  shell 
is  thin,  and  the  tail  ends  in  a  fin,  as  usual. 

Mysis,  sub-genus. 

M.  spinulosus,  (Prannus  flexuosus  of  Leach,  'Edin.  Ency.'  vii.  401;  and 
Cancer  multipes,  Montagu,  'Linn.  Trans.'  ix.)  Mr.  Couch  states  that 
this  has  been  named  the  "  Opossum  Shrimp,"  from  carrying  its  ova  and 
young  under  the  thorax,  but  that  he  has  reason  to  think  it  is  the  male 
only  which  does  this,  in  a  similar  manner  to  the  Syngnathi.  It  is  com- 
mon in  Cornwall  as  well  as  here,  and  migrates  regularly  into  fresh 
water. 

M.  (Cancer  scorpionides  of  Montagu ;  Diastylis  of  Say.    See '  Diet, 

des  Sciences  Nat.'  tome  xxviii.  337). 
Nebalia,  sub-genus. 

N.  Herbstii.  Placed  here  by  some,  this  species  has  been  removed  by  Cu- 
vier into  Entomostraca,  Order  Branchiopoda.  It  is  common  both  in 
Devon  and  Cornwall. 


OF  SOUTH  DEVON.  291 

Order  II. — Crustacea  Stomapoda.  These  have  their  bran- 
chiae exposed  and  adherent  to  five  pairs  of  appendices,  situ- 
ated under  the  abdomen  (the  tail)  ;  their  shell  is  divided  into 
two  parts,  the  anterior  of  which  carries  the  eyes  and  interme- 
diate antennae,  or  forms  the  head,  without  bearing  the  jaw- 
feet  ;  these  organs,  as  well  as  the  four  anterior  feet  often  ap- 
proximate the  mouth  in  two  converging  lines ;  hence  the 
name  Stomapoda. 

Family  1.   Unipeltata,  single-shelled  Stomapods. 

Genus  SQUILL  A. 

Squilla,  sub-genus. 

S.  Desmarestii.  We  have  a  good  specimen  in  our  Museum  from  Jersey. 
Mr.  Couch  has  found  it  also  at  Polperro,  which,  being  very  near  us,  I 
have  no  doubt  that  future  investigation  will  find  it  on  our  coast. 

MALACOSTRACA  with  sessile,  immoveable  eyes. 

Order  III. — Crustacea  Amphipoda  are  the  only  Malacos- 
traca  of  this  division,  whose  mandibles  are  provided  with  a 
palpus,  or  whose  sub-caudal  appendages  resemble  false  or  fin 
feet,  by  their  cilia,  &c. ;  in  the  following  orders  these  parts 
are  laminae  or  scales ;  these  cilia  or  hairs  appear  to  consti- 
tute their  branchiae ;  many  have  vescicular  pouches  between 
their  feet,  the  use  of  which  is  unknown ;  the  antemice,  mostly 
four  in  number,  are  advanced,  terminating  in  a  point ;  body 
compressed  and  curved  posteriorly ;  appendages  of  the  tail 
resemble  small  articulated  stylets ;  most  of  them  swim  and 
leap  with  facility,  always  on  one  side. 

Genus  GA MM AR  US. 

Section  1.  Those  with  fourteen  feet,  all  ending  in  a  hook 
or  point. 

Division  1.   Uroptera. 

Hyperia,  sub-genus. 

H.  (Cancer  Gammarus  monoculo'ides,  Mont.  *  Linn.  Trans.'  xi.) 

Phrosine,  sub-genus. 

P.  (Can.  Gam.  Galba.  Mont,  'Linn.  Trans.'  xi.)    Plymouth  Mu- 

seum. 

Division  2.  Gammarince. 

Ione,  sub-genus. 

I.  thoracica,  (Oniscus  thoracicus,  Mont. '  Linn.  Trans.'  ix.)  found  on  the 
Callianassa  subterraneat  *  Edinb.  Enc'  vii.  406. 
Orchestia,  sub-genus. 

O.  littvrea,  (Can.  Gam.  littoreus,  Mont.  '  Linn.  Trans.'  ix.)  Plymouth 
Museum. 


292  CATALOGUE  OF  THE  MALACOSTRACA 

Talitrus,  sub-genus. 

T.  locusta,  (Can.  Gam.  saltator,  Mont.     Linn.  Trans.'  ix.),  Sandhopper. 
The  Tal.  littoralis  of  'Edin.  Ency.' vii.  402.  is  the  female;  see  '  Linn. 
Trans.'  xi.  356.     Plymouth  Museum. 
Gammarus,  sub-genus. 

G.  aquaticus,  (pulex  of  '  Edin.  Ency.'  vii.  402).     In  fresh  water  and  ri- 
vulets, Leach,  '  Linn.  Trans.'  xi.  359. 
G.  marinus.     In  the  sea,  South  Devon ;  Leach,  '  Linn.  Trans.'  xi. 
G.  locusta.     In  tide  pools;  Mont.  '  Linn.  Trans.'  ix. 
G.  obtusatus,     (Mont.  '  Linn.  Trans.'  ix.) 
Melita,  sub-genus. 

M.  palmata.     Under  stones  on  the  shore  at  Plymouth ;  Leach,  '  Ed.  En. 
vii.  403. 

MjERa,  sub-genus. 

M,  grossimana,  (Can.  Gam.  grossimanus).     In  tide  pools ;  Mont.  '  Linn. 
Trans.'  ix. 
Ampithoe,  sub-genus. 

A.  rubricata.     Rare ;  Mont.  *  Linn.  Trans.'  ix. 
Pherusa,  sub-genus. 

P.fucicola.    On fuci,  South  Devon;  Leach,  'Linn.  Trans.'  xi. 
Dexamine,  sub-genus. 

D.  spinosa.    At  Torcross ;  Mont,  and  Leach, '  Linn.  Trans.'  xi. 
Leucothoe,  sub-genus. 

L.  articulosa.     Devon ;  Mont.  '  Linn.  Trans.'  vii. 
Podocerus,  sub-genus. 

P.  variegatus.     On  fuci  and  corallines ;  Leach, '  Ed.  Ency.'  vii.  433. 
Jassa,  sub-genus. 

J.  pulchella.     On  fuci  ;  Leach,  '  Linn.  Trans.'  xi.  361. 

J.  (Gam.falcatus,  Mont.);  Leach,  '  Linn.  Trans.' xi. 

Section  2.  Heteropa,  with  fourteen  feet,  of  which  the  four 
last  only  are  adapted  for  swimming. 

Apsendes,  sub-genus. 

A.  Talpa,  (Can.  Gam.  Talpa,  Mont. '  Linn.  Trans.'  ix). 

Section  3.  Decempedes,  those  having  ten  feet. 

Ancens,  sub-genus. 

A.  maxillaris,  (Gnathea,  Leach  ;  Can.  maxillaris,  Mont.  'Linn.  Tr.'  vii.) 
Pranzia,  sub-genus. 

P.  cceruleata,  (Oniscus,  Mont.  '  Linn.  Trans.'  xi. 

Order  IV. — Lcemodipoda,  present  no  distinct  branchia  at 
the  posterior  extremity  of  the  body,  have  scarcely  any  tail, 
the  last  two  feet  being  inserted  at  this  end  ;  and  they  are  the 
only  Malacostraca  in  which  the  two  anterior  feet  form  a  por- 
tion of  the  head ;  their  body  is  linear,  composed  of  eight  or 
nine  articulations ;  feet  terminated  by  a  strong  hook.  The 
females  carry  their  ova  imder  the  second  or  third  segments  of 
the  body,  in  a  pouch  formed  of  approximated  scales. 


OF  SOUTH  DEVON.  293 

Genus  CYAMUS. 

Leptombra,  sub-genus. 

L.  (Proto,  Leach ;  Can.  Gam.  pedatus,  Mont. '  Linn.  Trans.'  xi.) 

Caprella,  sub-genus. 

C.phasma,  Lamarck,  (Cancer  phasma,  Mont.  ■  Linn.  Trans.'  vii.) 

C.penantis.     Devon ;  Leach, '  Edin.  Encyc'  vii.  404. 

C.  acanthifera.     Ditto. 

Order  V. — Isopoda,  want  palpi  to  their  mandibles;  feet 
always  fourteen  in  number,  unguiculated,  and  without  vesci- 
cular  appendages  at  the  base  ;  under  part  of  tail  furnished 
with  leaflets  or  vescicular  pouches,  the  two  exterior  usually 
covering  the  others ;  body  generally  flattened ;  the  females 
carry  their  ova  under  the  breast ;  the  young  are  born  with  the 
form  and  parts  proper  to  their  species,  and  only  change  the 
skin  while  growing. 

Genus  ONISCUS. 

Section  1.  Epicarides. 

Bopyrus,  sub-genus. 

B.  crangorum,  (Oniscus  squillorum,  '  Mont.  Linn.  Trans.'  ix.) 

Section  2.    Cymothoades. 

Rocinela,  sub-genus. 

R.  Danmoniensis.     Plymouth  Sound ;  Leach, '  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat.'  xii. 
Conilera,  sub-genus. 

C.  Montagui.     Sal  combe  estuary ;  Leach,  ditto. 
Eurydice,  sub-genus. 

E.  pulchra.     Bantham,  vulgatissime ;  Leach. 
Limnoria,  sub-genus. 

L.  terebrans.     I  have  shown  this  to  be  too  common  at  Plymouth ;  see 
'Mag.  Nat.  Hist.'  vol.  ii.,  New  Series,  p.  206. 

Section  3.  Sph<Bromides. 

Sph^roma,  sub-genus. 

S.  serrata.     Devon ;  Leach, '  Linn.  Trans.'  xi.  368. 

S.  Prideauxiana.     Leach,  '  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat.'  xii. 

S.  rugicauda.  Wierhead  on  the  Tamar ;  Leach, '  Ed.  En.'  vii.  405. 
NjEsa,  sub-genus. 

N.  bidentata.     Leach, '  Ed.  En.'  vii.  405. 

N.  hirsuta,  (Campecopea,  Leach).  Devon;  Mont.  '  Linn.  Trans.'  vii. 
Cymodocea,  sub-genus. 

C.  truncata.     On  fuci,  rare;  '  Ed.  Ency.'  vii.  433. 

C.  emarginata.     Mount  Edgecumbe  ;  Leach,  '  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat.'  xii. 
Dynamene,  sub-genus. 

D.  Montagui.     Leach, '  Diet,  des  Sci.  Nat.'  xii. 
Anthura,  sub-genus. 

A.  gracilis,  (Oniscus,  Mont.  '  Linn.  Trans.'  ix.)     Very  rare. 


294  ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 

Section  4.  Idoteides. 

Idotea,  sub-genus. 

I.  entomon,  (Oniscus  marinus,  Penn.)     Plentiful ;  'Ed.  Enc.'  vii.  404. 
Stenosoma,  sub-genus. 

S.  acuminatum.    "  Semel  obvium,"  Leach, '  Mem.  Wern.  Soc'  ii. 

Section  5.   Asellotes. 

Asellus,  sub-genus. 

A.  vulgaris,  (Oniscus,  Linn.)     Ditches  and  wells;  '  Diet.  Sci.  Nat.'  v. 
Oniscoda,  sub-genus. 

O.  (Janira,  Leach)  maculosa.     Devon  coast,  rare;  '  Mem.  Wern.  Soc'  ii. 
JjERa,  sub-genus. 

J.  albifrons.    Very  common  ;  Leach, '  Ed.  En.'  vii.  434. 

Section  6.   Cloportides. 

Lig  i  a,  sub-genus. 

L.  oceanica,  (et  scopulorum).     Rocks,  Devon.     Museum  of  the  Plymouth 
Institution. 
Oniscus,  sub-genus. 

O.  Asellus,  Wood-louse.     Common. 
Porcellio,  sub-genus. 

P.  Icevis.     Devon,  rare  ;  Leach, '  Edinb.  Enc'  vii.  406. 
Armadillo,  sub-genus. 

A.  vulgaris,  (Oniscus,  Linn.)     Roots  of  trees  and  rocks ;  Leach, '  Edinb. 
Encycl.'  vii.  406. 

Plymouth,  Aug.  28th,  1838. 


Art.  VII. — On  the  Anatomy  of  the  Lamellibranchiate  Conchiferous 
Animals.    By  Robert  Garner,  Esq.,  F.L.S. 

(  Continued  from  Page  171  J. 
EXCRETORY  SYSTEM. 

The  veins  of  the  mantle  are  large  and  numerous^  and  are, 
when  shown  by  injection,  curiously  and  regularly  disposed. 
These  veins  probably  furnish  the  calcareous  matter,  which 
exudes,  and  forms  the  shell.  They  often  contain  carbonate 
of  lime,  which,  examined  by  the  microscope,  is  seen  to  be  in 
the  form  of  minute  spicula.  At  some  periods  the  blood  con- 
tains more  of  this  matter  than  at  others ;  thus  in  the  fresh- 
water muscle  anatomists  have  been  puzzled  to  account  for 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANOHIATA.  295 

the  appearance,  at  certain  times,  of  a  greyish  matter  diffused 
over  the  whole  body,  and  entering  into  all  the  tissues.  We 
know  that  the  shell  is  more  enlarged  at  some  periods  than  at 
others,  and  this  accumulation  may  precede  the  deposition,  as 
a  provision  for  its  accomplishment ;  or  it  may  be  for  the  pur- 
pose of  being  thrown  off  by  the  excretory  organs,  as  it  is  in 
the  veins  which  surround  them  that  the  accumulation  princi- 
pally takes  place.  The  grey  matter  is  certainly  composed  of 
carbonate  of  lime. 

The  excretory  organs  throw  off  mucus  and  colouring  mat- 
ter, as  well  as  carbonate  of  lime.  The  latter  is  often  found 
within  them  in  concretions  of  a  crystalline  appearance,  and 
of  an  orange,  pink,  or  purple  colour.  The  situation  of  these 
organs  has  been  described  above.  In  all  molluscous  animals 
they  are  between  the  branchiae  and  veins  returning  from  the 
body.  In  the  Pecten,  a  minute  orifice  leads  directly  on  each 
side  into  them.  The  oviducts  likewise  enter  them.  Above 
each  excretory  sac  leads  into  a  single  transverse  cavity  under 
the  pericardium.  In  the  Unio  &c,  an  orifice,  close  to  that 
of  the  oviduct,  leads  into  a  large  cavity  of  the  mantle,  under 
the  pericardium,  into  which  the  secreting  organ  opens  by  an 
internal  orifice.  Boj  anus  was  not  aware  of  this  internal  open- 
ing, or  he  probably  would  not  have  considered  these  organs 
to  be  lungs.  The  external  orifice  is  seen  to  open  at  the  an- 
terior angle  formed  by  the  foot  and  the  branchice.  The  ovi- 
duct is  also  distinct  from  the  sac  in  Modiola,  Mytilus,  Litho- 
domus,  &c,  whilst  in  Tellina,  Cardium,  Mactra,  Pholas, 
Mya,  and  most  others,  the  ova  are  discharged  into  the  secret- 
ing organs.  Generally  the  secreting  orifice  is  near  the  pos- 
terior muscle,  and  the  oviduct  more  anterior.  The  former  is 
often  minute  and  difficult  to  find,  and  in  the  oyster  it  is  ab- 
sent altogether,  and  there  is  little  trace  of  the  excretory  or- 
gans themselves :  here  we  may  conclude,  from  the  great 
quantity  of  calcareous  matter  thrown  off  to  the  internal  part 
of  the  valves,  that  the  vessels  have  not  become  perfected  into 
a  gland,  but,  as  is  common  in  higher  Mollusca,  throw  off  from 
their  extremities  distributed  to  the  mantle,  the  excretions, 
which,  in  a  more  perfect  organization,  are  only  got  rid  off  by 
being  secreted  by  a  glandular  organ,  and  thrown  out  by  an 
excreting  orifice.  Swammerdam1  considered  these  organs  to 
be  concerned  in  the  formation  of  the  shell,  as  did  Poli,  who 
terms  them  "  the  testaceous  viscera.''''  Blainville,  in  his  re- 
marks on  the  opinions  of  Boj  anus  regarding  them,  compares 
them  to  kidneys  ;  and  the  author  thinks  he  has  said  much  to 

1  BiWia  Naturae. 


296  ANATOMY  OF  TPIE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 

confirm  this  opinion;  and  that  what  happens  in  the  higher 
animals  with  regard  to  the  liver,  as  to  its  circulation,  takes 
place  here  in  these  organs. l 

An  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  anatomy  of  the  Radiata 
and  Mollusca,  will  show  that  where  there  is  a  shell  secreted, 
some  part  of  the  venous  system  goes  to  form  a  spongy  organ 
or  pair  of  organs,  which  communicate  with  the  exterior,  and 
secrete  a  calcareous  matter,  when  the  system  is  not  unloaded 
at  the  periods  of  the  formation  of  the  shell.  Thus,  in  the 
Stellerides,  below  the  calcareous  disk,  noticed  on  the  dorsal 
surface,  the  veins  of  the  viscera  meet,  and  become  conjoined 
with  a  brownish  spongy  substance,  forming  two  organs  which 
probably  open  without,  through  this  disk  or  plate,  and  com- 
municate on  the  other  hand  with  certain  canals  in  which  the 
water  circulates.2  The  Tunicata,  having  but  a  trace  of  cal- 
careous parts,  as  has  been  described  above,  have  only  a  ru- 
diment of  the  secreting  organs.  In  the  Gasteropoda,  a  se- 
creting organ  always  exists  when  there  is  a  shell.  Tt  has 
two  systems  of  veins, — branches  sent  from  the  visceral 
veins,  the  ramifications  of  which  form  its  tissue, — and  others 
which  enter  the  auricle  from  it.  In  the  Patella  it  opens  by 
the  oviduct  and  rectum,  and  is  situated  over  the  viscera ; 
Blainville  considers  it  to  be  the  organ  of  respiration  in  these 
animals ;  it  is  here  single.  There  are  two  in  the  Chiton ; 
their  orifices  are  between  the  branchial  processes,  not  far  from 
the  openings  of  the  oviducts.  In  Eolida  and  Tritonia,  na- 
ked genera  destitute  of  a  shell,  the  author  does  not  find  them. 
In  the  Doris  there  is  a  sac,  as  is  described  by  Cuvier,  open- 
ing near  the  anus,  which  is  probably  the  organ  of  secretion ; 
and  in  some  species  of  this  animal,  it  may  be  seen  that  there 
is  much  calcareous  matter  in  the  dorsal  tegument.  In  Bul- 
Icea  aperta  there  is  a  small  shell,  and  also,  though  unnoticed 
by  Cuvier,  two  small  glands,  situated  on  each  side  the  mouth, 
of  a  greenish  colour ;  their  situation  is  perhaps  so,  from  the 
disposition  of  these  organs  to  connect  themselves  with  the 
generative  outlets,  which,  in  part,  are  situated  in  this  animal 

1  Uric  acid  has  been  found  in  the  excretory  organ  of  the  Gasteropoda, 
Jacobson,  'Journ.  de  Phys.'  t  91 ;  and  in  those  of  the  Lamellibranchiata, 
Treviranus,  Zeitschrift,  &c. 

2  From  this  disk  extends  likewise,  by  the  side  of  the  dark  spongy  sub- 
stance, into  the  circular  union  of  the  canals,  which  run  in  the  centre  of  the 
radiated  rows  of  articulated  pieces,  a  cylindrical  calcareous  part,  itself  arti- 
culated. The  author  considers  this  part  to  be  analogous  to  the  stem  of  the 
Pentacrinus,  but  become  internal  by  the  formation  of  the  dorsal  integu- 
ment. The  disk  appears  to  be  the  base  of  the  pedicle,  fixed  in  Pentacrinus . 
The  canals  are  analogous  to  those  for  which  we  see  the  perforations  in  the 
fossil  remains. 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.  297 

by  the  mouth.  In  the  Helix,  Buccinum,  and  all  the  Gaster- 
opoda in  which  the  shell  is  developed,  the  excretory  organ 
(the  mucous  sac  of  authors)  is  large,  and  its  circulation  is  as 
described  above.  It  opens  in  these  by  a  canal  near  the  anus, 
or  directly  by  a  wide  opening  into  the  respiratory  sac.  In 
the  last  case,  which  is  general  in  the  branchiated  spiral  Gas- 
teropoda, it  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  the  animal, 
by  means  of  it,  can  occasionally  respire  air,  as  well  as  water ; 
which  last  is  the  ordinary  medium  of  the  aeration  of  its  blood. 

In  the  Cephalopoda  two  papilla  open  on  each  side  below 
the  rectum,  leading  into  two  cavities  communicating  toge- 
ther, through  which  the  veins  of  the  animal  traverse.  These 
veins,  particularly  those  from  the  viscera,  are  covered  with 
glandular  processes  or  appendages,  which  secrete  matter, 
sometimes  accumulating  into  considerable  concretions,  evi- 
dently formed  of  carbonate  of  lime.  They  also  give  out  a 
mucous  fluid.  As  has  been  shown  by  Cuvier,  they  commu- 
nicate internally  with  the  veins,  and  air  blown  into  the  latter 
escapes  from  their  secreting  pores  into  the  cavity  in  which 
they  are  found.  The  hepatic  vein  separately  enters  the  cava 
before  its  bifurcation,  and  does  not  join  the  other  visceral 
veins ;  and  Cuvier  notices  that  the  latter  enter  the  cava  in  a 
direction  opposite  to  the  flow  of  blood,  and  the  orifices  of  the 
visceral  and  hepatic  veins  being  near,  the  blood  of  one  might 
be  directed  into  the  other.  Is  this  an  intermediate  state  of 
circulation  between  that  in  which  the  intestinal,  ovarian,  &c. 
blood  goes  to  the  liver,  and  that  in  which  the  hepatic,  intesti- 
nal and  ovarian  blood  all  goes  to  the  excretory  organ  ?  The 
bile-ducts  likewise  pass  through  this  cavity,  and  are  also  fur- 
nished with  appendages,  which  probably  secrete  a  similar 
matter  to  that  formed  by  those  of  the  veins.  * 

The  excretory  organs  are  more  or  less  circumscribed.  We 
see  on  their  internal  surface  depressions,  which  might  be  mis- 
taken for  the  open  orifices  of  vessels,  and  in  some  species  air 
blown  into  these  openings  gains  access  into  canals  extending 
in  the  manner  of  vessels  into  the  contiguous  parts  of  the  bo- 
dy, and  which,  from  their  connection  with  the  water  without, 
are  perhaps  analogous  to  the  hydroferous  canals  in  the  Radi- 
ata.  No  molluscous  animal  has  been  shown  to  possess  ab- 
sorbents; hence  the  necessity  of  the  hard  parts  being  external, 
and  out  of  the  circulation,  as  these  animals  have  no  means  of 


1  Cuvier  supposes  these  processes  to  be  for  the  purpose  of  absorbing  fluids 
from  the  cavities  in  which  they  are  found.  But  these  cavities  are  not  shut 
sacs.  Prof.  Grant  considers  the  processes  on  the  ducts  to  be  analogous  to 
the  pancreas. 

2  H 


298  ANATOMY  OF  TEH  LAMELIBRANCHIATA. 

providing  for  the  gradual  growth  and  change  of  an  internal 
skeleton  by  the  deposition  and  subtraction  of  its  compound 
particles. 

CILIA. 

The  branchice,  tentacles,  edges  of  the  mantle,  extremity  of 
the  foot,  internal  surface  of  the  siphons,  &c.  are,  in  these  ani- 
mals, more  or  less  covered  with  vibratile  cilia,  or  seta,  for  the 
purpose  of  producing  currents  in  the  water.  In  examining, 
under  the  microscope,  the  intestinal  tube  of  the  small  British 
species  of  Chiton,  taken  from  the  living  animal,  the  author 
observed  a  peculiar  motion  on  the  external  surface  of  its  pos- 
terior part.  This  arises  from  the  passage  of  the  intestine 
through  the  secreting  organs,  which  lie  between  the  viscera 
and  the  foot.  The  same  has  been  observed  on  the  intestine 
of  the  Cephalopoda, *  which  also  passes  through  the  secreting 
sac,  and  also  on  the  appendages  to  the  veins  of  those  animals. 
The  water  appears  to  enter  the  secreting  cavities  from  the 
existence  of  cilia.  The  existence  of  the  curious  appearance 
produced  by  the  existence  of  the  cilia,  was  noticed  by  Mul- 
ler,2  Heyde,3  Piquemare,4  Leuwenhoek,5  Lister,6  Baker,7 
&c.  By  some  of  these,  from  the  imperfection  of  their  instru- 
ments, the  appearance  was  attributed  to  the  circulation. — 
RaspaiP  has  shown  that  many  of  the  animalcules  described 
by  authors,  are  merely  vibratile  parts  of  higher  animals ;  and 
many  more  instances  of  the  same  mistake  might  be  given. — 
Dr.  Sharpey9  has  shown  that  some  of  the  higher  Vertebrata 
are  ciliated,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  branchice  of  the  tadpole. 
Swammerdam1  and  Cams2  in  the  embryo  of  the  Paludina, 
Stiebel3  and  Hugi4  in  that  of  the  Lymnceus,  Grant5  in  that 
of  the  Buccinum,  and  Leuwenhoek,6  Home,7  and  Cams8  in 
that  of  the  Unio,  have  noticed  a  rotatory  motion  of  the  em- 
bryo in  the  ovum,  evidently  owing  to  the  action  of  these  cilia, 
though  Cams  does  not  attribute  it  to  this  cause,  and  Home 

1  Professor  Grant  notices  "a  remarkable  peristaltic  action"  of  the  glands 
of  the  Loligo.    Jam.  Journal,  1826. 

2  Hist.  Vermium,  &c.         3  Anatomia  Mytuli.         4  Ency.  Meth.  Actinia. 

5  Arcana  Naturae.  6  Exercit.  Anatomic        7 On  the  Microscope. 

8  Bull.  Sciences  Nat.  1827;  Isis,  1829;  and  Ann.  Sci.  d'Observation,  1. 
9  Edin.  Med.  &  Surg.  Journ.  1830.     In  a  paper  read  before  the  Linnean 
Society,  in  1834,  the  author  lays  claim  to  a  few  observations  previously 
made  by  Dr.  Sharpey,  and  recorded  in  the  paper  here  referred  to,  in  the 
Med.  &  Surg.  Journ.,  which  the  author  had  not  seen. 

1  Bibel  der  Natur.       2  Von  den  iEusseren  Lebensbedingungen,  &c.  1824. 

3  Arch,  der  Physiol,  vol.  ii.  4  Isis,  1823.  5  Edin.  Journ.  1828. 

6  Arcan.  Natur.     7  Croonian  Lecture.     8  Neue  Untersuchungen,  &c.  1832 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.  299 

considered  the  rotation  caused  by  the  vibratile  cilia  in  the 
ova  of  the  Acephala  to  be  caused  by  a  species  of  Vibrio  get- 
ting into  the  interior  of  the  embryo,  and  feeding  upon  it. — 
The  latter  has  given  figures  of  this  supposed  animalcule  in 
its  different  stages  of  growth,  and  his  representation  is  merely 
that  of  a  branchial  process.  The  author  of  these  pages  has 
noticed  that  the  hydroferous  vessels  of  the  Beroe,  and  of  other 
Radiata,  are  internally  covered  with  cilia.  He  has  not  been 
able  to  find  them  at  all  in  any  crustaceous  or  cirrhopodous 
animal ;  nor  in  the  water-breathing  larvae  of  insects.  Dr. 
Sharpey  observed  them  on  the  branchiae  of  the  Patella  and 
Chiton,  and  on  those  of  the  Annelides.  He  was  unable  to 
see  them  in  the  Tunicata  ;  but  he  might  have  done  so  by  the 
aid  of  a  more  powerful  lens,  covering  the  meshes  of  the  bran- 
chial cavity ;  they  are  remarkably  small  in  these  animals. — 
On  the  branchiae  of  the  Cephalopoda  the  author,  though  he 
has  had  every  facility  of  investigation,  has  not  found  these 
organs,  so  general  in  water-breathing  animals ;  if  they  exist 
there,  they  are  particularly  minute.  They  are  present  in  the 
Actiniae  on  the  stomach  and  branchial  cavity ;  and  remarkable 
on  the  thread-like  bodies  dependant  from  the  sides  of  the  Act. 
plumosa.  In  the  Annelides  they  are  only  partially  found. — 
Their  use  being  to  excite  currents  in  the  water,  they  are,  per- 
haps, only  found  when  there  is  no  muscular  apparatus  to  an- 
swer that  end.  These  cilia  vary  in  size ;  sometimes,  invi- 
sible with  a  lens  of  T\j.  of  an  inch  focus,  they  may,  occasion- 
ally, be  discerned  with  one  of  weak  power,  or  even  by  the 
naked  eye. 

The  piercing  or  excavation  of  rocks,  wood,  &c,  by  these 
animals,  has  been  the  subject  of  some  dispute,  as  to  the  mode 
in  which  it  is  performed ;  and  from  the  ravages  committed 
by  them  on  shipping,  &c,  is  a  matter  of  interest.1  Some 
writers,  as  Montague,2  Turton,3  and  Osier,4  doubting  the 
possibility  of  its  being  effected  by  the  action  of  the  extremi- 
ties of  the  valves,  moved  by  the  muscles  of  the  animal,  have 
supposed  the  secretion  of  a  solvent  fluid.  Were  the  exist- 
ence of  organs  which  might  secrete  it  demonstrated,  it  is  not 
probable  that  a  fluid  capable  of  dissolving  so  many  different 
substances, — rocks  of  different  compositions,  wood,  lava,  ma- 
drepores, &c, — could  be  formed ;  or,  if  so,  act  on  the  sur- 
rounding bodies  without  injuring  the  shell  of  the  animal. — 
Others,  as  Reaumur,5  Argenville,9  &c.  have  believed  that  the 

1  Blondel,  sur  les  Lithodomes,  Mem.  Acad.  Sci.  Par.  t.  i.  Parsons,  Phil. 
Trans,  vol.  xv.     Rousset,  sur  les  Tarets,  1733.     Sellius,  Hist.  Tered.  1733 

2  Linn.  Trans.         3  Conchological  Dictionary.         4  Phil.  Trans.  1826. 

5  Mem.  Acad.  Sciences,  1710.  6  Id.  loc.  1712. 


300  ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 

rocks  are  bored  when  soft ;  but  this  certainly,  in  many  cases, 
cannot  be  the  case. l  They  who  believe  the  phenomenon  to 
be  accomplished  by  the  action  of  the  valves,  differ  as  to  the 
way  in  which  they  suppose  them  to  act ;  some  thinking  it  is 
by  a  filing,  others  by  a  rotatory  motion.  All  animals  which 
have  the  power  of  exciting  currents  in  the  water,  appear  to 
be  able  to  excavate  the  most  solid  materials  when  they  are 
exposed  to  the  action  of  such  currents  ;  thus  other  animals, 
besides  the  Lamellibranchiata,  have  such  a  power.  The 
Patella,  for  instance,  when  sticking  to  a  rock  of  soft  texture, 
forms  a  hole  or  pit,  sometimes  an  inch  in  depth  ;  and  this  it 
appears  to  do  by  the  action  of  the  streams  of  water,  brought 
in  by  the  circle  of  branchial  processes,  situated  around  the 
foot,  a  cast  as  it  were  of  which  may  be  seen  on  the  floor  of 
the  cavity.  This  hole  cannot  be  made  by  the  shell,  as  it  fits 
exactly  in  it,  and  is  of  a  figure  such  as  to  allow  of  no  rotation. 
The  Hipponyx,7-  another  similar  gasteropode,  forms  cavities 
in  the  Patella  and  other  shells  to  which  it  adheres.  In  the 
piercing  bivalves  we  always  find  the  apices  of  the  valves  in  a 
particular  direction,  being  constantly  superior  when  the  bore 
is  inclined ;  and  it  is  certain  there  can  be  no  rotation,  as  the 
cavity,  in  many  instances,  does  not  admit  of  it.  The  crypts 
of  the  Saxicava,  for  instance,  are  not  circular ;  hence  M.  de 
Bellevue  and  Osier  in  this  instance,  suppose  them  to  be  formed 
by  the  action  of  the  phosphoric  acid  secreted  by  the  animal, 
and  they  suppose  that  genus  to  inhabit  only  rocks  composed 
of  carbonate  of  lime.  But  it  may  be  asked,  in  opposition, 
how  the  valves  of  the  animal  themselves  are  preserved  un- 
touched ?  Neither  is  it  true,  as  the  author  of  this  has  con- 
vinced himself,  that  the  Saxicava  is  found  only  in  chalky  and 
limestone  rocks.  The  valves  are  often  rounded  at  their  ex- 
tremity, or  so  thin  and  fragile  as  to  be  ill  adapted  for  mecha- 
nical action.  When,  as  in  the  Pholades,  the  anterior  extre- 
mities appear  more  suited  for  such  an  effect,  they,- on  inspec- 
tion, commonly  present  no  appearance  of  having  been  worn 
by  such  an  usage ;  on  the  contrary,  their  processes  seem  quite 
perfect,  whilst  the  sides  of  the  valves,  from  the  sliding  of  the 
animal  in  its  cell,  are  often  nearly  worn  through.  It  appears 
then  that  the  mechanical  apparatus  of  the  different  boring 
animals  of  this  class  is  insufficient  to  account  for  their  power 
of  excavation ;  and  we  must  attribute  it  principally  to  the  ac- 

1  The  history  of  the  temple  of  Serapis  at  Pozzuoli  has  been  brought  for- 
ward on  this  point,  by  many  authors.     There  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  has 
been  inundated  by  the  sea,  at  which  time  its  pillars  were  bored  as  they  are 
now  seen.     See  Lyell,  Geology  ;  and  Stark,  Brewster's  Edin.  Journ.  vol.  v 
2  Such  specimens  may  be  seen  in  the  British  Museum. 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.  301 

tion  of  the  ciliated  foot  and  tentacles  causing  a  never-ceasing 
vortex  at  the  inferior  extremity  of  the  cell.  In  some  of  these 
animals,  too,  the  body  is  much  produced,  having  the  tube  of 
its  mantle  garnished  with  its  continuous  branchiae,  the  cilia 
of  which  must  give  great  force  to  the  rushing  column  of  wa- 
ter. If  any  species  make  use  of  its  valves  as  adjutory,  it 
would  be  the  Teredo,  which  attacks  the  hard  planks  of  ships. 
On  inspection,  these  certainly  seem  well  adapted  to  act  as 
line  rasps  j  and  though  it  has  been  said  by  Turton  that  they 
do  not  correspond  with  the  bore,  they  perhaps  are  so  used, 
aided  however  by  the  action  of  the  water:  here  however,  par- 
ticularly in  the  young  animal,  they  are  very  fragile,  and  would 
break  if  used  in  a  violent  rotatory  manner.  It  may  be  added 
that  the  author  has  found  the  Pholas  conoides  in  timber,  al- 
though its  valves  do  not  seem  in  the  least  adapted  for  such 
an  action.  According  to  Home,1  Hatchett  found  sawdust  in 
the  stomach  of  the  Teredo,  but  it  is  questionable  whether  this 
was  anything  more  than  the  ordinary  pulp  therein  contained. 

Certain  Annelides  apparently  possess  this  power  of  exca- 
vation. The  rocks  on  our  coast  are  pierced  by  a  minute 
worm,  probably  of  the  genus  Diplotis  of  Montague.  Its  mouth 
does  not  seem  adapted  for  such  an  action,  and  many,  like  the 
one  just  named,  have  their  branchiae,  mouth,  and  tentacular 
appendages  ciliated ;  but  it  remains  for  future  investigation 
to  decide  whether  this  circumstance  gives  them  the  power 
which  they  possess.  It  appears  to  be  from  the  action  of  Vor- 
ticellae  and  other  vibratile  animalcules,  that  the  erosion  noti- 
ced in  so  many  shells  at  the  beaks,  particularly  the  fluviatile 
ones,  takes  place.  At  the  beaks  the  laminae  are  softer,  and 
more  distant  from  each  other,  so  that  they  are  more  easily 
acted  upon  by  destructive  agents.  We  find  the  valves  of  the 
oyster,  Pecten,  Lutraria,  &c.  perforated  by  small  circular 
apertures  externally,  leading  into  internal  cavities.  Dr.  Buck- 
land2  showed  this  to  depend  upon  the  action  of  a  zoophyte, 
which  Professor  Grant3  has  particularly  examined,  and  named 
Clionia  celata.  Dr.  Buckland  considers  the  holes  to  be  form- 
ed by  little  borers,  which  the  polypes  possess :  these,  how- 
ever do  not  exist,  and  the  author  believes  the  phenomenon  to 
be  caused  by  the  action  of  the  cilia  of  the  animal.4 

All  the  Lamellibranchiata  are  inhabitants  of  the  water,  al- 
though some  will  live  for  months  in  a  dry  place,  provided  the 

1  Lectures  on  Comparative  Anatomy. 
2  Rev.  W.  Coneybeare,  on  a  remarkable  class  of  organic  impressions,  Geol. 
Trans.  1814.  3  Fleming,  British  Zoology. 

4  Many  otlier  animals,  as  some  of  the  Cirrhopoda,  Radiata,  &c.  excavate 
the  rocks  without  any  apparent  mechanical  means. 


302  ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 

evaporation  of  the  water  within  their  valves  is  prevented. — 
The  Uniones  and  Anodontae  will  live  a  very  long  time  in  mud 
without  the  access  of  any  other  water  than  that  contained  in 
it.  *  It  has  been  said  that  salt  water  bivalves  will  live  in  fresh 
water,  and  vice  versa.  Freminviller2  states,  that  the  Unio, 
Anodonta,  and  Cyclas,  are  found  in  the  Gulf  of  Livonia,  to- 
gether with  the  Tellina,  Venus,  &c.  Nilson  3  says  the  same 
of  some  part  of  the  Norwegian  shore.  From  the  following 
experiments  the  reader  will  perhaps  conclude  that  in  these 
places  there  is  an  influx  of  both  salt  and  fresh  water.  To  as- 
certain whether  respiration  could  go  on,  the  habitat  being  so 
changed,  the  author  took  a  portion  of  the  branchiae  of  a  Mac- 
tra,  and  placed  it  in  fresh  water  for  one  minute  ;  the  cilia, 
strongly  in  action  befere  the  experiment,  stopped  in  their  vi- 
bration, and  could  not  be  restored  by  immersion  in  sea  water. 
Five  grains  of  common  salt  were  added  to  an  ounce  of  fresh 
water,  and  a  portion  of  the  branchiae  placed  in  the  solution, 
when  the  vibration  ceased.  In  a  solution  of  ten  grains  of 
common  salt  to  an  ounce  of  fresh  water,  the  vibration  was 
continued,  as  it  was  in  a  solution  of  twenty  grains  to  the  ounce. 
In  a  solution  of  thirty  grains  to  the  ounce,  it  went  on  for  a 
time,  but  shortly  stopped.  After  a  portion  of  branchial  mem- 
brane had  been  stopped  in  its  action  by  momentary  immersion 
in  a  strong  brine,  or  in  fresh  water,  it  was  restored  by  the  se- 
cond solution  of  ten  grains  to  the  ounce ;  but  a  Mactra,  of 
which  the  branchiae  were  exposed  for  a  longer  period  to  the 
action  of  fresh  water,  did  not  recover  itself,  though  directly 
afterwards  returned  to  its  native  element.  Sea  water,  or  a 
solution  of  two  grains  of  common  salt  to  an  ounce  of  fresh 
water,  immediately  stopped  vibration  in  the  Cyclas,  and  other 
fresh-water-breathing  Mollusca.  A  minute  quantity  of  car- 
bonate of  soda  added  to  fresh  water,  and  a  rather  greater 
quantity  dissolved  in  sea  water,  rendered  them  irrespirable. 
It  would  seem  from  this,  that  although  perhaps  some  of  these 
animals  may  bear  a  slight  change  as  to  the  freshness  or  salt- 
ness  of  the  water,  (and  perhaps  those  species  inhabiting  estu- 
aries do  so  more  than  others),  yet  this  capacity  must  be  very 
limited.  The  Cardia,  Madras,  Amphidesmae,  &c,  found  in 
marshes  on  the  coasts,  become  diseased  and  die  when  the 
water  becomes  concentrated  by  evaporation,  or  when  it  loses 
its  saltness  by  mixture  with  fresh.  The  Mytili  found  in  fresh 
water  docks,  are  probably  fresh- water  species  brought  from 

1  Beudant,  sur  la  possibility  de  faire  vivre  des  Mollusques  fluv.  dans  les 
eaux  salees.     Stark,  Brewst.  Edinb.  Jour.,  iv.     Adanson,  Acad.  Sci.  1789. 
2  Jamieson's  Edin.  Journ.  vol.  iv.  3  Mollusca  of  Sweden. 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELL1BRANCHIATA.  303 

foreign  rivers,  and  which  perhaps  have  survived  their  immer- 
sion in  salt  water  during  their  voyage,  by  having  kept  their 
valves  constantly  closed ;  some  species  of  Mytilus  are  known 
to  inhabit  fresh  water.  It  appears  certain,  that  in  those  rivers 
where  the  Uniones,  Anodontae,  and  Cyclades  abound,  they 
cease  to  be  found  where  the  water  becomes  salt. 

Having  shown  the  fatal  effect  which  would  be  produced  by 
the  concentration  of  the  sea  water  on  the  branchiae  of  its  bi- 
valve inhabitants,  it  is  worth  enquiry  how,  in  those  animals 
which,  on  the  retreat  of  the  tides,  are  exposed  to  the  desic- 
cative  action  of  the  sun  and  air,  this  concentration  is  prevent- 
ed. Those  animals  which  have  naked  ciliated  branchiae,  have 
the  power  of  retracting  them  into  sheaths,  when  they,  like 
many  species  of  Doris,  frequent  the  bare  rocks ;  or,  if  this 
power  of  withdrawing  them  does  not  exist,  as  in  other  spe- 
cies of  Doris,  the  Tritonia,  Eolida,  &c,  they  take  care  to 
cover  themselves  with  the  wet  Algae,  or  to  lurk  in  shady  cre- 
vices. The  Patella,  in  hot  days,  sticks  firmly  to  the  rocks, 
so  as  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  confined  moisture.  The 
Ascidiae  frequent  pools  among  the  rocks,  which  are  not  drain- 
ed at  low  water.  The  Actinia,  Lobularice,  &c,  adhere  to  the 
dripping  under-surface  of  the  cliffs,  or  frequent  shady  places. 
The  Polypi/era  either  reside  in  deep  water,  or  find  a  habitat 
where  the  sun  does  not  reach  them.  Those  Lamellibranchi- 
ata  which,  like  the  common  muscle,  are  exposed  on  the  bare 
rocks  to  the  action  of  the  sun  and  air,  have  the  valves  fitting 
to  each  other  most  exactly,  preventing  all  evaporation. — 
When  the  valves  are  open  at  any  part,  the  animal  either  in- 
habits deep  water,  as  many  species  of  Pecten,  or,  when  left 
dry  by  the  ebb  of  the  tide,  has  the  power  of  burrowing  in  the 
mud  or  sand.  The  Gasteropoda  also  hide  themselves  from 
the  sun,  although  their  branchiae  are  not  much  exposed. — 
Walking  along  the  sandy  beach,  we  see  numerous  holes  lead- 
ing to  the  branchiae  of  bivalve  and  other  animals,  which,  by 
so  boring,  protect  themselves  from  the  effects  of  evaporation, 
and  obtain  a  supply  of  water,  loaded  with  nutrient  matter. 

The  phenomenon  called  "  animal  phosphorescence"  being, 
perhaps,  peculiar  to  eiliated  animals,  the  author  has  endea- 
voured to  ascertain  whether  it  may  not  be  owing  to  the  vi- 
bration of  these  cilia.  In  an  Annelide,  perhaps  the  Nereis 
noctiluca  of  authors,  which  presents  this  phenomenon  very 
beautifully,  covering,  in  great  numbers,  the  nets  of  the  fisher- 
men when  they  are  taken  up  from  ihe  sea,  he  found  that  the 
luminosity  stopped  when  the  action  of  the  cilia  ceased ;  that 
it  was  most  vivid  when  they  were  most  active ;  and  that  the 
tremulousness  and  unsteadiness,  occasionally  accompanying 


304  HON.  E.  I.  company's 

the  phosphorescence,  appeared  to  correspond  with  an  inter- 
ruption which  sometimes  took  place  in  the  vibration  of  the 
cilia.  The  author  would  infer  from  this  that  the  two  actions 
are  concomitant,  but  he  knows  of  no  other  proof  that  the  one 
is  the  cause  of  the  other.  * 

(To  be  continued.) 


Art.  VIII. — Letter  on  the  present  state  of  the  Hon.  Company  s 
* Botanical '  Garden  at  Calcutta. 


Quousque  tandem  abutere  patientia  nostra  ? 


Sir, 


Of  the  few  scientific  institutions  in  India,  none 
is  better  and  more  generally  known  than  the  H.  E.  I.  Com- 
pany's botanical  garden  at  Calcutta,  the  store-house  in  which 
the  indefatigable  industry  of  Dr.  Roxburgh  and  Dr.  Buchanan 
Hamilton  accumulated  the  rich  treasures  of  the  Indian  Flora, 
which,  augmented  by  the  present  superintendent,  wTere,  a  few 
years  ago,  through  the  liberality  of  the  Hon.  Court  of  Direc- 
tors, distributed  all  over  Europe.  While  this  unequalled  mu- 
nificence has  naturally  attracted  the  interest  of  all  botanists 
towards  the  noble  establishment,  still  kept  up  with  the  same 
munificence  in  the  East, — alas,  few  but  actual  visitors  are 
aware  of  the  rapid  decline  into  which  this  garden  has  sunk ! 

While  the  home  and  local  governments  evince  the  greatest 
anxiety  to  promote  science  and  spread  the  light  of  knowledge 
over  India, — while,  through  their  fostering  care  several  scien- 
tific institutions  have  of  late  sprung  up  in  India, — it  remains 
an  enigma  how  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  useful  institutions 
should  have  been  allowed  to  sink  to  its  present  state,  which 
hardly  justifies  the  application  of  the  epithet  "botanical"  to 
the  garden. 

The  latter  assertion  may  probably  appear  incredible,  as  it 
indeed  appeared  to  the  writer,  although  repeated  assertions  to 

1  Borlase  says,  and  the  fishermen  believe,  that  when  this  phosphorescence 
is  vivid,  it  presages  a  storm.  On  the  luminousness  of  the  Mollusca,  see 
Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.;  Reaumur,  Mem.  Acad.  Sci.  Par.  1723;  and  Marsigli, 
Act.  Bon-  vol.  ii.,  &c.  The  observations  of  Beccaria  <Scc.  seem  to  prove  that 
the  light  is  not  owing  to  any  chemical  principle,  and  that  it  exists  in  ex- 
actly such  circumstances  as  the  cilia  would  continue  to  vibrate  under. 

When  the  cilia  have  their  vibration  stopped  by  any  application,  they  are 
no  longer  visible.  From  this  circumstance,  Raspail  concludes  that  their 
appearance  is  an  occular  deception,  due  to  an  emission  or  scintillation  from 
the  branchia. 


BOTANICAL  GARDEN  AT  CALCUTTA.  305 

the  same  effect,  have  of  late  years,  through  the  public  press, 
circulated  all  over  India.  Several  visits  to  the  garden,  paid 
with  'a  view  to  ascertain  its  true  state,  have  tended  to  confirm 
the  truth  of  the  statements  concerning  the  Hon.  Company's 
'botanical'  establishment  at  Calcutta. 

On  entering  the  garden  the  eye  is  struck  with  all  the  gran- 
deur of  an  Indian  vegetation.  As  a  pleasure-ground,  laid  out 
in  tolerably  good  taste,  and  kept  in  exemplary  order  by  some 
hundred  and  fifty  workmen,1 — a  more  beautiful  spot  could 
hardly  be  found.  But  now, — you  stop  before  the  nearest  tree, 
and  are  desirous  of  ascertaining  its  name,  its  properties,  its 
habitat, — you  ask,  of  course,  for  a  catalogue ; — there  exists 
no  catalogue'2-  of  the  Hon.  Company's  'botanical'  garden ! ! ! 

To  some  of  the  trees  are  tied  little  slips  of  bamboo,  marked 
with  Bengallee  characters.  If  you  happen  to  be  a  Bengallee 
scholar,  you  will  wonder  at  what  the  writer  intended  to  ex- 
press, and  after  all  you  will  be  not  a  bit  wiser  than  you  would 
have  been,  had  you  never  passed  an  examination  in  that  lan- 
guage in  Writers'  Buildings.  You  send  for  one  of  the  "  ser- 
dar  mallees"  (native  head  gardeners),  perhaps  the  only  man 
upon  the  establishment  who,  with  no  small  trouble,  is  able  to 
decipher  his  own  hand-writing,  in  which  you,  with  no  less 
trouble,  may  recognise — a  Latin  name — written  and  pronoun- 
ced in  Bengallee  ! ! !  The  poor  native  has,  at  any  rate,  com- 
plied with  your  wish  ;  if  you  like,  you  may  go  a  step  farther, 
— ask  for  the  properties  or  the  habitat  of  the  tree ; — whether 
the  information  thus  gained  is  calculated  to  be  of  any  use,  is 
another  consideration. 

Suppose  on  your  way  to  the  gardens  you  have  picked  up  a 
weed  from  the  road-side;  it  is  an  old  friend  of  yours,  you  have 
seen  it  a  thousand  times  in  the  jungle,  and  you  think  you  may 
now  identify  it  in  the  '  botanical '  garden.  If  you  happen  to 
see  it  there,  you  think  perhaps  you  may,  without  a  catalogue, 
ascertain  its  name  by  referring  to  the  herbarium ; — there  is  no 
herbarium  in  the  Covnpanu's  '  botanical '  garden.  If  a  man 
in  India  breaks  a  branch  from  a  tree,  and  wants  to  know  its 
name,  he  will  be  obliged  to  carry  his  specimen  to  Europe,  and 
consult  the  herbarium  of  some  museum  or  botanical  garden ; 
strange  as  this  may  appear,  it  is  yet  a  melancholy  truth. 

To  find  out  the  plan  upon  which  this  garden  is  arranged, 
amounts  next  to  an  impossibility ;  it  would  at  least  appear  so 


1  A  by  no  means  astonishing  number,  considering  the  vast  area ;  only 
their  hands  might  be  employed  in  something  better  than  keeping  the  weeds 
out  of,  and  the  gravel  in,  the  walks. 

3Itishardlvneeessaryto  observe  that  Dr.  Roxburgh  published  a  catalogue. 
Vol.  III.— No.  30.  n.  s.  2  i 


306  BOTANICAL  GARDEN  AT  CALCUTTA. 

by  finding  a  Nipalese  pine  surrounded  by  trees  indigenous  to 
Bengal,  or  some  inhabitants  of  Malacca,  so  densely  crowded, 
in  such  a  '  sable  throng,'  as  though  it  were  the  intention  of 
the  superintendent  to  try,  on  a  large  scale,  with  how  little 
free  access  of  air  vegetation  may  be  carried  on.  Such  heap- 
ing together,  such  disregard  to  geographical  distribution,  may 
perhaps  pass  by  way  of  experiment ;  whether  the  total  absence 
of  plots  allotted  to  the  Linnean  arrangement  or  the  natural 
families,  in  a  '  botanical '  garden,  may  pass  under  the  same 
head,  is  another  question :  be  this  as  it  may,  the  botanical 
student  will  search  in  vain  for  either. 

This  establishment,  forming  a  no  small  item  in  the  Com- 
pany's annual  expenses,  ought  to  prove  of  some  little  use  to 
the  public, — particularly  now  that  Calcutta  boasts  a  medical 
college  for  natives.  How  far  the  students  can  study  Botany 
in  a  'botanical'  garden,  without  catalogue,  herbarium,  artifi- 
cial or  natural  arrangement,  is  unnecessary  to  speculate  upon; 
it  would  be  a  more  desirable  topic  for  speculation,  to  point 
out  the  most  expedient  manner  in  which  this  fallen,  but  still 
noble  institution,  might,  instead  of  proving,  as  it  of  late  has 
done,  a  bar  to  science, — be  restored  to  its  original  purpose, 
which  the  liberality  of  its  supporters  and  the  public  at  large 
have  a  right  to  expect ;  viz.,that  of  promoting  science, — in 
short,  that  of  being  a  botanical  garden. 

I  remain,  Sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Philaletes.  * 

May,  1839. 


REVIEWS. 

Art.  I. — 1.  The  Coleopterisfs  Manual;  containing  the Lamellicorns  of  Lin- 
n&us  and  Fabricius.  By  The  Rev.  F.  W.  Hope,  F.R.S.,  F.L.S., 
F.Z.S.,  &c.  &c.     8vo.  pp.  126.  4  pi.     London :  H.  G.  Bonn,  1837. 

2.  The  Coleopterisfs  Manual,  part  the  second ;  containing  the  predaceous 
Land  and  Water  Beetles  of  Linneeus  and  Fabricius.  By  the  same.  8vo: 
pp.  184,  4  col.  pi.  London:  1838. 

The  appearance  of  these  works,  together  with  the  numerous  memoirs 
published  in  our  various  journals  and  transactions  devoted  to  Natural 
History,  fully  prove  the  fact  that  scientific  exotic  Entomology,  so  long 
neglected  by  English  entomologists,  (if  we  except  the  venerated  names 
of  Kirby  and  Leach),  is  at  length  gaining  a  share  of  that  attention 
which  had  been  bestowed,  almost  exclusively,  upon  the  insect  produc- 

1  Communicated  to  the  Magazine  with  an  authentic  signature. Ed. 


COLEOPTERIST  S  MANUAL.  307 

tions  of  our  own  island.  It  would  cany  us  into  too  wide  a  field  to  spe- 
culate upon  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  such  an  extension  of 
scientific  research ;  but  we  cannot  but  observe,  that  now  that  the  prin- 
ciples of  natural  classification  attract  so  much  of  the  attention  of  the 
student  of  Zoology,  the  absurdity  of  limiting  our  views  to  the  produc- 
tions of  a  given  spot  has  become  more  and  more  evident.  Hence  it  is 
that  we  find  Mr.  MacLeay  himself  remarking,  that  "  if  the  natural  sys- 
tem  is  ever  discovered,  it  will  assuredly  be  in  the  insect  world,  where, 
owing  to  the  multitudes  of  species,  the  linkings  of  the  great  chain  of 
nature  will  necessarily  be  most  evident."  Whilst,  however,  we  admit 
this  in  respect  to  the  natural  relations  existing  among  the  insect  tribes 
themselves,  there  are  other,  and  certainly  not  less  important,  views  of 
the  subject  to  be  obtained  by  the  investigation  of  the  species  of  particu- 
lar districts.  A  knowledge  of  the  geographical  distribution  of  insects, 
— their  internal  and  external  anatomy, — and,  above  all,  their  relation 
with  nature  in  general, — may  be  acquired  or  improved  by  the  exami- 
nation even  of  local  collections,  properly  studied.  Who,  for  instance, 
is  not  aware  of  the  eminent  service  rendered  to  Botany  by  Mr.  Robt. 
Brown's  work  on  the  Flora  of  New  Holland  ?  W,e  make  these  re- 
marks, being  aware  how  many  there  are  who  either  suppose  that  when 
they  have  amassed  a  large  collection  of  animals,  they  have  done  all  that 
is  necessary  for  science ;  or  who  think,  and  even  constantly  assert  in 
print,  that  the  discovery  of  the  natural  system  is,  or  ought  to  be,  the 
ne  plus  ultra — the  " ultimus  finis"  ('Annul.  Javan.  Pref.')  of  their 
observations. 

We  are  glad  to  perceive,  en  passant,  that  the  writer  of  the  works 
now  under  notice  has  not  confined  his  attention  to  the  latter  kind  of 
investigations.  This  will  appear  evident  from  the  following  passage, 
written  in  answer  to  the  objection  that  the  lamellicorn  beetles  (genus 
Scarabceus,  Linn.)  ought  not  to  be  placed  at  the  head  of  the  beetle 
tribes.1  "  There  are  sufficient  reasons  why  the  lamellicorns  should  pre- 
cede Cicindela  or  Carabus.  It  is  not  merely  the  simple  structure  of 
the  stomach,  it  is  not  their  vast  bulk  or  strength  (on  which  little  stress 
can  be  laid),  but  it  is  in  the  important  functions  they  perform,  it  is  in 
relation  to  the  economical  purposes  of  the  human  race,  that  they  ought 
to  take  precedence.  They  are  of  greater  utility  to  man  than  nearly  all 
other  groups,  in  checking  the  over-luxuriance  of  tropical  vegetation ; 
in  reducing  to  powder  the  mightiest  monarchs  of  the  forest ;  in  purify- 
ing the  air  by  burying  all  that  is  noxious  and  disgusting,  and,  at  the 
same  time  they  give  fertility  to  the  land,  by  carrying  to  the  roots  of 
vegetation  the  richest  of  manures.  As  to  numbers,  both  of  genera  and 
species,  they  greatly  surpass  the  Cicindelidce  or  even  the  Carabidce  ; 
and  in  the  number  of  individuals  of  species,  they  appear  amongst  the  most 
prolific  of  insects." — (Pt.  ii.  Pref.  p.  viii).  Without  adopting  the  au- 
thor's opinion,  that  the  lamellicorns  are  to  be  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
insect  tribes,  we  cannot  but  admit  that  these  observations  are  founded 

1  This  was  their  position  in  the  writings  of  Linnaeus  and  Fabricius,  but 
the  French  authors  placed  the  Cicindela  and  Carabi  at  the  head  of  the  Co- 
leoptera  from  their  more  perfectly  organized  mouths. 


308  COLEOFTElilST's  MANUAL. 

upon  an  extended  view  of  nature,  although  we  are  inclined  to  look  at 
the  subject  in  a  still  more  general  manner,  and  not  to  limit  the  ques- 
tion, as  Mr.  Hope  appeal's  inclined  to  do,  to  the  advantages  they  im- 
part to  man. 

It  is  time,  however,  that  we  should  give  the  reader  some  account  of 
these  works.  Instead  of  adopting  the  course  pursued  by  so  many  of 
our  modern  entomologists,  of  describing  the  new  species  contained  in 
his  magnificent  collection,  Mr.  Hope  has  thought  that  it  would  confer 
more  service  upon  science,  were  he  to  review  the  species  of  beetles  de- 
scribed by  Linnaeus  and  Fabricius,  many  of  which,  either  from  having 
been  too  concisely  described,  or  from  having  some  erroneous  habitat 
given  to  them,  have  been  either  entirely  overlooked,  or  greatly  confused, 
by  more  recent  writers.  The  attempt  to  rescue  these  species  from  obli- 
vion, and  to  place  them  in  their  true  genera  and  subgenera,  is  worthy  of 
great  praise.  The  possession  by  the  Linnean  Society  of  the  Linnean  cabi- 
net, as  well  as  of  Sir  Joseph  Banks's  collections,  described  and  labelled  by 
Fabricius,  an  extensive  correspondence  with  the  chief  continental  wri- 
ters, and  the  possession  of  a  very  large  collection,  containing  many 
authentic  specimens,  described  by  Fabricius,  from  the  collections  of 
Lee,  Drury,  Francellon  and  others,  have  certainly  placed  the  author  iu 
a  very  favourable  situation  for  such  an  undertaking,  which  has  been 
attempted  in  the  following  manner. 

The  first  part  commences  with  a  table,  containing  a  list  of  the  Lin- 
nean Scarabcei  and  Lucani,  the  true  locality  of  each  species,  and  its 
modern  genus  or  subgenus,  each  occupying  a  single  line,  as  in  the  ta- 
ble of  the  lamellicorns  of  Olivier  given  by  Mr.  Hope  in  this  Magazine 
for  January  last.  This  is  succeeded  by  a  series  of  observations  on  ma- 
ny of  the  species,  where  a  change  of  habitat,  genus,  &c.  is  required. — 
Then  follows  a  similar  table  of  the  lamellicorn  beetles  described  by  Fa- 
bricius, with  similar  observations  upon  the  doubtful  species.  After  this 
follow  the  descriptions  of  various  new  genera,  the  majority  of  which  had 
been  indicated  and  dissected  by  Mr.  Kirby,  whose  collection  and  ma- 
nuscripts, now  in  the  possession  of  the  Entomological  Society,  have 
been  resorted  to.  An  appendix  is  given,  containing  additional  notes 
and  a  revision  of  the  family  Goliathidce. 

The  second  part  commences  with  a  table  and  similar  observations 
upon  the  Linnean  CicindeJce  and  the  Fabrician  Cicindelida? ;  then  fol- 
low similar  tables  and  observations  on  the  Linnean  and  Fabrician  Ca- 
rabi  ( Carabida  Leach) ,  and  the  Linnean  and  Fabiician  aquatic  beetles ; 
the  part  terminating  with  descriptions  of  some  new  genera  and  species. 

As  the  various  notes  and  observations  are  made  in  the  order  in  which 
the  species  occur  in  the  works  of  Linnaeus  and  Fabricius,  it  necessarily 
happens  that  much  irregularity  exists  in  the  arrangement  of  the  great 
mass  of  information  conveyed  in  these  pages ;  for  instance,  amongst 
the  "remarks  and  annotations  on  the  Linnean  Cicindelidce"  we  find  a 
tabular  sketch,  and  a  long  dissertation  upon  the  Carabideous  family 
Elaphridce,  some  of  the  species  of  which  were  considered  by  Linnaeus 
as  Cicindelce.  Again,  in  the  remarks  upon  the  Fabrician  "  Cicinde- 
loidea,"  we  have  a  tabular  list  of  all  the  modern  genera  of  that  group, 
with  observations  upon  each  genus ;  then  follow  the  remarks  upon  the 


HYMENOPTERA  BRITANNICA.  309 

Fabrician  species,  including  the  descriptions,  not  only  of  new  genera 
founded  upon  them,  but  also  of  completely  new  species. — We  can- 
not but  think  that  if  these  remarks  and  annotations  had  exhibited 
more  method,  they  would  have  possessed  much  more  utility ;  the 
notes  upon  the  species  might  have  been  restricted  in  their  extent,  in  the 
same  manner  as  those  given  upon  the  species  of  Olivier  in  this  Maga- 
zine. The  tabular  views  given  of  the  modern  groups  of  genera,  might 
have  formed  a  distinct  part  of  the  work,  arranged  according  to  their  re- 
lations ;  and  the  descriptions  of  all  the  new  genera  and  species  ought 
to  have  been  confined  to  a  separate  appendix.  These,  it  is  true,  are 
but  points  of  editorial  arrangement,  and  do  not  in  the  slightest  degree 
militate  against  the  value  of  the  facts  and  observations  themselves ;  but 
we  must  be  allowed  to  enter  our  protest,  as  we  perceive  that  Mr.  Mac- 
Leay  has  also  done,  against  the  establishment  of  the  mass  of  new  fami- 
lies, terminating  in  idee,  into  which  the  old  Linnean  genera  are  cut  up 
by  Mr.  Hope  and  some  recent  French  authors,  as  Messrs  Laporte  and 
Brulle,  as  well  as  by  Mr.  Kirby,  in  his  American  insects.  The  Cara- 
bidce  alone  are  formed  into  no  less  than  forty  of  such  families  by  Mr. 
Hope,  without  any  table  being  given  to  show  their  classification  or  re- 
lations inter  se.  We  must  also  object  to  the  nomenclature  of  such 
groups.  Thus  whilst  we  have  Megacephalidce,  Manticoridce ,  Cicin- 
delidce,  Agridce,  &c,  formed  from  the  feminine  names  Megacephala, 
&c,  we  find  Clcenhdse,  from  the  masculine  Clcenius,  AnthrdL&?e,  Le- 
bradse  &c.  from  the  feminine  Anthra  &c.  We  do  but  repeat  the  opi- 
nion already  expressed  by  us  in  this  work,  that  the  uniform  termination 
in  idw,  first  proposed  by  Mr.  Kirby,  ought  to  be  retained  for  the  groups 
equivalent  with  the  genera  of  Linnaeus,  and  the  "  families  naturelles  "  of 
Latreille.  We  would  also  suggest  the  advantage  of  the  future  parts,  as 
well  as  the  promised  second  edition,  undergoing  a  more  careful  revision, 
as  the  present  parts  exhibit  many  proofs  of  great  haste  in  their  compo- 
sition. For  instance,  in  p.  13  (part  ii)  Apteressa,  Hope,  is  called  both 
a  genus  and  a  subgenus ;  the  same  thing  occurs  with  Apotomopterus, 
(p.  48.)  Graphipterus  is  called  Graphiptera  (p,  52) ;  and  numerous 
other  lapsus  calami  might  be  pointed  out. 


Art.  II. — Hymenoptera  Britannica;  Oxyura.     Auctore  A.  H.  Haliday. — 
Fascic.  l.pp.  16.    London :  H.  Bailliere.     1839. 

The  present  brochure  contains  the  commencement  of  a  Monograph  of 
the  British  Oxyurous  Hymenoptera,  and  includes  the  genus  Procto- 
trupes,  Latr.,  of  which  nineteen  species  are  described  with  great  care. 
We  know  no  one  so  well  qualified  for  such  a  task  as  Mr.  Haliday,  and 
look  forward  with  interest  to  the  appearance  of  the  succeeding  fasciculi 
of  the  work. 


310     BREEDING  OF  THE  CROSSBILL  IN  GLOUCESTERSHIRE. 


SHORT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

Breeding  of  the  Crossbill  in  Gloucestershire. — On  the  13th 
of  this  month  (April)  as  I  was  passing  by  a  plantation  of 
larch  and  Scotch  firs,  the  note-  of  the  crossbill  attracted  my 
attention,  (having  been  from  home  all  the  winter  I  had  sup- 
posed that  these  birds  had  left),  and  on  looking  up,  I  observed 
an  old  bird,  that  appeared  much  disturbed  at  my  presence. — 
Presently  another  bird  flew  into  the  same  tree,  which,  from 
its  mottled  plumage  and  difficult  flight,  I  concluded  was  a 
young  one.  There  was  a  nest  at  the  spot  from  which  this 
bird  flew,  and  there  appeared  to  be  another  bird  in  it.  I  left 
them  for  a  short  time,  and,  on  returning,  both  the  old  birds 
were  in  the  tree,  and  one  of  them  was  in  the  act  of  feeding 
the  young  bird,  which  fluttered  its  wings  on  being  fed. 

The  next  day  I  again  visited  the  tree ;  the  old  birds  fled 
on  my  approach,  and  not  being  able  to  see  the  young  bird,  I 
concluded  that  it  had  either  been  enticed  away  by  the  parents, 
or  that  it  was  in  the  nest.  On  climbing  up  to  the  nest,  how- 
ever, I  found  it  deserted;  it  was  placed  in  the  fork  of  a  Scotch 
fir,  about  20  feet  from  the  ground,  and  4  feet  from  the  extre- 
mity of  the  branch.  The  exterior  of  the  nest  was  composed 
of  dead  larch  and  spruce  twigs,  within  which  it  was  formed 
of  dead  grass,  and  some  tender  dry  stalks  of  plants,  rendered 
warm  and  compact  with  wool ;  and  the  whole  was  lined  with 
horse-hair. 

The  edge  of  the  nest,  on  one  side,  was  completely  plaster- 
ed over  with  the  fceces  of  the  young  birds  or  bird,  for  I  am 
inclined  to  think  there  was  only  one  reared.  I  could  not  dis- 
cover, either  in  the  nest  or  on  the  ground,  any  remains  of  eggs. 
The  nest  had  all  the  appearance  of  being  just  deserted :  its 
diameter  was  5  J  inches,  its  depth  2  inches  within,  and  mea- 
sured 3  inches  across  the  concavity.  I  have  preserved  it  as 
a  specimen. 

We  have  had  the  crossbills  in  considerable  numbers  for  the 
last  two  years  ;  they  feed  solely  on  the  seeds  of  the  larch,  as 
those  of  the  spruce  fir  do  not  come  to  perfection  here.  These 
birds  have  been  accused  of  attacking  the  apple-orchards  in 
France ;  in  1837  that  fruit  was  very  abundant  close  to  a  plan- 
tation where  they  were  constantly  at  work,  and  yet  they  never 
touched  it. 

P.S. — I  have  again  witnessed  the  old  bird  feeding  the 
young  one. — J.  Brown. — Cotswold  Hills ;  April,  1839. 


CROSSBILL  IN  SURREY. — THE  SQUIRREL  CARNIVOROUS.    311 

Breeding  of  the  Crossbill  in  Surrey. — I  ha\re  been  informed 
since  I  wrote  to  you,  that  two  nests  with  eggs  had  been  met 
with  by  the  labourers  in  the  Holt  forest,  but  that  they  did  not 
observe  them  until  the  trees  in  which  they  were  placed  had 
been  felled,  so  that  the  eggs  were  broken.  This  was  in  Fe- 
bruary last, — confirmatory  of  the  very  early  nidification  of 
this  bird.  I  have  been  rather  surprised  at  not  finding  a  nest 
in  the  plantation  here,  although  I  have  caused  diligent  search 
to  be  made,  and  the  crossbills  have  been  and  still  continue 
numerous.  I  am  disposed  to  ascribe  this  to  the  number  of 
squirrels  we'have,  whilst  there  are  very  few  in  the  Holt,  and 
they  are  great  devourers  of  eggs.  I  think  of  proclaiming  war 
against  them  very  soon. — H.  L.  Long. — Hampton,  near  Farn- 
ham,  Surrey ;  May  2nd,  1839. 

Carnivorous  propensity  of  the  Squirrel. — In  the  able  Mo- 
nograph on  the  genus  Sciurus  which  has  appeared  in  the  two 
last  numbers  of  your  valuable  periodical,  the  author  has  neg- 
lected to  notice  the  fact,  that  the  squirrel  is  occasionally  a 
carnivorous  animal.  The  same  remark  applies  to  all  the 
works  on  Natural  History  which  I  have  examined.  That 
such  however  is  the  case,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  asserting, 
having  observed  the  fact  many  times  during  the  last  three 
years.  I  believe  1  may  add  that  the  squirrel  prefers  animal 
food  in  a  living  state. 

I  first  observed  the  fact  in  the  spring  of  1836 ;  when,  hav- 
ing occasion  to  clean  out  the  cage  of  some  young  kingfishers 
which  I  had  bred  up,  I  left  them  on  the  table  in  a  room  in 
which  three  half-grown  squirrels  were  allowed  to  play.  On 
my  return,  I  found  one  of  the  squirrels  busily  employed  in 
plucking  the  feathers  from  the  head  of  one  of  the  birds.  The 
following  day  a  young  cuckoo  was  placed  in  the  same  situa- 
tion, when  it  was  quickly  attacked  by  a  squirrel,  which  seized 
it  under  the  wing,  where  it  was  safe  from  the  blows  aimed  at 
it  by  the  bird.  In  a  few  minutes  the  animal  had  eaten  a 
great  portion  of  the  ribs  of  one  side,  so  that  the  air  inspired 
escaped  from  the  wound;  it  had  also  eaten  through  the  femur 
and  muscles  of  the  thigh.  Shortly  after  the  other  squirrels 
joined  the  first,  and  partook  of  the  remains  of  the  unfortunate 
bird.  I  several  times  repeated  this  experiment,  both  with 
living  and  dead  birds,  and  invariably  found  that  the  squirrels 
would  forsake  their  vegetable  food  for  the  more  agreeable  ani- 
mal diet. 

I  was  then  residing  in  the  heart  of  Wiltshire,  and  on  men- 
tioning the  fact  to  the  shepherds,  who,  by  the  bye,  are  fre- 
quently very  keen  observers  of  the  habits  of  wild  animals,  I 


312  DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  MARSUPIALIA. 

found  that  it  was  by  no  means  uncommon  for  the  squirrels  to 
be  seen  in  the  act  of  devouring  young  birds,  particularly  in 
the  copses  that  intersect  the  bleak  downs  of  Wiltshire.  In- 
deed, one  shepherd  assured  me,  that  one  evening  in  autumn 
he  observed  a  severe  struggle  between  a  wood-pigeon  and  a 
squirrel,  among  the  branches  of  a  tree,  and  that  the  latter  proved 
victorious,  and  began  devouring  his  victim.  The  fact  appears 
strange,  but  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  the  veracity  of  my  in- 
formant. I  have  bred  upwards  of  a  dozen  squirrels,  taken 
when  a  few  days  old,  and  in  nearly  every  case  have  observed 
the  fact  above  mentioned. — Charles  Coward. — 1," Bridge  Ter- 
race, Southwark ;  April  4th,  1839. 

Distribution  of  the  Marsupialia. — The  following  para- 
graph, extracted  from  a  volume  that  probably  has  not  come 
under  the  notice  of  many  naturalists,  is  especially  interesting 
as  illustrative  of  Mr.  Swain  son's  views  of  the  distribution  of 
marsupial  animals.  It  contains,  I  believe,  the  first  intimation 
that  such  a  group  is  to  be  found  among  the  feathered  tribes. 
The  author  is  a  plain  sailor,  but  evidently  an  observing  man, 
and  ignorant  of  the  importance  of  the  information  he  conveys 
to  us. 

King  Penguin :  "  They  lay  but  one  egg,  which  they  carry 
in  a  pouch  under  their  bellies,  very  similar  to  that  in  which 
kangaroos  carry  their  young.  In  this  pouch  it  remains  dur- 
ing the  period  of  incubation,  which  is  about  seven  weeks. — 
Their  flesh  is  not  good  for  food,  but  we  used  to  make  use  of 
their  eggs,  of  which  we  robbed  them,  and  this  they  would  per- 
mit us  to  do,  without  making  the  least  resistance,  being  so 
tame  that  we  could  catch  them  with  our  hands,  or  knock  them 
down  with  a  stick,  whenever  we  felt  disposed.  When  rob- 
bed of  their  egg,  they  would  lay  again.  They  commence  lay- 
ing in  November,  and  by  depriving  them  of  their  eggs,  they 
continue  to  lay  till  March." "In  the  Crozet  islands,  be- 
tween 46°  and  47°  S.,  between  46°  and  50°  E." 

'  Narrative  of  a  Voyage  to  the  South  Seas,  and  Shipwreck 
and  Residence  for  two  years  on  an  Uninhabited  Island ;  by 
Charles  Medgett  Goodridge.'  P.  45.  Exeter  :  1838. — Jona- 
than Couch. — Polperro,  April,  1839. 


THE  MAGAZINE 

OF 

NATUEAL   HISTORY, 


JULY,  1839. 


Art.  I. — On  the  Relative  Ages  of  the  Tertiary  Deposits  commonly 
called  "  Cray,  "  in  the  Counties  of  Norfolk  and  Suffolk.  By 
Charles  Lyell,  Esq.,  V.P.G.S. 

In  the  course  of  last  year  I  visited  several  parts  of  the  coun- 
ties of  Norfolk  and  Suffolk,  and  examined  the  tertiary  depo- 
sits there  called  "crag,"  principally  with  a  view  of  satisfying 
myself  respecting  the  following  points  : — First,  the  direct  su- 
perposition of  the  red  to  the  coralline  crag,  as  first  pointed 
out  in  1835,  by  Mr.  Charlesworth ;  *  Secondly,  whether  the 
remains  of  Mammalia  were  really  imbedded  in  regular  and 
undisturbed  marine  strata  in  the  Norwich  crag,  as  affirmed 
by  the  writer  above  mentioned ;  Thirdly,  whether  the  propor- 
tion of  recent  shells,  as  compared  with  the  extinct,  was  de- 
cidedly larger  in  the  Norwich  crag,  so  as  to  indicate  a  pos- 
teriority in  age  relatively  to  the  Suffolk  crag. 

Red  Crag  of  Suffolk  overlies  Coralline. — First,  in  regard 
to  the  superposition  of  the  red  to  the  coralline  crag,  I  found 
this  fact  exhibited  in  distinct  sections  at  Ramsholt  and  Tat- 
tingstone,  as  indicated  by  Mr.  Charlesworth,  and  in  quarries 
near  Sudburn,  to  which  I  was  directed  by  Mr.  Bunbury.  In 
both  the  former  localities, — Tattingstone  and  Ramsholt, — the 
red  crag  rests  on  the  denuded  surface  of  the  older  or  coralline 
deposit. 

At  Sutton,  near  Woodbridge,  in  Suffolk,  a  large  excavation 
has  been  made  at  the  point  of  junction ;  and  Mr.  W.  Colches- 
ter, a  zealous  collector  of  the  fossils  of  these  beds,  had  the 
kindness  to  cause  an  artificial  section  to  be  made,  expressly 
to  enable  me  to  see  more  distinctly  the  manner  of  the  junc- 

1  London  and  Edinburgh  Phil.  Mag.  August,  1835,  p.  81, 
Vol.  III.— No.  31.  n.  s.  2  k 


314 


RELATIVE  AGES  OF  THE  CRAG 


tion  of  the  two  deposits,  which  is  sufficiently  remarkable. — 
The  older  or  coralline  mass  is  chiefly  composed  of  commi- 
nuted shells  and  zoophytes,  the  calcareous  sand  thus  con- 
stituted being  divided  by  thin  horizontal  layers  or  flags  of 
impure  limestone,  which  however  are  not  continuous.  It  is 
evident  that  the  calcareous  sand  had  acquired  a  certain  de- 
gree of  consistency  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  before  the  red 
crag  was  thrown  down,  for  it  is  seen  to  have  been  perforated 
by  numerous  Pholades,  the  tortuous  holes  of  which  descend 
six  or  eight  feet  below  the  top  of  the  coralline  crag,  and  still 
contain  the  shells  of  the  Pholas,  while  the  remainder  of  the 
cylindrical  hollow  has  been  filled  with  differently-coloured 
sand  derived  from  the  superincumbent  deposit.  There  is  also 
another  proof  of  the  inferior  mass  having  obtained  a  certain 
degree  of  consolidation  before  it  was  denuded.  The  loose 
upper  crag  at  Sutton  does  not  rest  everywhere  on  a  level 
foundation  of  subjacent  coralline  crag,  but  abuts  abruptly 
against  a  vertical  wall  or  cliff  of  the  older  formation,  as  shown 
in  the  annexed  diagram  (fig.  39).     This  buried  cliff,  eight  or 


Eed  Crag. 


Coralline  Crag. 

ten  feet  high,  may  be  traced  at  Sutton,  running  in  a  direction 
N.E.  and  S.W.,  and  in  some  spots  may  be  seen  slightly  over- 
hanging. In  consequence  of  this  circumstance,  a  deceptive 
appearance  of  distinct  alternations  of  red  and  coralline 
crag  is  often  produced,  when  a  vertical  section,  parallel  to 
the  line  of  junction,  is  laid  open.  Even  where  the  buried 
precipice  of  coralline  crag  has  not  been  perpendicular,  but 
merely  having  a  very  steep  slope,  an  artificial  cut  at  a  high 
inclination  may  so  intersect  alternately  the  red  and  coralline 
crag,  as  to  lead  to  the  conclusion  which  I  first  entertained  at 
Sutton,  of  a  real  intercalation  of  the  two  formations.  Some 
of  the  apparent  anomalies  seen  in  like  manner  in  the  stratifi- 
cation of  the  red  crag,  may  sometimes  be  ascribed  to  the  de- 
position, on  the  steep  sloping  sides  of  submarine  sand-banks, 
of  new  matter  of  a  different  colour  and  composition.  When 
these  are  afterwards  cut  through  in  the  steep  slope  of  a  sea- 
cliff,  we  occasionally  see  patches  of  the  more  modern  bed 
adhering  like  plaster  to  the  face  of  the  older  one. 
At  Tattingstone,  in  Suffolk,  the  inferior  or  coralline  crag 


OF  NORFOLK  AND  SUFFOLK.  315 

consists  chiefly  of  greenish  marl,  with  only  a  few  stony  beds. 
Here  the  number  of  corals  is  so  small,  and  the  shells  for  the 
most  part  are  so  comminuted,  that  the  distinctness  of  the  in- 
ferior mass  from  the  red  crag  is  far  less  striking  than  on  the 
north  of  the  river  Deben.  I  caused  a  pit  about  seven  feet 
deep  to  be  sunk  in  the  yard  at  Tattingstone  Hall  farm,  pierc- 
ing the  lowest  part  there  exposed  of  the  coralline  crag, 
through  green  marls,  with  intervening  layers  of  flaggy  lime- 
stone, two  or  three  inches  thick.  At  the  bottom  of  this  pit  I 
found  marl  of  the  same  character,  containing  a  large  Nucula, 
Venus  ovata,  and  some  other  shells;  when  the  workmen  were 
stopped  by  the  quantity  of  water  which  flowed  in.  One  of 
the  flaggy  beds  of  limestone  was  almost  of  a  brick  red  colour, 
and  consisted  chiefly  of  comminuted  shells,  like  the  green 
marl. 

Although  the  upper  crag  at  the  point  of  junction  is  here 
(at  Tattingstone)  very  like  the  lower  formation,  yet  we  can 
recognise  it  by  the  presence  of  Fusus  contrarius,  Turritella 
terebra,  and  other  shells  which  are  wholly  wanting  in  the 
lower  bed. 

Fluvio-marine  Crag  of  Southwold,  fyc. — Before  offering 
any  general  remarks  upon  the  fossils  of  the  coralline  and  red 
crag,  I  shall  pass  on  to  the  consideration  of  the  crag  of  Nor- 
wich, or  "mammaliferous  crag"  as  it  has  been  termed  by  Mr. 
Charlesworth,  which  is  the  principal  object  of  this  paper. — 
By  examining  this  crag  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Southwold 
and  Norwich,  I  soon  satisfied  myself  that  instead  of  being  of 
purely  marine  origin,  like  the  deposits  already  alluded  to,  it 
is  a  fluvio-marine  formation,  containing  everywhere  an  inter- 
mixture of  land,  fresh-water,  and  sea  shells,  with  the  bones  of 
Mammalia  and  fish.  I  first  examined  this  crag  at  Thorpe, 
near  Aldborough,  where  it  extends  to  the  sea-coast,  I  did 
not  observe  its  junction  with  the  subjacent  coralline  crag, 
but  was  informed  by  Capt.  Alexander  that  the  latter  crops 
out  from  beneath  it  upon  the  beach,  where  it  is  exposed  for 
200  yards  at  low  water,  being  there  called  the  "Thorpe  rocks," 
which  are  broken  up  for  building  stone.  Sizewell  gap,  seve- 
ral miles  to  the  north,  is  the  most  northern  point  to  which  the 
the  coralline  crag  has  yet  been  traced.  But  it  is  at  Southwold, 
about  ten  miles  north  of  Thorpe,  that  the  Norwich  or  fluvio- 
marine  crag  is  most  largely  developed.  It  may  there  be  stu- 
died both  in  a  continuous  line  of  sea-cliff,  and  in  several  large 
pits  scattered  through  the  interior.  It  is  very  variable  in  mi- 
neral composition,  consisting  of  sand,  shingle,  loam,  and  la- 
minated clay  in  regular  strata,  some  of  which  bear  marks  of 
very  tranquil  deposition.     A  thickness  of  about  forty  feet  is 


316  RELATIVE  AGES  OF  THE  CRAG 

sometimes  exposed  in  one  section,  as  in  the  cliff  at  Easton 
Bavant,  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  N.E.  of  Southwold. — 
The  marine  shells  are  here  spread  through  a  thickness  of  ten 
and  sometimes  fifteen  feet,  chiefly  in  the  lowest  part  of  the 
deposit  here  laid  open.  Some  of  the  bivalves,  as  the  Nucula 
Cobboldia,  Tellina  obliqua,  and  Mya  arenaria,  have  both 
valves  united,  and  have  not  suffered  by  attrition,  although  as- 
sociated, not  only  with  land  and  freshwater  shells,  but  with 
rolled  fish-bones,  and  the  bones  and  teeth  of  Mammalia,  as 
of  the  elephant,  rhinoceros,  horse  and  deer.  Capt.  Alexan- 
der, whom  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  have  as  my  guide,  inform- 
ed me  that  in  one  bed  at  the  base' of  the  cliff,  which  is  most 
rich  in  marine  shells,  and  which  is  only  from  four  to  six  inches 
thick,  he  found  the  tooth  of  a  horse,  buried  with  sand,  in  the 
mouth  of  a  large  specimen  of  the  Fusus  striatus.  I  learnt 
from  the  same  gentleman,  that  the  bones  of  Mammalia  are 
frequently  met  with  in  the  same  bed  as  those  of  fish,  marine 
shells,  and  Crustacea ;  and  in  more  than  one  instance  I  was 
enabled  myself  to  verify  this  fact.  He  also  showed  me  the 
tooth  of  a  Mastodon,  washed  out  of  the  cliffs  between  Dun- 
wich  and  Sizewell,  which  may,  without  hesitation,  be  refer- 
red to  the  same  formation. 

In  tracing  the  fluvio-marine  deposit  from  the  cliffs  of  Eas- 
ton Bavant  to  the  northward,  in  the  direction  of  Kessingland, 
I  found  distinct  layers  of  flinty  shingle  regularly  interposed 
between  the  shelly  beds,  so  that  I  have  no  hesitation  in  refer- 
ring to  the  Norwich  crag  those  strata  of  sand  and  shingle  on 
this  coast,  which  so  much  resemble  the  sandy  portions  of 
the  plastic  clay  of  the  London  and  Hampshire  basins. 

I  examined,  with  Capt.  Alexander  for  my  guide,  several 
inland  pits  of  Norwich  crag  near  Southwold;  and  in  one  of 
these  in  the  parish  of  Henham,  on  the  property  of  Lord  Strad- 
brooke,  I  picked  up  mammiferous  bones  and  teeth,  from  an 
undisturbed  bed  containing  marine,  freshwater,  and  terrestrial 
shells.  Among  the  freshwater  shells  I  found  a  species  of 
Cyrena,  which  appears  to  be  one  of  the  varieties  of  that  va- 
riable species,  Cyr.  trigonula,  found  at  Grays  in  Essex,  and 
elsewhere.  In  each  of  the  different  localities  of  this  neigh- 
bourhood, as  in  those  of  the  red  crag  of  Suffolk,  some  shells 
are  found  which  are  not  met  with  at  other  spots ;  the  whole 
assemblage,  however,  agrees  very  closely  with  that  derived 
from  the  pits  around  Norwich,  to  the  consideration  of  which 
I  shall  now  pass. 

Crag  near  Norwich. — The  crag  of  the  neighbourhood  of 
Norwich  is  interposed,  in  patches  of  variable  thickness,  be- 
tween the  chalk,  on  which  it  rests,  and  a  dense  bed  of  gravel 


OF  NORFOLK  AND  SUFFOLK.  317 

by  which  it  is  almost  everywhere  covered.  It  is  only  in  some 
valleys,  like  that  of  the  Yare,  where  denudation  has  extended 
down  to  the  fundamental  chalk,  that  the  crag  is  partially  ex- 
posed at  the  surface. 

The  various  excavations  made  for  chalk  and  sand  at  Bra- 
merton  and  Whitlingham,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Yare,  and 
at  Thorpe  and  Postwick,  on  the  left  bank,  places  within  four 
or  five  miles  of  Norwich,  all  agree  in  presenting  beds  of  sand, 
loam,  and  gravel,  in  which  we  observe  a  mixture  of  marine, 
land,  and  freshwater  shells,  with  ichthyolites  and  bones  of 
Mammalia.  It  is  clear  that  these  beds  have  been  accumu- 
lated by  successive  deposition  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  near 
the  mouth  of  a  river.  Mr.  Woodward,  in  his  account  of  the 
Norfolk  crag,  has  described  the  drilled  surface  of  the  chalk  at 
Postwick,  showing  that  it  had  remained  for  some  time  expos- 
ed to  the  action  of  marine  perforating  animals,  before  the  crag 
was  thrown  down  :  and  similar  facts  were  pointed  out  to  me 
by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Clowes,  of  Yarmouth,  respecting  the 
chalk  at  Whitlingham.  That  gentleman  presented  me  with  a 
fragment  of  chalk,  perforated  to  the  depth  of  several  inches  by 
the  Pholas  crispata,  the  shell  still  remaining  at  the  bottom 
of  its  cylindrical  cavity,  the  upper  part  of  which  was  filled 
with  loose  sand,  which  had  fallen  in  from  the  incumbent  crag. 
The  chalk  of  this  place  when  bored  by  the  Pholas,  was  either 
exposed  in  the  bed  of  the  tertiary  sea,  or  at  least  was  not  yet 
covered  by  a  considerable  thickness  of  sand  and  loam. 

Among  other  observations  which  prove  the  gradual  depo- 
sition of  the  tertiary  strata  themselves,  I  may  mention  that 
Capt.  Alexander  found  the  tusk  of  an  elephant  at  Bramerton, 
to  which  there  were  many  Serpula  attached ;  a  fact  which 
also  demonstrates,  together  with  many  others,  that  the  bones 
of  quadrupeds  were  really  washed  down  into  the  sea  of  the 
Norwich  crag,  and  were  not  introduced  afterwards  by  diluvial 
action,  as  has  been  sometimes  suspected. 

Although  many  freshwater  shells  have,  by  dint  of  careful 
search,  been  detected  in  the  Norwich  beds,  they  are  never- 
theless rare  in  comparison  with  the  marine  Testacea,  and  the 
terrestrial  species  are  still  more  rare.  Mr.  J.  B.  Wigham 
however  informs  me,  that  in  one  of  the  beds  at  Thorpe,  near 
Norwich,  there  is  a  great  predominance  of  freshwater  shells, 
most  of  which  cannot  be  preserved,  as  they  fall  to  powder  on 
being  exposed  to  the  air.  In  the  pits  of  Thorpe  last  men- 
tioned, the  same  gentleman  found  the  tooth  of  a  Mastodon  in 
the  bottom  of  the  deposit,  near  the  chalk,  together  with  pec- 
tens  and  other  marine  shells.  He  also  discovered,  in  1838, 
at  Postwick,  together  with  the  remains  of  fish,  and  marine 


318  RELATIVE  AGES  OF  THE  CRAG 

shells,  the  left  side  of  the  upper  jaw  of  a  Mastodon,  contain- 
ing the  second  true  molar,  and  in  the  socket  the  indication  of 
another,  namely,  the  first  molar.  This  fragment  was  suffi- 
ciently perfect  to  enable  Mr.  Owen,  to  whom  I  submitted  it, 
to  refer  it  to  Mastodon  longirostris,  a  species  also  found  at 
Eppelsheim.  With  these  remains  of  a  huge  pachyderm  were 
associated  the  teeth  and  jaw  of  a  field-mouse,  larger  and  with 
stronger  teeth  than  the  common  species,  (Arvicola  arvalis, 
Cuv.).  These  fossils  were  accompanied  also  by  the  bones  of 
birds,  together  with  remains  of  several  fish,  such  as  the  Pla- 
tax  and  Myliobates.  The  horns  of  stags,  together  with  bones 
and  teeth  of  the  horse,  pig,  elephant,  and  other  quadrupeds, 
have  also  been  detected  at  Postwick,  Thorpe,  Bramerton,  and 
other  localities  of  crag  near  Norwich.  The  association  here, 
as  in  so  many  other  places,  both  in  Europe  and  America,  of 
the  remains  of  the  Mastodon  and  horse,  is  remarked  by  Mr. 
Owen  as  a  subject  not  without  interest. 

In  addition  to  spots  bordering  the  valley  of  the  Yare,  near 
Norwich,  I  visited  several  others,  such  as  Belaugh  and  Wrox- 
ham,  to  the  north  of  Norwich,  and  between  that  city  and 
Horstead.  In  all  these  I  found  the  same  kind  of  crag  inter- 
posed between  the  superficial  gravel  and  the  chalk ;  the  shells 
consisting  for  the  most  part  of  Fusus  striatum,  Turritella  te- 
rebra,  Cerithium  punctatum,  Pectunculus  variabilis,  Tellina 
obliqua,  Tel.  calcarea,  Cardium  edule,  and  Cyprina  vulgaris. 

Proportion  of  recent  shells  in  Norwich  Crag. — The  infor- 
mation which  I  was  most  desirous  of  obtaining  respecting  the 
Norwich  crag  generally,  was  the  degree  of  the  resemblance  of 
its  shells  to  those  of  the  Suffolk  crag  on  the  one  hand,  and  to 
those  of  the  existing  seas  on  the  other.  In  accomplishing 
one  part  of  this  object,  I  have  been  particularly  indebted  to 
Mr.  J.  B.  Wigham,  of  Norwich,  whose  labours  alone  have 
nearly  doubled  the  number  of  shells  which  had  been  previ- 
ously obtained  from  this  formation,  and  who  has  most  liberal- 
ly placed  his  entire  collection  at  my  disposal.  I  have  also  to 
acknowledge  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Fitch,  of  Norwich.  I  re- 
ceived moreover  many  shells  of  the  Southwold  strata  through 
the  kindness  of  Capt.  Alexander,  several  of  them  belonging 
to  species  not  yet  discovered  near  Norwich. 

But  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  me  to  compare  the 
Norwich  shells,  amounting  to  111  in  number,  with  those  of 
the  Suffolk  crag,  had  I  not  obtained  the  kind  assistance  of 
Mr.  Searles  Wood,  with  opportunity  of  referring  to  his  ex- 
tensive collection.  Nor  would  Mr.  Wood  and  I  have  been 
able  to  institute  a  thorough  comparison  of  these  shells 
with  recent  species,  if  we  had  not  been  assisted  by  Mr. 


OF  NORFOLK  AND  SUFFOLK.  319 

George  Sowerby.  The  number  of  shells  of  the  Norfolk  crag 
known  in  1833,  when  Woodward  published  his  list,  amount- 
ed, according  to  that  author,  to  85  species ;  but  so  many  of 
these  consisted  of  mere  varieties  and  monstrosities  of  a  few  of 
the  commonest  species,  especially  Littorina,  Fusus,  and  Pur- 
pura, that  we  have  found  it  necessary  to  reduce  the  85  species, 
as  named  in  that  list,  to  about  58,  and  several  even  of  this  num- 
ber must  again  be  excluded  from  a  genuine  list  of  Norfolk  crag 
shells,  on  the  ground  of  their  consisting  of  fragments,  probably 
washed  in  from  pre-existing  beds  of  the  red  or  Suffolk  crag. 
The  total  number  known  in  1833  being  thus  brought  down  to 
less  than  60,  has  been  again  nearly  doubled  by  the  additions 
recently  made,  especially  by  Mr.  Wigham,  19  out  of  111  con- 
sisting of  land  and  freshwater  shells. 

It  will  naturally  be  thought  that  the  total  number  is  very 
small,  whether  as  compared  to  the  shells  of  the  British  seas, 
or  to  the  Fauna  of  the  Suffolk  crag,  especially  when  it  is  con- 
sidered that  the  scantiness  of  this  number  is  not  owing  to  any 
want  of  industry  on  the  part  of  collectors,  nor  to  any  paucity 
of  individual  shells.  But  I  have  already  stated  that  the  de- 
posit has  a  fluvio-marine  character,  and  it  is  well  known  that 
in  brackish  water,  like  the  Baltic,  or  in  any  great  estuary,  the 
variety  of  species  is  far  less  considerable  than  in  the  salt  sea, 
latitude,  climate,  and  other  conditions  being  the  same.  A 
similar  scantiness  in  the  list  of  species  has  been  remarked  in 
those  tertiary  formations  which  extend  along  the  valley  of  the 
Rhine,  from  Basle  to  Mayence,  and  in  which  great  numbers 
of  land  and  freshwater  shells  are  intermingled  with  marine 
species,  the  same  strata  including  also  the  bones  of  Mamma- 
lia, and  among  others,  at  Eppelsheim,  of  the  Dinotherium 
and  Mastodon  lougirostris. 

Of  the  92  marine  shells  of  the  Norwich  crag,  Mr.  Wood  has 
recognized  73  as  common  to  the  red  crag.  This  enormous 
proportion  of  species  common  to  both  (about  78  per  cent.), 
struck  me  so  forcibly  when  collecting  at  South  wold  and  Nor- 
wich, that  1  at  first  began  to  suspect,  that  by  increasing  our 
knowledge  of  the  fossils  of  the  Norwich  beds  we  should  even- 
tually prove  them  and  the  red  crag  to  be  nearly,  if  not  wholly 
of  the  same  age.  But  the  application  of  another  test,  name- 
ly, the  per-centage  of  recent  species,  soon  led  to  a  very  dif- 
ferent result,  for  both  in  the  marine  and  freshwater  shells  of 
the  Norwich  crag,  we  have  found  between  50  and  60  per  cent, 
of  recent  species,  and  those  almost  exclusively  northern,  and 
nearly  all  British  shells ;  whereas  in  the  red  crag,  as  I  shall 
afterwards  more  fully  explain,  there  are  only  30  per  cent., 


320  RELATIVE  AGES  OF  THE  CRAG 

and  in  the  coralline  crag  only  19  per  cent.,  of  recent  species 
of  true  Mollusca. 

That  the  crag  of  Norwich  was  newer  than  that  of  the  red 
crag  of  Suffolk,  had  been  already  implied  by  Mr.  Charlesworth 
when  he  suggested  that  shells  of  the  former  had  probably  been 
washed  into  the  Norwich  beds ;  and  both  he  and  Mr.  Wood 
had  recognized  in  the  assemblage  of  Norfolk  shells,  a  nearer 
approach  to  the  existing  British  Fauna ;  but  it  is  most  satis- 
factory to  have  these  conjectures  borne  out  by  a  detailed  ex- 
amination of  the  Norfolk  and  Suffolk  shells,  a  task,  in  the 
execution  of  which  Mr.  Wood  and  myself  have  had  through- 
out the  assistance  of  Mr.  George  Sowerby,  without  whose 
experience  and  knowledge  of  the  living  shells,  we  could  not 
have  arrived  at  such  positive  conclusions. 

Only  two  species  of  freshwater  shells  have  been  hitherto 
found  in  the  red  crag  of  Suffolk,  and  these  Mr.  Wood  col- 
lected at  Sutton,  namely,  three  individuals  of  Auricula  myo- 
sotis,  and  a  single  specimen  of  Planorbis  marginatus,  belong- 
ing to  that  variety  in  which  the  keel  is  slightly  prominent. — 
This  same  variety  of  Planorbis,  as  well  as  the  Auricula,  have 
both  been  discovered  in  the  Norwich  crag.  Amongst  the  other 
freshwater  species  in  this  crag,  I  may  mention  Cyrena  trigo- 
nula,  which  occurs  both  at  South  wold,  and  at  Crostwick  near 
Norwich.  The  land  shells  consist  of  Helix  hispida  and 
H.  plebeium,  common  British  shells,  and  two  perfect  speci- 
mens of  a  Helix  found  by  Capt.  Alexander  at  Southwold, 
which  bears  a  very  near  resemblance  to  the  Helix  turonensis, 
so  common  in  the  faluns  of  Touraine.  Of  the  92  marine  shells 
all,  with  two  or  three  exceptions,  are  either  species  found  in 
the  red  crag,  or  now  living,  so  that  a  very  small  number  seem 
to  have  been  peculiar  to  this  period. 

The  most  difficult  point  to  determine  in  respect  to  the  fos- 
sils of  the  Norwich  crag,  is  the  propriety  of  excluding  certain 
species  on  the  ground  of  their  having  been  probably  washed  in 
from  an  older  bed.  The  mere  circumstance  of  shells  being  com- 
mon to  the  red  crag,  and,  at  the  same  time,  of  extinct  species, 
raises  in  itself  no  fair  presumption  against  their  belonging  to 
the  period  of  the  Norwich  beds.  For  some  of  the  commonest 
shells,  such  as  Mya  lata,  Tellina  obliqua,  Astarte  plana, 
Tellina  pretenuis,  Nucula  Cobboldics,  Auricula  pyramidalis, 
and  some  others,  are  extinct  species,  and  found  also  in  the 
red  crag  of  Suffolk :  yet  no  one  can  doubt  that  these  lived 
in  the  sea  of  the  Norwich  crag,  as  they  abound  in  it  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation,  although  some  of  them  are  fragile  shells, 
and  the  Acephala  have  occasionally  both  valves  united.     Nor 


OF  NORFOLK  AND  SUFFOLK.  321 

have  they  in  general  the  red  ferruginous  colour  by  which  the 
fossils  of  the  upper  crag  of  Suffolk  are  tinged.  I  may  how- 
ever remark,  that  the  fossils  of  the  Norwich  crag  have  also,  in 
some  places,  acquired  a  yellow  ochreous  colour,  so  that  the 
presence  of  this  character  does  not  at  once  stamp  a  shell  as 
having  been  derived  from  the  more  ancient  bed.  When  there 
is  only  evidence  of  a  few  fragments  of  a  remarkable  shell,  such 
as  Hinnites  Dubuissoni,  or  when  I  have  only  met  with  one 
bouldered  specimen,  as  of  Murex  alveolatus,  and  that  stained 
red,  I  have  rejected  them  as  spurious  without  hesitation. — 
The  greater  number  of  specimens  of  the  Fusus  contrarius 
which  are  broken  or  bouldered,  may  also  doubtless  be  refera- 
ble to  the  same  source.  This  last  point  however  is  one  of 
minor  importance,  as  a  conchologist  may  satisfy  himself,  by 
referring  to  an  extensive  series,  such  as  Mr.  Wood  possesses, 
that  the  Fusus  contrarius  is  merely  a  sinistral  variety  of  Fus. 
striatus,  a  fossil  which  properly  belongs  to  the  Norwich  crag, 
and  of  which  Capt.  Alexander  posseses  a  reversed  specimen 
from  Bramerton,  of  the  ordiuary  striated  variety  with  angular 
whorls.  The  individual  last  mentioned  is  quite  perfect,  and 
free  from  ferruginous  stains. 

No  species  of  Terebratula  was  enumerated  in  Woodward's 
list  of  the  Norfolk  crag  shells,  although  the  species  allied  to, 
if  not  identical  with,  Ter.  pslttacea,  is  by  no  means  rare.  On 
the  other  hand,  Woodward  mentions  Ter.  plicatilis  as  being 
washed  out  from  the  chalk  into  the  crag.  Mr.  Charlesworth 
also  has  spoken  of  various  species  of  Terebratula,  and  other 
chalk  fossils,  as  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  crag  of  Norfolk.1 
I  collected  many  Terebratulce,  of  the  recent  species  before 
mentioned,  without  ever  happening  to  meet  with  any  derived 
from  the  chalk,  the  introduction  of  which  therefore  appears  to 
me  to  have  been  a  local  accident. 

It  becomes  a  question  of  greater  delicacy  and  difficulty 
when  only  one  entire  specimen,  or  a  small  number  of  broken 
specimens,  of  a  well-known  shell  of  the  red  or  coralline  crag 
have  been  met  with.  In  this  predicament  the  following  ten 
species  appear  to  stand  at  present. 

1  Voluta  Lamberti  Cardita  concentrica 

Cassis  bicatenatus  Pecten  plebeius 

Murex  costellifer  Astarte  oblonga 

Buccinum  elongatum  Lucina  obliqua 

5  Cardium  edulifium  10  Mactra  arcuata 

To  exclude  all  these  because  of  their  extreme  rarity,  would, 
I  think,  be  somewhat  rash,  because  we  have  as  yet  only  soli- 

1  Phil.  Mag.  No.  42.  p.  468,  Dec.  1835. 


32*2  RELATIVE  AGES  OF  THE  CRAG 

tary  examples  of  some  other  species  which  are  either  quite 
peculiar  to  the  Norwich  beds,  or  are  recent  species  never  found 
in  the  red  crag.  Nevertheless,  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  if 
we  reduce  the  list  of  marine  shells  by  ten,  on  the  ground  of 
doubts  entertained  respecting  the  authenticity  of  the  species 
above  enumerated,  we  then  find  nearly  the  same  per-centage  of 
recent  species  in  the  marine  list  as  is  obtained  from  that  com- 
prising the  land  and  freshwater  shells,  namely,  60  per  cent. 
In  regard  to  the  nineteen  land  and  freshwater  shells,  there  is 
no  possibility  of  any  individual  having  been  washed  in  from 
the  purely  marine  crag  of  Suffolk ;  so  that  when  we  have  ob- 
tained a  large  number  of  these,  they  will  yield  the  safest  test 
of  the  analogy  of  the  Fauna  to  that  now  existing. 

Norwich  Crag  Older  Pleiocene. — To  whatever  view  we  may 
at  present  incline  respecting  some  of  these  doubtful  shells,  the 
Norwich  crag  will  still  be  referable  to  some  part  of  the  older 
pleiocene  period,  according  to  the  classification  which  I  have 
adopted  in  the  '  Principles  of  Geology,'  while  the  red  and  co- 
ralline crag  of  Suffolk  will  each  belong  to  different  parts  of 
the  miocene  epoch. 

It  would  be  foreign  to  the  chief  object  of  the  present  pa- 
per if  I  were  to  enter  into  any  details  respecting  the  fossil 
shells  of  the  red  and  coralline  crag,  the  examination  of  which 
could  not  have  been  accomplished  without  access  to  Mr. 
Wood's  collection,  where  almost  every  species  is  illustrated 
by  abundance  of  individuals.  Assisted  by  Mr.  George  Sow- 
erby  and  Mr.  Wood,  I  have  convinced  myself  that  out  of  345 
species  of  coralline  crag  shells,  67  are  identical  with  recent 
species,  being  about  19  per  cent. ;  while  out  of  230  species 
from  the  red  crag,  69  agree  with  living  species,  being  in  the 
proportion  of  about  30  per  cent. 

It  is  curious  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  recent  shells 
found  in  the  coralline  crag,  are  neither  met  with  in  the  red 
crag  nor  in  the  Norwich  formation.  They  disappear  in  the  in- 
termediate period,  which  may  be  attributed  principally  to  the 
fragile  nature  of  many  of  these  shells,  and  in  some  cases  to 
their  having  been  peculiar  to  deep  and  tranquil  water.  If 
they  should  hereafter  be  detected  in  beds  strictly  contempo- 
rary with  the  red  crag,  it  by  no  means  follows  that  they  would 
alter  the  proportion  of  30  per  cent.,  because  with  them  we 
might  expect  to  bring  to  light  a  great  number  of  extinct  spe- 
cies, some  of  which  would  probably  agree  with  extinct  spe- 
cies of  the  coralline  crag,  whilst  others  would  be  peculiar  to 
the  red  crag. 

Newer  Pleiocene  Deposits  in  Norfolk. — It  also  appears, 
from  an  examination  in  which  Mr.  Wood,  Mr.  Sowerby,  and 


OF  NORFOLK  AND  SUFFOLK.  323 

myself  have  been  engaged,  of  the  land  and  freshwater  shells 
obtained  from  the  superficial  lacustrine  or  fluviatile  deposits 
of  certain  parts  of  Norfolk,  Suffolk,  and  the  basin  of  the 
Thames,  that  the  proportion  of  recent  species  in  these  forma- 
tions is  much  greater  than  in  the  Norwich  crag,  exceeding  90 
or  95  per  cent.,  and  which  I  therefore  refer  to  the  newer  plei- 
ocene  or  pleistocene  period. ■  I  allude,  not  only  to  certain 
deposits  at  Cromer  and  Mundesley  in  Norfolk,  the  shells  of 
which  have  been  collected  by  Mr.  Fitch,  of  Norwich,  but  al- 
so to  those  of  Stutton,  Grays,  Ilford,  and  other  places  near 
London;  many  of  which  have  long  been  celebrated  for  the 
remains  of  extinct  Mammalia. 

The  chronological  order  in  which  these  various  tertiary 
groups  follow  each  other  in  an  ascending  series,  namely,  1st, 
the  coralline  crag ;  2ndly,  the  red  crag ;  3rdly,  the  mammal- 
iferous  or  Norwich  crag ;  and  4thly,  the  lacustrine  strata,  with 
mammalian  remains ; — has  been  correctly  indicated  by  Mr. 
Charlesworth,  in  a  paper  communicated  by  him  in  1836,  to 
the  British  Association.  In  that  paper  he  stated  that  the  pro- 
portion of  extinct  to  recent  shells  had  not  then  been  ascer- 
tained. It  is  now  satisfactory  to  find  that  the  palaeontological 
test  of  age,  as  derived  from  the  relative  approach  to  the  recent 
Fauna,  is  perfectly  in  accordance  with  the  independent  evi- 
dence drawn  from  superposition,  and  the  included  fragments 
of  older  beds.  At  the  same  time,  the  comparative  proportion 
of  recent  species  in  the  several  formations  affords  us,  I  con- 
ceive, a  considerable  insight,  not  only  into  the  order  of  se- 
quence, but  also  into  the  relative  distances  of  the  times  at 
which  the  deposits  were  formed. 

Extension  of  the  Norwich  Crag  into  Yorkshire. — In  a  for- 
mer number  of  this  Magazine  (vol.  viii.  o.  s.  p.  355),  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Bean  of  Scarborough  has  described  a  deposit  of  sand 
and  clay,  containing  marine  shells,  as  occurring  near  Brid- 
lington quay.  It  was  exposed,  he  says,  for  a  few  yards  only, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  harbour,  at  low  water,  near  the  plea- 
sure-ground called  the  "Esplanade."  He  now  informs  me 
(May,  1839),  "that  the  spot  is  inaccessible,  as  the  ground  has 

1  In  the  Appendix  to  the  French  translation  of  my  '  Elements  of  Geolo- 
gy,' I  have  proposed,  for  the  sake  of  brevity,  to  substitute  the  term  Pleio- 
cene for  Older  Pleiocene,  and  Pleistocene  for  Newer  Pleiocene,  from  the  Greek 
nteiarov,  most,  and  naivog,  recent.  I  have  been  induced  to  make  this  inno- 
vation, because  in  proportion  as  the  progress  of  science  calls  for  subdivisions 
of  these  periods,  the  longer  terms  have  become  more  inconvenient.  We 
have  often  for  example,  to  speak  of  the  older  and  newer  portion  both  of  the 
older  and  newer  pleiocene  epochs.  To  the  pleiocene  period  I  have  referred 
those  strata  which  contain  between  40  and  70  per  cent  of  recent  species  of 
shells ;  to  the  pleistocene  those  in  which  the  per-centage  exceeds  70. 


324  RELATIVE  AGES  OF  THE  CRAG 

been  levelled,  and  a  wall  erected  next  the  sea."  I  am  indebt- 
ed to  the  liberality  of  this  gentleman  for  having,  in  immediate 
compliance  with  my  request,  forwarded  to  me  a  set  of  shells 
which  he  obtained  from  these  beds,  that  they  might  be  exa- 
mined and  compared  with  the  collections  of  fossil  and  recent 
shells  in  London.  They  consist  of  about  35  species,  after 
omitting  certain  specimens  of  Balanus,  Pecten,  Cardium,  and 
Astarte,  too  imperfect  to  be  determined.  Of  these  35  no  less 
than  20  are  identical  with  living  species,  being  to  the  recent 
in  the  proportion  of  nearly  60  per  cent.,  a  per-centage  coin- 
ciding remarkably  with  that  previously  obtained  from  the 
Norwich  crag.  No  less  than  26  moreover  of  the  35  are  iden- 
tical with  species  already  obtained  from  the  Norwich  crag, 
which,  when  we  consider  that  the  latter  has  only  yielded  as 
yet  about  100  marine  shells,  affords  sufficient  ground  for  re- 
ferring the  Yorkshire  and  Norwich  deposits  to  one  and  the 
same  period.  Some  species,  moreover,  such  as  the  Nucula 
Cobboldiw,  so  characteristic  of  the  Norwich  beds,  were  found 
very  abundantly  by  Mr.  Bean  near  Bridlington.  Of  the  nine 
species  not  as  yet  known  in  the  Norwich  crag,  five  are  recent, 
and  the  other  four  appear  to  differ  from  any  previously  known 
shells,  whether  fossil  or  recent.  They  belong  to  the  genera 
Astarte,  Turritella,  Natica,  and  Margarita,  and,  like  one  or 
two  extinct  shells  near  Norwich,  they  may  perhaps  prove  pe- 
culiar to  the  British  pleiocene  strata.  I  have  received  no  in- 
formation at  present,  either  of  mammalian  remains  or  of  land 
and  freshwater  shells,  in  this  Yorkshire  portion  of  the  Nor- 
wich crag. 

Contemporaneous  Origin  of  the  Suffolk  Crag  and  the  Fa- 
luns of  Touraine. — There  is  one  more  subject  only  to  which 
I  shail  allude  before  concluding.  When  M.  Desnoyers  first 
explored  the  faluns  of  Touraine  and  the  crag  of  England,  of 
which  he  published  an  account  in  1825,1  after  visiting  Aid- 
borough,  among  other  places,  and  inspecting  the  coralline 
crag  of  that  neighbourhood,  he  ascribed  a  contemporaneous 
origin  to  the  Suffolk  crag  and  the  French  faluns.  I  was  then 
unwilling  to  embrace  this  opinion,  for  various  reasons.  In 
the  first  place  I  imagined  that  the  per-centage  of  recent  spe- 
cies, in  all  parts  of  the  English  crag,  was  much  larger  than 
that  of  the  Touraine  beds  ;  for  the  shells  which  I  was  enabled 
to  submit  to  the  examination  of  M.  Deshayes  in  1829,  were 
chiefly  derived  either  from  the  Norwich  beds  or  the  red  crag, 
comparatively  small  progress  having  then  been  made  in  col- 
lecting the  fossils  of  the  coralline  crag.     Admitting  that  some 

1  Mem.  de  la  Soc.  d'  Hist.  Nat.  tome  ii.  p.  238. 


OF  NORFOLK  AND  SUFFOLK.  3*25 

of  the  identifications  then  made  by  M.  Deshayes  of  crag  shells 
with  recent  species,  were  erroneous,  it  was  still  unavoidable 
that  he  should  estimate  the  per-centage  for  111  crag  shells, 
gathered  indiscriminately  from  the  Norfolk  and  Suffolk  crag, 
much  higher  than  we  now  find  to  hold  good  in  the  case  of 
the  red  or  coralline  crag  taken  separately.  Secondly,  I  re- 
jected the  idea  of  the  Touraine  beds  being  contemporaneous 
with  the  crag,  because  I  had  ascertained  that  the  fossils  were 
almost  entirely  of  distinct  species,  although  the  two  regions 
are  not  300  miles  distant  the  one  from  the  other.  M.  Des- 
hayes also  pronounced  the  testaceous  Fauna  of  the  crag  to 
have  a  very  northern  aspect,  and  that  of  Touraine  an  almost 
tropical  character :  and  yet  the  crag  lies  in  the  52nd,  while 
the  faluns  are  in  the  48th  degree  of  latitude.  I  stated  in  the 
first  edition  of  the  'Principles  of  Geology'  (1830),  that  so 
great  a  discordance  in  the  species  of  Testacea  inhabiting  two 
contiguous  seas  could  not  be  paralleled  in  the  present  state 
of  the  globe,  except  where  some  rare  combination  of  circum- 
stances occurs,  like  that  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  Isthmus 
of  Suez,  where  the  Red  Sea  and  the  Mediterranean  are  sepa- 
rated by  a  tract  of  land,  connected  on  the  one  side  with  Asia 
and  on  the  other  with  the  whole  of  Africa.  There  are  not 
even  10  per  cent  of  the  species  of  Touraine  fossil  shells  iden- 
tical with  shells  of  the  crag,  as  Mr.  Searles  Wood  has  deter- 
mined after  examining  for  me  a  collection  of  about  240  shells 
which  I  obtained,  in  1837,  from  M.  Dujardin,  the  same  col- 
lection from  which  the  figures  and  descriptions  were  taken  for 
M.  Dujardin's  paper  on  the  faluns,  in  the  Transactions  of  the 
Geological  Society  of  France.  Mr.  George  Sowerby  has  also 
assisted  me  in  the  careful  examination  of  the  whole  of  these 
Touraine  shells,  and  we  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
recent  species  are  in  the  proportion  of  26  per  cent. 

I  am  now  therefore  disposed  to  come  round  to  the  opinion 
of  M.  Desnoyers,  that  the  red  and  coralline  crag  may  corre- 
spond in  age  generally  with  the  faluns  of  Touraine ;  for  al- 
though the  assemblage  of  fossils  in  the  one  has  an  extremely 
northern,  and  that  of  the  other  a  southern  and  sub-tropical 
character,  yet  they  seem  to  depart  almost  equally,  though  in 
opposite  directions,  from  the  type  of  the  nearest  existing 
marine  Fauna.  In  the  red  crag  we  observe  a  large  develop- 
ment of  Cyprina,  Astarte,  and  Glycimeris,  and  of  those  sec- 
tions of  Fusus,  Buccinum,  Purpura,  and  Trochus  which  are 
now  common  in  the  British  or  Arctic  seas,  together  with  the 
total  absence  of  even  the  smallest  cones  and  olives,  as  well 
as  cowries,  except  those  of  diminutive  size.  In  the  coralline 
crag  many  of  the  same  forms  occur,  with  other  genera  which 


326  RELATIVE  AGES  OF  THE  CRAG 

we  should  now  only  meet  with  in  more  equatorial  latitudes,  as 
Lingula,  Pholadomya,  Pyrula,  nearly  related  to  Pyr.  reticu- 
lata, a  large  Voluta,  &e.  They  are  accompanied  moreover 
by  many  stone  corals  of  extinct  genera,  and  one  of  these,  the 
Anthophyllum,  now  occurs  within  the  tropics. 

Some  explanation,  perhaps,  of  the  apparent  anomaly  of 
these  associations  may  be  sought  in  the  analogy  of  the  present 
state  of  parts  of  the  southern  hemisphere,  which  enjoy  a  mild 
and  equable  climate.  In  South  America,  for  example,  Mr. 
Darwin  has  shown  that  certain  tropical  species  and  genera 
will  range  to  very  high  latitudes,  provided  their  progress  be 
not  arrested  by  severe  winter's  cold.  Thus  he  found  on  the 
east  coast  of  South  America,  in  latitude  39°  S.,  three  species 
of  olive  (one  of  large  size),  a  Voluta  and  a  Terebra,  among 
the  most  abundant  shells  on  the  mud-banks  of  Bahia  Blanca ; 
and  a  large  species  of  volute  has  been  traced  as  far  south  as 
lat.  45°,  or,  according  to  some  accounts,  much  farther.1 — 
Such  forms  in  the  northern  hemisphere  would  be  characteris- 
tic of  tropical  seas.  It  is  moreover  said  that  in  the  southern 
hemisphere  at  present,  the  transition  is  very  sudden  from  a 
latitude  to  which  tropical  forms  extend,  to  one  not  far  to  the 
south,  where  there  is  extreme  cold.  But  we  have  yet  to  learn 
how  far  such  circumstances  alone  can  give  rise  in  the  ocean 
to  abrupt  lines  of  demarcation  between  distinct  geographical 
provinces  of  Testacea. 

It  appears  to  me  impossible  to  account  for  the  specific  dif- 
ference of  the  marine  Faunas  of  Suffolk  and  Touraine,  as- 
suming them  to  be  contemporaneous,  without  speculating  on 
some  other  cause  which  co-operated  perhaps  with  a  state  of 
climate  like  that  above  suggested,  so  as  to  prevent  a  free 
range  of  northern  species  towards  the  south,  or  of  the  south- 
ern species  towards  the  north.  Thus,  for  example,  some  ge- 
ographical barrier,  such  as  an  isthmus,  may  formerly  have 
existed  between  Dover  and  Calais.  If  Great  Britain,  thus 
joined  to  the  European  continent,  stretched  continuously  far 
to  the  north,  beyond  the  Shetland  islands  ;  while  at  the  same 
time  the  Land's  End,  in  Cornwall,  was  prolonged  for  some 
distance  in  a  southerly  direction,  the  two  gulfs  then  placed 
on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  supposed  isthmus  might,  in  the 
course  of  time,  become  the  habitations  of  very  distinct  assem- 
blages of  marine  animals,  the  isthmus  constituting  the  extreme 
boundary,  on  one  side,  of  the  range  of  certain  tropical  ani- 
mals, and,  on  the  other,  of  many  arctic  species. 

1  Journal  of  Travels  in  S.  America,  in  Voy.  of  H.  M.  S.  Beagle,  p.  611. 


OF  NORFOLK  AND  SUFFOLK. 


327 


The  following  list  of  fossil  shells  from  the  Norwich  crag  is  the 
joint  work  of  Mr.  Searles  Wood,  F.G.S.,  Mr.  G.  Sowerby, 
F.L.S.,  and  the  author ;  the  fact  of  certain  species  being 
common  or  not  to  the  red  and  coralline  crag  of  Suffolk,  be- 
ing given  exclusively  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  Wood. 


LIST  OF  FOSSIL  SHELLS  FROM  THE  NORWICH  CRAG. 

The  fossil  shells  in  this  list  have  all  been  found  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
ourhood  of  Norwich,  except  where  Southwold  is  mentioned  as  the  locality. 
All  the  recent  species,  of  which  the  habitations  are  not  given,  belong  to  the 
British  seas. 

Explanation  of  the  Signs. — The  *  prefixed  to  a  name  implies  that  the 
species  is  now  living ;  where  a  ?  is  added,  the  identification  has  been  con- 
sidered doubtful,  either  from  the  imperfect  state  of  the  specimens,  or  the 
want  of  a  sufficient  number  of  fossil  or  recent  individuals  to  allow  of  a  sa- 
tisfactory comparison.  In  estimating  the  per-centage  of  living  species,  two 
of  these  doubtful  cases  have  been  counted  as  one,  the  authors  anticipating 
that  at  least  one  half  of  the  number  will  eventually  be  identified. 

The  mark in  either  of  the  columns  headed  'Hed  Crag'  and  '  Cor. 

Crag, '  denotes  that  the  species  against  which  it  is  placed  is  also  found  in 
one  or  both  older  deposits.     l  Min.  Con.'  Sowerby's  Mineral  Conchology. 


MARINE  SPECIES. 


1*Pholas  crispata,  Lamarck, 

*Solen  siliqua,  Lamarck, 

Mva  lata,  Min.  Con 

pullus,  including  M.  subovata  of  Woodw.  list 

5* arenaria,  

* truncata,  Mont 

*Lutraria  compressa,    Lam.     (Mactra  Listeri    of 

Woodward),    

•P Mactra  magna,  Woodward,  {Mactra  stultorumP)... 

* solida,  Mont.  (Mac.  ovalis,  Min.  Con.) 

10  arcuata,  Min.  Con 

* subtruncata,  Mont.  (M.  cuneata  of  Woodw.) 

*Amphidesma  Boysii,  Leach,  

n.  s.  one  valve  only,  

*Corbula  nucleus,  Lam.  (C.  rotundata,  Min.  Con.) 

15*Saxicava  rugosa,  Lamarck,     

*Tellina  crassa,  Mont.  (Tel.  obtusa,  Min.  Con.)   ... 

obliqua,  Min.  Con 

*? ovata,  Min.  Con.  same  as  Tel.  triangularis, 

Wahl.  (Tel.  calcarea  of  some  authors)  of  Nor- 
wegian seas,    

Tellin a  pretenuis,  Woodward, 

20* solidula,  Montagu,  found  fossil  at  Crost- 

wick,  near  Norwich. 

-fabula,  one  valve  of  fossil  from  Southwold 


*P. 


Lucina,  n.  s.  allied  to  divaricata.  Mr.  Wood  thinks 
that  the  ligament  in  this  species  was  internal, 
k radula,  (L.  antiquata,  Min.  Con.)  


Red  Crag.      Cor.  Crag 


328 


RELATIVE  AGES  OF  THE  CRAG 


Lucina,  n.  s.  allied  to  Tellina  rotundata,  Montagu, 

25*Donax  trunculus,  Montagu. 

*?AsxARTEj9&ma,  Min.  Con.  (very  near  Ast.  borealis). 

* compressa,  Mont,  (including  Ast.  angulata 

of  Woodward's  list),  

n.  s.  allied  to  Ast.  obliquata,  Min.  Con... 

oblonga,  Min.  Con 


30*Cyprina  islandiea 

Cyther&a,  n.  s.  allied  to  C.  lineata,  Min.  Con.  ... 
*Venus? paphia,  Mont,  including  Astarte  ovalis  and 

Ast.  antiquata  of  Woodward's  list,    

Cardita,  n.  s.  a  small  species,    

scalaris,  Min.  Con. 


35  Cardium  edulinum,  Min.  Con 

•. edule,  (Car.  obliquum  of  Woodward's  list) 

#Pectunculus  pilosus,  Lam.  (variabilis,  Min.  Con. 

Nucula,  n.  s.  allied  to  Nuc.  margaritacea, 

— i Cobboldice,  Min.  Con 

40  allied  to  Nuc.  oblonga,  Min.  Con. 


*  PModiola  papuana,  Lam.   (M.  vulgaris  of  authors) 
One  valve  only  from  Postwick,  near  Norwich. 
Recent  species  inhabits  Norwegian  seas. 
*Mytilus  edulis,  (including  M.  alee formis, Min. Con 

and  M.  antiquorum  of  Woodward's  list), 

Pecten  plebeius,  same  as  P.  sulcatus  and  P.  recon- 

ditus,  Min.  Con 

* obsoletus,  Min.  Con , 

45  princeps,  Min.  Con , 

*?Anomia  striata  ?  

.*? ephippiumP 

undulata,. 


*Terebratula  psittacea,  Lam.      Recent  species  in- 
habits Newfoundland. 
50  Patella,  n.  s.  allied  to  P.  virginea,  including  P. 
parvula,  Woodward,    , 

*Calyptr.ea  Sinensis,  Mont.    (Infundibulum  clype 
um,  Woodward). 

*Bulla  obtusa,  Mont.  (Bulla  minuta,  Woodward). 

*m cylindracea,  Mont. , 


-allied  to  B.  millium. 


55  Auricula pyramidalis,  Min.  Con 

Ringic ula  ventricosa,  Min.  Con 

*  PNatica  glaucinoides,  perhaps  same  as  Nat.  glaucina 

n.  s.  resembling  in  shape  Paludina  solida, 

Say, 

hemiclausa,  Min.  Con 

60  Velutina  similis,  (Sigaretus  similis,  Woodward). 

, —   allied  to  V.  laevigata. 

Tornatella,  like  T.  fiammea  of  E.  Indian  seas, 
but  smaller;  (Actceon  Noce,  Min.  Con.)    ... 
*Scalaria  grcenlandica,  (Sc.  similis,  Min.  Con.) 

Recent  species  inhabits  Greenland, 

* clathratulus,  (Sea.  minuta,  Min.  Con.) 

65*?Trochus  nitens,  (T.  tumidus  P) 

*  ? similis,  ( T.  zizyphinus  P)  


Red  Crag. 


Cor.  Crag. 


OF  NORFOLK  AND  SUFFOLK. 


329 


Lacuna,  n.  s.  allied  to  Turbo  canalis,  Montagu. 
*Turbo?  ulvce,  Mont.  (T.  minutus,  Woodward). 

?  semicostatus,  Woodward. 

70*Littorina  littorea 

* squalida,1    (including  Turbo  carinatus, 

bicarinatuSjSulcatus,  ventricosus,  elongatus,  and 
Delphinula  carinata  of  Woodward's  list). 

n.  s.  allied  to  Turbo  crassior,  Montagu. 

*Turritella  terebra,  Lamarck, 

* incrassata,  Min.  Con 

75  Cerithium  punctaturn,  Woodward, 

n.  s.  allied  to  C.  reticulatum. 

Pleurotoma  mitrula,  Min.  Con 

*Fusus  corneus,  Lamarck, 

striatus,  Min.  Con.,  including  F.  contrarius, 

Min.  Con.,  and  Murex  angulatus  and  Mur. 

compressus  of  Woodward's  list, 

80* despectusP  (or  variety  of  Fusus  striatus  P) 

* turricula,     (Murex  punctuatus,  Woodward), 

Cancellaria   costellifer,  (Murex  costellifer,    Min 

Con.), 

Cassis  bicatenata,  Min.  Con , 

*?Purpura  lapillus  P  including  Murex  crispus,  elon- 
gatus,  tapilliformis,  and  pullus  of  Woodward's 

list,  • 

85*? bulbiformis,  (query,  variety  of  the  pre- 
ceding). 

Buccinum  rugosum,  Min.  Con 

—    n.  s.  allied  to  B.  macula, 

granulatum,  Min.  Con 

* undatum  , 

90  elongatum,  Min.  Con 

Terebra,  n.  s.  allied  to  Helix  elegantissima,  Mont 
Voluta  Lamberti.  Min.  Con , 


Red  Crag. 


LAND  AND  FRESHWATER  SPECIES. 


*Cyclas  amnica. 

n.  s.  allied  to  Cyclas  amnica. 

95*  ■  cornea. 

*?Cyrena  trigonula,  Wood  (Loudon's  Mag.)  perhaps 
same  as  a  recent  undescribed  species,  com- 
mon in  Lower  Egypt. 
Helix  allied  to  H.  Turonensis. 

* hispida,  Montagu. 

* plebeium,  Drap. 

100*Auricula  myosotis,  Drap.  fossil  from  Southwold. 


1  The  name  of  Littorina  squalida  has  been  given  to  a  recent  species  from 
northern  seas,  by  Messrs.  Broderip  and  Sowerby,  in  Zool.  Journal.  Per- 
haps when  better  known  it  may  prove  to  be  only  a  variety  of  L.  littorea. 

Vol.  III.— No.  31.  n.  s.  2  l 


330 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 


Red  Crag. 


*?Planorbis  corneus  P  Lam.  only  one  specimen. 

*? marginatus  ?  Montagu ;   variety  with 

keel  slightly  prominent  and  marginal 

*Planorbis  vortex,  Lamarck. 

*Limnea  palustris,   (L.  tenuis,  Woodward). 

105  n.  s.  between  L.  fossaria,  Mont,  and  L. 

elongata,  Drap.    Query,  variety  of  L.  palustris. 

* peregra. 

allied  to  peregra. 

n.  s.  from  Southwold. 


Cor.Crag. 


*Valvata  piscinalis,  Lamarck. 
110*?Paludina  unicolor  P  including  Pal.  obsoleta,  me- 
dia, and  rotundata,  of  Woodward's  list;  re- 
cent species  inhabits  Bengal. 

* impura,  Lamarck. 


In  addition  to  the  above,  fragments  of  Scalaria  foliacea, 
Murex  alveolatus,  Hinnites  Dubuissoni,  Cardium  Parkin- 
soni,  Car.  grcenlandicum,  Astarte  Danmoniensis  ?  and  other 
shells,  probably  washed  out  of  the  red  crag.  Also  a  young 
Pileopsis,  and  valve  of  a  Chiton,  called  by  Woodward  Chi. 
octovalvis ;  also  a  valve  of  a  Cyclas  allied  to  C.  rimcola. 

The  Cirripeda  are  not  mentioned  in  the  above  list,  as  they 
have  not  yet  been  sufficiently  examined ;  but  at  least  two 
species  of  Balanus  occur,  besides  some  single  valves  of  a 
large  species  allied  to  B.  Uddevallensis,  and  common  to  the 
red  crag,  from  which  stratum  they  may  have  been  washed  out. 


Art.  II. — Monograph  of  the  Genus  Sciurus,  with  Descriptions  of 
New  Species  and  their  Varieties.  By  J.  Bachman,  D.D.,  Presi- 
dent 01  the  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society,  Charlestown,  South 
Carolina,  &c. 

(  Continued  from  page  227.) 


8.  Little  Carolina  Grey  Squirrel.    Sciurus  Carolinensis. 

Sciurus  Carolinensis  ;  Gmel. 

Ecureuil gris  de  la  Carolina;  Bosc.  vol.  ii.,  p.  96,  pi.  29. 

Essent.  Char. — Smaller  than  the  Northern  Grey  Squirrel,  tail  narrow- 
er than  in  that  species,  the  length  of  the  body ;  colour  above,  rusty  grey, 
white  beneath,  not  subject  to  vary  in  colour.  Dental  formula;  Incisors  f; 
Canines,  {$ ;  Molars,  ff ;— 22. 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  331 

This  species,  which  has  been  described  for  so  many  years, 
has  been  invariably  considered  by  authors  as  identical  with 
the  northern  grey  squirrel.  There  are  however  so  many  marks 
of  difference  in  size,  colour,  and  habits,  that  any  naturalist 
who  has  had  an  opportunity  of  comparing  specimens,  and  of 
witnessing  their  difference  in  habit,  will  feel  himself  justified 
in  regarding  them  as  distinct  species. 

The  head  is  shorter  and  the  space  between  the  ears  propor- 
tionately broader,  than  those  of  the  northern  grey  squirrel : 
the  nose  also  is  sharper.  The  small  anterior  molar  in  the 
upper  jaw  is  permanent,  and  not  deciduous,  as  I  have  invari- 
ably found  it  in  all  the  specimens  I  ever  examined.  It  is 
considerably  larger  than  in  the  other  species,  and  all  my  spe- 
cimens, which  give  evidence  of  the  animals  having  been  more 
than  a  year  old,  instead  of  having  the  small,  thread-like,  sin- 
gle tooth,  as  in  the  northern  species,  have  a  distinct  double 
tooth  with  a  double  crown ;  the  other  molars  are  not  unlike 
those  of  the  other  species  in  form,  but  are  shorter  and  smaller; 
the  upper  incisors  are  nearly  a  third  shorter.  The  body  is 
shorter,  less  elegant  in  shape,  and  has  not  the  appearance  of 
sprightliness  and  agility,  for  which  the  other  species  is  so 
eminently  distinguished.  The  ears,  which  are  nearly  trian- 
gular in  shape,  are  so  slightly  clothed  with  hair  internally, 
that  they  may  be  said  to  be  nearly  naked ;  externally  they 
are  sparsely  clothed  with  short  woolly  hair,  which,  however, 
does  not  extend  beyond  the  margins,  as  in  the  other  species ; 
the  nails  are  shorter  and  less  hooked ;  the  tail  is  shorter,  and 
does  not  present  the  broad  distichous  appearance  of  the  other. 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.     LIN. 

Length  of  head  and  body 9  6 

Ditto      of  tail  (vertebra) 7  4 

Ditto     to  point  of  hair  9  6 

Height  of  ear „  6 

Palm  to  end  of  middle  claw 1  3 

Heel  to  end  of  middle  nail 2  6 

Length  of  fur  on  the  back „  5 

Breadth  of  tail  with  hairs  extended  3  0 

Colour. — Teeth  light  orange  colour ;  nails  brown,  lighter 
at  the  extremities ;  whiskers  black  ;  nose  and  cheeks,  and 
around  the  eyes,  a  slight  tinge  of  rufous  grey.  The  fur  on  the 
back  is,  for  three  fourths  of  its  length,  dark  plumbeous,  then 
a  slight  marking  of  black,  edged  with  brown  in  some  hairs 
and  black  in  others,  giving  it,  on  the  whole  upper  surface,  a 
uniform  dark  ochreous  colour.  In  a  few  specimens  there  is 
an  obscure  line  of  lighter  brown  along  the  sides,  where  the 


332  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

ochreous  colour  prevails,  and  a  tinge  of  the  same  colour  on 
the  upper  surface  of  the  fore  legs,  above  the  knees.  The  feet 
are  light  grey ;  the  tail,  for  three  fourths  of  its  length  from 
the  root,  is  yellowish  brown,  then  black  edged  with  white ; 
the  throat,  inner  surface  of  the  legs,  and  the  belly,  white. 

This  species  is  not  subject  to  run  into  varieties,  which  is 
so  striking  a  characteristic  of  the  northern  grey  and  black 
squirrel.  The  specimens  received  from  North  Carolina,  Ala- 
bama, Florida,  and  Louisiana,  scarcely  present  a  shade  of  dif- 
ference from  those  existing  in  South  Carolina,  and  which  I 
have  described  above. 

Geographical  Distribution.- — This  species  is  exceedingly 
abundant  in  South  Carolina,  especially  in  low  swampy  situa- 
tions. A  specimen  was  sent  to  me  from  Louisiana,  where  it 
is  said  not  to  be  abundant.  It  is  common  in  Alabama  and 
Mississippi,  is  found  everywhere  in  the  low  grounds  of  Geor- 
gia, and  is  the  only  species  in  the  southern  peninsula  of  East 
Florida.  Its  northern  boundary  I  have  been  unable  to  de- 
termine with  positive  certainty.  I  have  received  it  from 
North  Carolina,  and  have  an  impression  that  I  saw  it  in  the 
southern  portions  of  New  Jersey,  and  that  it  is  not  uncom- 
mon in  the  neighbourhood  of  Philadelphia. 

Habits. — This  species  differs  as  much  in  habit  from  the 
northern  grey  squirrel,  as  it  does  in  form  and  colour.  After 
an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  habits  of  the  northern  spe- 
cies, I  was  particularly  struck  with  the  peculiarities  of  this,  on 
the  first  occasion  afforded  me  of  seeing  it  in  the  woods.  Its 
bark  has  not  the  fulness  of  the  other,  and  is  much  shriller  and 
more  querulous.  Instead  of  mounting  high  on  the  tree  when 
alarmed,  as  is  the  case  with  the  northern  species,  this  clings 
around  the  body,  on  the  opposite  side,  at  the  distance  of 
twelve  or  fourteen  feet,  often  concealing  itself  beneath  the 
Spanish  moss  (Tillandsia  usnoides),  which  hangs  trailing 
round  the  tree.  When  a  person  who  has  alarmed  it,  remains 
quiet  for  a  few  moments,  it  has  the  habit  of  the  northern  chick- 
aree {Sciurus  Hudsonius)  of  descending  a  few  feet,  and  taking 
a  seat  on  the  first  convenient  limb,  as  if  watching  his  motions. 
It  is,  however,  capable  of  climbing  to  the  extremity  of  the 
limbs,  and  leaping  from  tree  to  tree,  but  is  less  wild  than  the 
northern  species,  and  is  as  easily  approached  as  the  chicka- 
ree. The  person  who  is  desirous  of  obtaining  the  Carolina 
squirrel,  has  only  to  take  his  seat  for  a  few  moments  in  any 
of  the  swamps  of  Carolina,  and  he  will  be  surprised  at  the 
immense  numbers  that  are  running  along  the  logs,  and  leap- 
ing among  the  surrounding  trees.  In  this  manner  great  num- 
bers are  killed,  and  their  flesh  is  juicy  and  tender. 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  333 

Although  the  Carolina  grey  squirrel  is  sometimes  seen  on 
high  grounds,  among  the  oak  and  hickory  trees,  yet  its  usual 
haunts  are  in  low  swampy  places,  and  among  the  trees  over- 
hanging our  streams  and  the  borders  of  our  rivers.  In  the 
cypress-swamps,  covered  in  many  places  with  several  feet  of 
water  during  the  whole  year,  it  takes  up  its  constant  residence, 
moving  among  the  entwined  branches  above  with  great  faci- 
lity. Its  hole,  in  such  situations,  is  in  the  hollow  of  some 
cypress,  and  on  the  surrounding  tupelos  {Nyssa  aquatica) 
many  nests,  composed  principally  of  Spanish  moss  and  leaves, 
are  everywhere  seen.  In  these  nests  they  occasionally  depo- 
sit their  young.  These  are  five  or  six  in  number, — brought 
forth  in  March ;  and  it  is  generally  stated  that  the  female 
produces  young  twice  in  a  season. 

This  species  has  one  peculiarity  which  I  have  not  observed 
in  any  other.  It  may  be  said  to  be,  in  some  respects,  noc- 
turnal, or  at  least  crepuscular,  in  its  habits.  In  riding  along 
the  by-paths  of  our  swamps,  long  after  sun-set,  we  are  often 
startled  by  the  noise  of  this  little  squirrel.  It  scratches  among 
the  leaves,  ■  courses  from  tree  to  tree,  and  scatters  over  the 
earth  the  seeds  of  the  maple  &c,  which  are  thrown  off  from 
the  extremities  of  the  branches  above.  I  have  noticed  it  by 
moon-light,  as  actively  engaged  as  the  flying  squirrel.  It  is 
scarcely  ever  seen  in  the  company  of,  or  even  found  in  the  same 
neighbourhood  with,  the  fox  squirrel ;  not  so  much,  proba- 
bly, from  their  having  any  antipathy  to  each  other,  as  from  the 
very  different  localities  suited  to  the  habits  of  each  species. 

The  habit  of  the  Carolina  grey  squirrel  in  roving  about  late 
in  the  evening,  causes  it  frequently  to  become  the  prey  of  the 
Virginian  and  barred  owl,  and  especially  the  latter,  which  is 
very  abundant  in  the  swamps  of  Carolina.  The  owl  glides 
with  noiseless  wing  through  the  trees,  and  the  startled  squir- 
rel is  often  seized  without  an  effort  to  escape.  The  rattle- 
snake, black  snake,  and  our  southern  chicken  snake,  are  oc- 
casionally killed  with  this  species  in  their  bodies.  They  also 
frequently  furnish  the  grey  fox  with  a  dainty  meal ;  and  the 
wild  cat  (Felis  rufa)  often  captures  them  by  stealth.  On  two 
or  three  occasions  I  have  had  opportunities  of  witnessing  the 
dexterity  of  this  prowling  thief,  in  capturing  the  squirrel. — 
Concealing  himself  in  the  brush-wood,  near  some  fallen  log, 
in  places  frequented  by  this  species,  he  remains  immoveable 
for  hours  together,  until  the  unsuspecting  animal  passes  near 
his  hiding-place,  when  he  suddenly  pounces  upon  it,  and  car- 
ries it  to  some  neighbouring  thicket,  where,  among  the  en- 
tangled vines  of  smilax  and  the  wild  rose-bush,  he  devours  it 
at  his  leisure. 


334  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

9.  Dusky  Squirrel.     Sciurus  nigrescens,  Bennett. 

DIMENSIONS.  IN.    LIN. 

Length  from  point  of  nose  to  root  of  tail  12  4 

Ditto      of  tail  to  end  of  hair 15  4 

Tarsus,  claws  included    2  1\ 

Nose  to  ear  2  2\ 

Height  of  ear  posteriorly    „  8i 

Colour. — Prevailing  colour  black,  slightly  grizzled  on  the 
body,  crown  of  the  head,  and  legs,  with  grey;  sides  of  the  neck, 
groins,  upper  parts  of  the  thighs  and  rump,  grizzled  with  pale 
yellow;  cheeks,  chin,  throat,  neck,  breast,  and  the  whole  of  the 
under  surface,  including  the  interior  of  the  legs,  dingy  grey. 
Ears  well  clothed  with  hairs ;  hind  part  dingy  grey,  fore  part 
the  colour  of  the  back  ;  the  hairs  of  the  hinder  parts  of  thighs 
black.  Tail,  hairs  black  at  the  roots,  then  grey,  then  a  broad 
band  of  black,  and  broadly  tipt  with  white.  Feet  black  ;  the 
hairs  of  the  toes  grizzled  with  white  points.  Whiskers  about 
the  length  of  the  head,  black.  Hairs  on  the  back  plumbeous 
black  at  the  roots,  for  two  thirds  of  their  length,  then  grey,  then 
black,  and  tipt  with  whitish  grey.  There  are  numerous  strong 
black  hairs  interspersed  over  the  body. 

Described  from  the  original  specimen  in  the  Museum  of  the 
Zoological  Society ;  No.  429  in  the  catalogue. 

10.  Collie's  Squirrel.     Sciurus  Collicei,  Richardson.1 

DIMENSIONS.  IN.    LIN. 

Length  from  nose  to  root  of  tail 10  9 

Ditto     of  tail  to  end  of  hair    9  6 

Tarsus,  including  nail  2  5 

Height  of  ear  posteriorly „  6 

Nose  to  ear 2  0 

Colour.  —Above,  grizzled  black  and  buff  yellow ;  sides  of 
muzzle,  under  parts,  and  inner  sides  of  limbs  white.  Tail 
moderate,  the  hairs  greyish  white,  three  times  annulated  with 
black.  Hairs  of  the  body,  both  above  and  beneath,  grey  at 
the  root;  that  of  the  back  with  a  lengthened  black  tip,  and 
broadly  annulated  with  buff  yellow.  The  hairs  of  the  head 
resemble  those  of  the  back,  except  on  the  fore  part,  where 
they  are  annulated  with  whitish.  Top  of  the  muzzle  brown, 
cheeks  greyish.  Ears  well  clothed  with  hairs,  which  are  in- 
ternally of  a  yellowish  colour,  externally  grizzled  with  black 
and  yellow  on  the  fore  part,  but  posteriorly  with  long  whitish 
hairs.  Hairs  of  feet  white,  black  at  the  root ;  the  whiskers 
are  as  long  as  the  head,  composed  of  bristly  black  hairs. 

Described  from  the  original  specimen,  deposited  by  Dr. 
Richardson  in  the  Museum  of  the  Zoological  Society. 

1  Appendix  to  Captain  Beechey's  Voyage. 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  335 

11.  The  Black  Squirrel.      Sciurus  niger. 

Sciurus  niger  ;  Linn,  non  Catesby. 

Desm.  Mammalogie,  p.  334. 

Godinan ;  Nat.  Hist.  vol.  ii,  p.  133. 

A  little  larger  than  the  Northern  Grey  Squirrel.  Fur  soft  and  glossy; 
ears,  nose,  and  the  whole  body  pure  black,  a  few  white  tufts  of  hair  inter- 
spersed.    Dental  formula ;  Incisors,  f;  Canines,  §g;  Molars,  ||; — 20. 

Much  confusion  has  existed  with  regard  to  this  species. — 
The  original  Sciurus  niger  of  Catesby  is  the  black  variety  of 
the  fox  squirrel.  It  is  difficult  to  decide,  from  the  descrip- 
tions of  Drs.  Harlan  and  Godman,  whether  they  described 
from  specimens  of  the  black  variety  of  the  northern  grey  squir- 
rel, or  of  the  species  which  I  am  about  to  describe.  Indeed, 
there  is  so  strong  a  similarity,  that  I  have  admitted  it  as  a 
species  with  some  doubt  and  hesitation.  Dr.  Richardson  has, 
under  the  head  of  Sciurus  niger,  (see  *  Fauna  Boreali- Ameri- 
cana,' p.  191),  described  a  specimen  from  Lake  Superior,  of 
what  I  conceive  to  be  the  black  variety  of  the  grey  squirrel ; 
but  at  the  close  of  the  same  article  (p.  192),  he  has  described 
another  specimen  from  Fort  William,  which  answers  to  the 
description  of  the  specimens  now  before  me.  There  is  great 
difficulty  in  finding  suitable  characters  by  which  the  majority 
of  our  species  of  squirrel  can  be  designated ;  but  in  none  is 
there  greater  than  in  the  present.  All  our  naturalists  seem  to 
insist  that  we  have  a  Sciurus  niger,  although  they  have  ap- 
plied the  name  to  the  black  varieties  of  several  other  species. 
As  the  name,  however,  is  likely  to  continue  on  our  books,  and 
as  the  specimens  before  me,  if  they  do  not  establish  a  true 
species,  will  show  a  very  permanent  variety,  T  shall  describe 
them  under  the  above  name. 

Dr.  Godman  states  (Nat.  Hist.  vol.  ii.  p.  133),  that  the 
black  squirrel  has  only  twenty  teeth ; — the  specimens  before 
me  have  no  greater  number,  with  the  exception  of  one,  evi- 
dently a  young  animal,  a  few  months  old,  which  has  an  ad- 
ditional tooth  on  one  side,  so  small  that  it  appears  like  a  white 
thread,  the  opposite  and  corresponding  one  having  already 
been  shed.  If  further  examinations  go  to  establish  the  fact, 
that  this  additional  molar  in  the  northern  grey  squirrel  is  per- 
sistent, and  that  of  the  present  deciduous,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  of  their  being  distinct  species.  Its  head  appears  to  be 
a  little  shorter  and  more  arched  than  that  of  the  grey  squirrel, 
although  it  is  often  found  that  these  differences  exist  among 
different  individuals  of  the  same  species.  Incisors  compress- 
ed, strong,  and  of  a  deep  orange  colour  anteriorly.  Ears  el- 
liptical, and  slightly  rounded  at  the  tip,  thickly  clothed  with 


336  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

fur  on  both  surfaces,  that  on  the  outer  surface  in  a  winter  spe- 
cimen, extending  three  lines  beyond  the  margin  :  there  are, 
however,  no  distinct  tufts.  Whiskers  a  little  longer  than  the 
head;  tail  long  and  distichous,  thickly  clothed  with  mode- 
rately coarse  hair. 

The  fur  is  softer  to  the  touch  than  that  of  the  northern  grey 
squirrel.  The  whole  of  the  upper  and  lower  surface,  as  well 
as  the  tail  are  bright  glossy  black ;  at  the  roots  the  hairs  are 
a  little  lighter.  The  summer  specimens  do  not  differ  materi- 
ally in  the  colour  of  their  fur  from  the  winter  ones,  except 
that  they  are  not  so  intensely  black.  In  all  the  specimens  I 
have  had  an  opportunity  of  examining,  there  are  small  tufts 
of  white  hairs  irregularly  situated  on  the  under  surface,  re- 
sembling those  on  the  body  of  the  mink.  There  are  also  a 
few  scattered  white  hairs  on  the  back  and  tail. 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.    LIN. 

Length  of  head  and  body 13  0 

Ditto      of  tail,  (vertebra) 9  1 

Ditto,  including  fur    13  0 

Palm  to  end  of  middle  fore  claw 1  7 

Length  of  heel  to  the  point  of  middle  claw 2  7 

Ditto     of  fur  on  the  hack „  8 

Breadth  of  tail  with  hair  extended  5  0 

Geographical  Distribution. — The  specimens  from  which 
this  description  has  been  taken  were  procured,  through  the 
kindness  of  friends,  in  the  counties  of  Renssellaer  and  Queen's, 
New  York.  I  have  seen  it  on  the  borders  of  Lake  Champlain, 
at  Ogdensburgh,  and  on  the  eastern  shores  of  Lake  Erie ;  al- 
so near  Niagara,  on  the  Canada  side.  The  individual  describ- 
ed by  Dr.  Richardson,  and  which  may  be  clearly  referred  to 
this  species,  was  obtained  by  Capt.  Bayfield  at  Fort  William, 
on  Lake  Superior.  Black  squirrels  exist  through  all  our 
western  wilds,  and  to  the  northward  of  the  great  lakes ;  but 
whether  they  are  of  this  species,  or  the  black  variety  of  the 
grey  squirrel,  I  have  not  had  the  means  of  deciding. 

Habits. — An  opportunity  was  afforded  me  many  years  since 
of  noticing  the  habits  of  this  species,  in  the  northern  parts  of 
the  state  of  New  York.  A  seat  under  the  shadow  of  a  rock,  and 
near  a  stream  of  water,  was,  for  several  successive  summers,  a 
favorite  resort  for  retirement  and  reading.  In  the  immediate 
vicinity  were  several  large  trees,  in  which  were  a  number  of 
holes,  and  from  which,  at  almost  every  hour  of  the  day,  were 
seen  issuing  this  species  of  black  squirrel.  There  seemed  to 
be  a  dozen  of  them ;    they  were  all  of  the  same  glossy  black 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURES.  337 

colour ;  and  although  the  northern  grey  squirrel  and  its  black 
variety  were  not  rare  in  that  neighbourhood,  yet,  during  a 
period  of  five  or  six  years  I  never  witnessed  any  other  than 
the  present  species  in  that  locality ;  and  recently,  after  the 
lapse  of  twenty  years,  a  specimen,  from  which  the  above  de- 
scription was  in  part  drawn  up,  was  sent  to  me,  which  had 
been  procured  on  that  identical  spot.  They  appeared  to 
possess  all  the  sprightliness  of  the  northern  grey  squirrel ; — 
appearing  to  prefer  valleys  and  swamps  to  drier  and  more  ele- 
vated situations :  and  I  observed  that  one  of  their  favourite 
trees,  to  which  they  retreated  on  hearing  the  slightest  noise, 
was  a  large  white  pine  (Pinus  Slrobus),  in  the  immediate  vi- 
cinity. I  was  surprised  at  sometimes  seeing  a  red  squirrel 
(Sciurus  Hudsonius),  which  seemed  also  to  have  given  a  pre- 
ference to  this  tree,  pursuing  the  black  squirrel,  seeming  to 
quarrel  with  and  scold  it  vociferously,  till  the  latter  was  obli- 
ged to  make  its  retreat.  When  the  squirrels  approached  the 
stream  which  ran  within  a  few  feet  of  my  seat,  they  often  stop- 
ped to  drink,  and  instead  of  lapping  the  water  like  the  dog 
and  cat,  they  protruded  their  mouths  a  considerable  distance 
into  the  stream,  and  drank  greedily  ;  they  would  afterwards 
sit  upright,  supported  by  the  tarsus,  and,  with  tail  erect,  busy 
themselves  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  wiping  their  faces  with 
their  paw^s,  the  latter  being  also  occasionally  dipped  in  the 
water.  Their  barking  and  other  habits  did  not  seem  to  differ 
from  those  of  the  northern  grey  squirrel. 

General  Remarks. — I  have  admitted  this  as  a  true  species, 
not  so  much  in  accordance  with  my  own  positive  conviction, 
as  partly  in  deference  to  the  opinions  of  all  our  naturalists, 
and  principally  from  the  consideration  that  if  it  be  no  more 
than  a  variety,  it  has,  by  time  and  succession,  been  rendered 
a  permanent  race :  and  as  the  species  differ  so  widely  and 
uniformly  in  colour,  we  may  perhaps  be  warranted  in  regard- 
ing them  as  distinct.  The  only  certain  mode  of  deciding  whe- 
ther this  is  a  true  species  or  merely  a  variety,  would  be  to  as- 
certain if  the  opposite  sexes  of  these  differently  marked  animals 
associate  and  breed  together  in  a  state  of  nature.  Where  the 
produce  of  two  animals,  however  different  in  size  and  colour, 
are  in  the  constant  habit  of  propagating  their  species  in  a 
wild  state,  we  are  warranted  in  pronouncing  them  identical. 
Where,  on  the  contrary,  there  is  no  such  result,  we  are  com- 
pelled to  come  to  an  opposite  conclusion. 

(To  be  continued.) 

Vol.  III.— No.  31.  n.  s.  2  m 


388  ON  THE  MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS 

Art.  III. — Observations  on  the  History  and  Classification  of  the 
Marsupial  Quadrupeds  of  Neiv  Holland.  By  W.  Ogilby,  Esq., 
M.A.,  &c.  &c. 

(Continued  from  page  265). 

Tested  by  these  indisputable  principles,  I  have  no  hesita- 
tion in  affirming  that  Cuvier' s  distribution  of  the  marsupials 
into  families  is  as  unphilosophical,  as  I  have  already  shown 
it  to  be  illogical.  It  proceeds,  in  fact,  upon  mere  modifica- 
tions of  dentition,  often  totally  unimportant,  and  without  the 
least  regard  to  habit,  unless  such  erroneous  habits  as  are  in- 
ferred from  structure ;  which  is  entirely  reversing  the  order  of 
induction,  and  beginning  to  philosophise  at  the  wrong  end. 
The  alterations  introduced  by  M.  Latreille  are  equally  objec- 
tionable in  a  philosophical  point  of  view,  though  a  great  im- 
provement upon  M.  Cuvier's  arrangement  in  logical  simpli- 
city and  precision ;  they  proceed  upon  the  clear  and  definite 
principle  of  the  existence  and  development  of  canine  teeth  in 
one  or  both  jaws,  or  in  neither;  but  as  this  is  a  purely  arbi- 
trary assumption,  its  results  are  consequently  more  confused, 
without  being  more  natural,  than  those  of  M.  Cuvier ;  and  the 
names  of  Entomophaga,  Carpophaga,  and  Phyllophaga,  by 
which  he  has  designated  his  principal  groups,  are  purely  ima- 
ginary, and  have  no  juster  application  to  the  generality  of  the 
animals  comprised  under  them,  than  they  have  to  the  Cetacea 
or  the  Ruminantia.  The  entire  disregard  of  affinities  which 
M.  Latreille  evinces  in  removing  the  kangaroo-rats  (Hypsi- 
prymnus)  from  the  vicinity  of  the  kangaroos,  (Macropus),  and 
the  petaurists  from  the  phalangers,  with  which  even  the  me- 
thod of  Baron  Cuvier  left  them  in  contiguity,  is  not  the  least 
glaring  proof  of  the  rashness  of  his  attempts  at  improvement 
in  this  department  of  Zoology ;  whilst  his  association  of  the 
Hypsiprymni  in  the  same  family  with  the  phalangers  and 
koolas,  and  of  the  petaurists  and  wombats  {Phascolomys)  with 
the  kangaroos,  could  only  have  arisen  from  a  total  disregard 
both  of  habits  and  structure,  and  an  obstinate  adherence  to 
a  preconceived  arbitrary  and  artificial  principle  of  classifica- 
tion. But  it  is  unnecessary  to  pursue  these  criticisms  farther: 
those  who  have  studied  the  subject,  will  readily  appreciate 
the  defects  of  both  these  arrangements  ;  and  what  I  have  al- 
ready said  will,  I  hope,  be  sufficient  to  guard  the  learner  from 
trusting  too  implicitly  to  the  reputation  of  the  authors,  and 
the  weight  of  their  authority. 

To  guide  us  to  a  more  natural  and  philosophical  arrange- 
ment, let  us  for  a  moment  attend  to  the  modifications  which 
the  two  systems  of  organs,  principally  employed  in  governing 
the  habits  and  economy  of  animals,  undergo  among  the  mar- 


OF  NEW  HOLLAND.  339 

supials.  I  allude  to  the  organs  of  mastication,  which  regulate 
the  food,  and  accord  with  the  internal  structure  of  the  ali- 
mentary canal ;  and  to  the  organs  of  locomotion,  upon  which 
depend  all  the  varied  habits,  and  delicate  and  complicated 
actions  of  life.  The  former  has  been  hitherto  exclusively  at- 
tended to  by  the  makers  of  systems  in  Mammalogy ;  it  is  not 
too  much  to  say,  that  the  latter,  and  by  far  the  more  impor- 
tant of  the  two,  has  been  entirely  neglected.  Nor  have  sys- 
tematists  confined  themselves  to  the  really  influential  modifi- 
cations of  their  favourite  organs ;  the  golden  maxim  is  con- 
stantly forgotten,  that  all  modifications  are  not  necessarily 
important,  merely  because  they  may  happen  to  belong  to  an 
important  organ ;  and  the  consequence  is,  that  we  have  new 
methods  and  new  arrangements  continually  proposed,  which 
differ  from  their  predecessors,  not  in  any  general  or  philoso- 
phical principle  of  classification,  but  only  in  some  new  com- 
bination of  minor  characters ;  which,  leading  to  some  slight 
difference  in  the  distribution  of  the  animals,  is  considered  a 
proof  of  creative  power  of  mind,  and  of  a  capacity  for  gene- 
ralization. Indeed  it  may  be  safely  affirmed,  that  it  is  the 
ordinary  practice  of  inquirers  in  this  branch,  to  commence  the 
study  of  Zoology  by  forming  a  system  of  their  own,  by  which 
they  regulate  their  future  studies,  and  of  which  they  only  dis- 
cover the  absurdity  after  having  made  some  advance  in  the 
science ;  perhaps  after  having  given  it  to  the  world  as  a  great 
improvement  upon  their  predecessors.  They  begin  where 
they  ought  to  finish  ;  they  commence  at  the  wrong  end ;  and 
attempt  to  form  generalizations  before  they  are  acquainted 
with  particulars  :  they  may  gratify  their  own  vanity,  but  they 
render  Zoology  ridiculous  as  a  science,  by  departing  from  that 
slow,  modest,  but  sure  path  of  induction,  which  proceeds  pa- 
tiently from  the  investigation  of  single  facts,  to  compare  and 
combine  them  into  general  propositions,  and  which  is  alone 
worthy  of  the  name  of  Philosophy.  There  is  no  royal  road 
to  the  acquirement  of  zoological  knowledge  more  than  of  ma- 
thematical ;  and  he  who  would  pretend  to  be  a  philosophical 
zoologist,  must  not  only  be  a  diligent  student  of  facts,  but 
must  take  care  to  admit  no  principles  of  classification  but 
such  as  are  founded  upon  organic  characters  of  appreciable 
and  admitted  influence  upon  the  habits  and  economy  of  ani- 
mal life.  This  is  the  grand  and  leading  principle  of  scientific 
classification ;  and  it  is  only  owing  to  a  total  and  culpable 
disregard  of  its  authority,  that  the  science  of  Zoology  has 
been  so  long  retarded  in  the  development  of  its  really  philo- 
sophical principles,  and  so  much  overburdened  by  vague,  ar- 
bitrary and  fanciful  generalizations. 


340  ON  THE  MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS 

These  reflections  are  naturally  suggested  by  an  inquiry 
into  the  principles  which  determine  the  natural  arrangement 
of  marsupial  quadrupeds  ;  a  group  of  mammals,  in  which,  as 
I  have  endeavoured  to  show,  the  distribution  into  families  is 
more  arbitrary,  and  less  consistent  either  with  the  organic 
structure  of  the  animals,  or  with  the  habits  and  economy  of 
their  lives,  than  in  any  other  group  of  equal  value  or  extent. 
I  proceed  to  point  out  the  really  influential  modifications  up- 
on which  these  functions  depend,  and  which  alone  should  be 
taken  into  account  in  the  zoological  arrangement  of  these 
animals.     And  first  with  regard  to  their  dental  system. 

Two  principal  forms  of  dentition  prevail  among  the  marsu- 
pials ;  which,  from  the  genera  in  which  they  may  be  consi- 
dered as  characteristically  presented,  I  shall  take  the  liberty 
of  calling  the  didelphoid  and  macropoid  forms.  The  first  is 
characterised  by  eight  or  ten  incisors  in  the  upper  jaw,  and 
six  or  eight  in  the  lower ;  distinct,  well-developed  canines,  of 
the  normal  form ;  and  six,  or  more  commonly  seven,  molars 
on  either  side,  both  above  and  below ;  of  which  two  or  three 
are  false,  and  the  remaining  four  real  molars,  provided  with 
sharp  tubercles,  and  adapted  to  an  insectivorous  regimen. — 
The  incisors,  which  exceed  in  number  those  of  all  other  mam- 
mals, are  small,  simple,  upright  and  arranged  regularly  in  a 
portion  of  a  small  ellipse,  the  two  middle  above  being  gene- 
rally a  little  longer  than  the  lateral,  and  partially  separated 
from  one  another ;  the  canines,  as  in  all  marsupial  quadru- 
peds, are  situated  in  immediate  contact  with  the  intermaxil- 
lary suture,  and  are,  generally  speaking,  of  tolerable  size ; 
but  the  tubercles  on  the  posterior  molars  are  by  no  means  so 
sharp  and  pointed  as  in  the  true  Insect ivor a ;  and,  except 
among  the  smaller  species,  there  is  good  reason  to  believe 
that  insects  form  but  a  very  small  portion  of  the  natural 
food  of  the  animals.  The  Opossums,  for  instance,  notoriously 
live  upon  wild  fruits,  and  it  is  only  when  these  fail  in  the 
woods,  that  they  betake  themselves  to  an  animal  diet;  the 
Thylacines  and  Dasyures  are  purely  carnivorous  ;  and  the 
testimony  of  all  colonial  authorities,  as  well  historians  and 
travellers,  as  officers  and  other  gentlemen  with  whom  I  have 
conversed  on  the  subject,  agrees  in  representing  the  Perame- 
les,  or,  as  they  are  called  by  the  settlers,  Bandicoots,  as  equal- 
ly destructive  to  their  potato  and  com  crops,  scratching  up 
and  devouring  the  tubers  of  the  former,  as  well  as  all  other 
kinds  of  bulbous  roots,  whether  wild  or  cultivated  ;  and  gree- 
dily devouring  the  tender  and  milky  grains  of  the  young  maize. 
That  they  occasionally,  perhaps  in  some  situations  habitually, 
feed  upon  insects,  I  have  no  doubt,  as  I  am  well  aware  that 


OF  NEW  HOLLAND.  341 

all  the  smaller  species,  not  only  of  marsupials,  but  likewise  of 
quadrumanous  and  carnivorous  mammals,  do  the  same ;  but 
the  united  testimony  of  all  competent  observers  who  are  ac- 
quainted with  the  animals  in  their  native  habitats,  warrants 
us  in  concluding  that  the  staple  of  their  food  is  derived  from 
the  vegetable  kingdom. 

The  genera  which  exhibit  this  form  of  dentition  are  Didel- 
pliis,  Cheironecies,  Thylacinus,  Phascogale,  Dasyurus,  and 
Perameles. 

The  second  form  of  dentition  which  is  exhibited  among  the 
marsupials,  consists  of  six  incisors  in  the  upper  and  only  two 
in  the  lower  jaw;  minute  canines,  confined  to  the  upper  jaw 
or  wanting  altogether,  and  five  or  six  permanent  molars 
throughout,  separated  from  the  incisors  or  canines  by  a  va- 
cant space  of  considerable  extent,  which  sometimes  contains 
one  or  two  minute  deciduous  teeth,  commonly  counted  as  false 
molars.  The  superior  incisors  are  erect  and  contiguous ;  but 
the  inferior  are  long,  edged,  and  procumbent  in  so  remarkable 
a  degree,  as  to  lie  entirely  in  the  plane  of  the  inferior  ramus 
of  the  lower  jaw;  the  true  molars  are  furnished  with  blunt 
tubercles,  and  indicate  a  frugivorous  regimen  ;  whilst  the  ru- 
dimentary false  molars  of  the  lower  jaw  are  in  some  instances 
contiguous  to  the  long  procumbent  incisors,  and  inclined  in 
the  same  direction,  so  that  they  ought  perhaps  more  properly 
to  be  regarded  as  belonging  to  this  class  of  teeth ;  a  view  of 
the  subject  which  tends  considerably  to  break  the  abruptness 
of  the  transition,  and  to  diminish  the  hiatus  between  the  den- 
tition of  these  animals  and  that  of  the  Opossums  and  Cheiro- 
nectes,  to  which  they  are  so  closely  related  by  other  influen- 
tial parts  of  their  structure. 

Though  this  system  of  dentition  betokens  a  pre-eminently 
frugivorous  regimen,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  food  of 
the  animals  possessing  it  is  exclusively  confined  to  the  vege- 
table kingdom.  On  the  contrary,  those  genera  which  ap- 
proach most  nearly  to  the  former  group  in  other  parts  of  their 
structure,  exhibit  a  marked  predilection  for  animal  food ;  nor 
is  there  any  very  striking  difference,  in  this  respect, between  the 
appetites  of  the  Australian  phalangers  and  the  American  opos- 
sums. I  have  made  numerous  experiments  upon  the  living 
animals,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  this  point,  and  inva- 
riably with  the  same  result ;  proving  that  the  regimen  of  the 
pedimanous  marsupials  is  really  omnivorous,  and  made  up 
indifferently  of  animal  and  vegetable  substances  ;  a  result 
which  is  confirmed  by  the  testimony  of  all  writers.  Other 
marsupials  possessing  the  macropoid  form  of  dentition,  such 
as  the  kangaroos  and  wombats,  are,  indeed,  restricted  to  a 


342  ON  THE  MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS 

purely  vegetable  diet ;  but  their  true  molars  are  differently 
formed,  and  the  second  even  departs  from  this  type  of  denti- 
tion, by  having  only  two  incisors  in  the  upper  as  well  as  in 
the  under  jaw. 

This  form  of  dentition  is  common  to  the  genera  Phalangis- 
ta,  Petaurus,  Phascolarctos,  Macropus,  and  Hypsiprymnus. 

The  next  organs  to  be  considered  as  influencing  the  habits 
and  economy  of  the  marsupials,  are  the  extremities.  I  have 
already  observed  how  wofully  these  organs  have  been  neg- 
lected by  the  makers  of  systems ;  though  it  is  difficult  to  con- 
ceive how  scientific  zoologists  could  possibly  undervalue  or 
overlook  the  instruments  of  the  most  important  and  striking 
actions  of  animal  life.  Not  only  do  the  great  function  of  lo- 
comotion, and  its  thousand  varieties  and  adaptations,  whether 
to  aquatic,  arboreal,  terrestrial,  or  aerial  habits,  depend  solely 
and  entirely  upon  the  extremities ;  but  the  scarcely  less  im- 
portant functions  of  prehension,  manipulation,1  burrowing, 
and  even  the  sense  of  touch,  the  source  of  our  most  excellent 
ideas,  and  the  index  of  intellectual  power,  reside  in  the  same 
organs.  The  formation  and  modifications  of  the  extremities, 
therefore,  do  not  furnish  those  merely  second-rate  characters, 
which  should  justify  the  philosophical  zoologist  in  postpon- 
ing them  to  slight  modifications  of  dentition,  or  neglecting 
them  altogether.  On  the  contrary,  as  every  action  and  habit 
of  animal  life,  except  the  mere  appetite,  depend  upon  these 
organs ;  as  they  are  the  most  extensively  influential,  so  their 
modifications  should  hold  the  most  prominent  place  in  every 
system,  and  will  be  invariably  found  to  lead  to  the  most  na- 
tural and  philosophical  arrangements. 

The  marsupial  quadrupeds,  always  excluding  the  Mono- 
tremata,  which  cannot  be  properly  compared  with  other 
mammals,  present  four  very  distinct  and  primary  influential 
modifications  of  the  extremities. 

1.  The  Pedimanous  form,  where  the  fingers  are  long,  se- 
parate and  prehensile,  and  the  hind  thumb  opposable  to  the 
other  toes.  The  animals  consequently  possess  perfect  pow- 
ers of  prehension  and  manipulation ;  they  are  entirely  arbo- 
real, feed  indifferently  upon  vegetable  and  animal  substances, 
though  preferring  the  former,  and  all  have  a  c<ecum  of  mode- 
rate dimensions.  This  family,  which  I  shall  denominate 
Cheirogrades,7-  from  their  locomotion  being   performed  by 

1 1  use  this  term  as  synonymous  with  the  common  word,  handling. 
2  In  the  paper  as  originally  written,  these  families  were  called  respectively 
Scansores,  Cursores,  Saltatores,  and  Fossores  :  I  have  now  substituted  the 
names  in  the  text,  as  more  pliant  when  used  adjectively,  as  in  speaking  of 
saltigrade  or  digitigvade  marsupials,  &c.     April,  1839. 


OF  NEW  HOLLAND.  343 

means  of  hands,  comprises  the  genera  Didelphis  and  Cheiro- 
nectes,  with  didelphoid  teeth ;  and  Phalangista,  Petaurus, 
and  Phascolarctos,  with  macropoid. 

2.  The  digitigrade  form,  in  which  the  functions  of  pre- 
hension and  manipulation  are  very  much  impaired,  or  altoge- 
ther absent.  The  hind  feet  are  without  opposable  thumbs, 
which,  however,  are  sometimes  represented  by  a  small,  mo- 
tionless tubercle ;  the  animals  tread  only  on  the  toes  in  walk- 
ing, and  their  pace  is  confined  to  the  surface  of  the  earth. — 
All  are  characterised  by  the  didelphoid  system  of  dentition,  a 
regimen  principally  confined  to  animal  substances,  [and  an 
entire  absence  of  cacum].1  This  family,  which,  from  the  na- 
ture of  their  pace,  I  shall  denominate  Digitigrades,2  com- 
prehends the  genera  Thylacinus,  Dasyurus,  Phascogale  and 
Myrmecobius. 3 

3.  The  saltigrade  form,  in  which  the  posterior  extremities 
so  immeasurably  exceed  the  anterior  in  length,  as  to  preclude 
the  ordinary  mode  of  progression  on  all  fours,  and  to  compel 
the  animals  to  proceed  by  a  series  of  successive  springs,  some- 
times from  the  long  hind  legs  only,  sometimes  from  the  hind 
to  the  fore  legs,  as  in  the  hares  and  rabbits.  The  toes  of  the 
fore  feet  are  separate  and  prehensile,  and  the  animals  enjoy 
perfect  powers  of  manipulation ;  but  the  conformation  of  the 
hind  toes  is  altogether  unique  among  mammals.  The  thumb 
is  tuberculous,  or  altogether  wanting ;  the  two  following  toes 
are  small,  slender  and  inclosed  in  the  same  skin,  being  mark- 
ed externally  only  by  their  double  claw ;  the  ring  finger  is 
the  largest  of  all,  of  a  size  altogether  disproportioned  to  the 
other  toes,  and  armed  with  a  powerful  triangular  claw ;  and 
the  last,  or  outer  finger  is  of  intermediate  size,  and  provided 
with  a  similar  claw  to  that  just  described.  The  dentition 
comprehends  examples  of  both  the  systems  above  character- 
ised ;  the  food  of  some  genera  is  consequently  mixed,  though 
in  all  cases  it  is  principally  composed  of  vegetable  substan- 
ces, and  a  ccecum,  sometimes  of  very  large  dimensions  and 
complicated  form,  is  invariably  present.  This  family,  which 
I  shall  call  Saltigrades,2  contains  the  genera  Macropus  and 
Hypsiprymnus  with  macropoid  teeth,  and  Perameles  and 
Chceropus*  with  didelphoid. 

4.  The  plantigrade  form,  which  is  confined  to  the  single 
genus  Phascolomys.  The  toes  here  are  short,  rigid  and  unpre- 
hensile,  well  adapted  for  burrowing,  and  without  any  power  of 
manipulation.     The  animal  treads  on  the  entire  sole  of  the 

1 1  have  inserted  this  fact  on  the  authority  of  Dr.  Grant. 
3  and 4  These  two  genera  have  been  discovered  since  the  paper  was  written, 
and  are  now  inserted  for  the  first  time. — W.  O.     April,  1839. 


344 


ON  THE  MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS 


foot  in  walking,  the  pace  is  slow  and  confined  to  the  surface 
of  the  earth,  and  the  toes  are  so  firmly  united  as  to  be  alto- 
gether destitute  of  separate  motion.  The  dentition,  as  far  as 
regards  the  number  of  incisors,  may  be  called  rodent,  though 
it  is  really  very  different  from  that  of  the  true  Rodentia  ;  the 
food  is  exclusively  vegetable,  and  the  alimentary  canal  is 
characterised  by  the  presence  of  a  capacious  and  complicated 
ccecum.  I  distinguish  this  family  by  the  name  of  Planti- 
grades.'1 

The  following  table  exhibits  these  relations  in  a  more  con- 
densed form ;  and  will  give  a  good  idea  of  what  I  consider  to 
be  the  most  natural  and  philosophical  arrangement  of  the 
marsupials.  Except  the  kangaroos,  they  are  all  of  nocturnal 
habits. 

Macropus 


MARSUPIALIA 

Marsupiated  Mam- 
mals 


I.  Saltigrada  

with  saltigrade  extremities 


-mm-  .7  1   jLF.Zl*l,#  U Lt  1*0 

^rZ^S^\Hyp4ryrnnus 
Peramelidee  .J*"*™*6* 

^  and  didelphoid  teetn  I  ^h(Bropus 


(  Myrmecobius 

II.  Digitigrada    \Phascogale 

with  digitigrade  extremities  and  didelphoid  teeth     dJasyuruS 

\  Thylacinus 


(DidelpMda.....  { ^^fef 


III.  Cheirograda 

with  pedimanous  extremi- 
ties 


and  didelphoid  teeth 

(Phalangista 
Petaurus 
Phascolarctos 

IV.  Plantigrada Phascolomys 

with  plantigrade  extremities  and  rodent  teeth 

Having  thus  traced  the  progressive  history  of  the  general 
distribution  of  marsupial  quadrupeds,  inter  se,  it  remains  for 
me  to  offer  a  few  observations  upon  the  rank  which  the  main 
group  itself  ought  to  occupy  among  the  natural  families  of 
the  animal  kingdom.  M.  De  Blainville,  in  his  view  of  the 
subject,  seems  almost  disposed  to  regard  the  marsupials  as 
forming  a  distinct  class,  parallel  to  and  co-ordinate  with  the 
Mammalia  themselves ;  and  in  this  sentiment  he  has  been, 
to  a  certain  extent,  followed  by  Baron  Cuvier.  Illiger,  less 
happy  in  fixing  their  position  in  the  graduated  scale  of  ex- 
istence, than  in  defining  their  generic  differences,  distributes 
them  throughout  three  different  orders ;  and  Latreille,  whilst 
he  regards  the  marsupials  generally  as  forming  a  distinct  na- 
tural order,  considers  the  Monotremata  as  a  separate  Class, 


OF  NEW  HOLLAND.  345 

intermediate,  in  rank  and  position,  between  birds  and  mam- 
mals. Finally,  Baron  Cuvier,  in  tlie  second  edition  of  the 
'Regne  Animal,'  adopts  the  most  judicious  part  of  this  ar- 
rangement, by  separating  the  common  marsupials  from  his 
extensive  order  Carnassiers,  with  which  he  had  formerly  as- 
sociated them,  to  elevate  them  to  the  rank  of  a  separate  order : 
still,  however,  retaining  the  Monotremata  as  a  family  of  the 
order  Edentata.  In  this  view  he  had  been  already  preceded 
by  Temminck,  excepting  that  the  eminent  zoologist  considers 
both  the  Monotremata  and  the  ordinary  marsupials  as  dis- 
tinct orders,  equivalent  to  other  groups  of  the  same  rank  and 
denomination. 

This  arrangement  appears  to  me  to  be  more  consistent  with 
the  order  which  nature  has  herself  established,  than  any  other 
which  has  been  yet  proposed  ;  unless  that  I  am  disposed,  af- 
ter the  example  of  M.  De  Blainville,  to  unite  the  Monotre- 
mata with  the  other  marsupials,  rather  than  to  continue  them 
as  a  subordinate  group  among  the  Edentata.  In  fact,  so  long 
as  the  possession  of  mammary  glands  is  considered  as  the 
distinctive  and  peculiar  characteristic  of  the  class  of  mam- 
mals, so  long  should  the  singular  modification  of  these  organs 
and  of  their  functions,  exhibited  in  the  marsupials,  entitle 
those  animals  to  rank  as  a  primary  division,  or  order  of  mam- 
mals: but  I  can  in  no  case  consider  them  as  an  equal  and  co- 
ordinate group,  or  Class,  since  their  distinctive  characteristic 
is  but  a  subordinate  modification  of  the  general  type  of  or- 
ganic structure,  common  to  all  mammiferous  quadrupeds. 

With  regard  to  the  Monotremata.  also,  though  the  ques- 
tion of  their  viviparous  or  oviparous  production  still  remains 
undecided,  I  can,  under  no  circumstances,  regard  them  as  a 
parallel  and  equivalent  group  to  mammals,  birds,  and  reptiles. 
Meckel  distinctly  asserts  the  existence  of  mammary  glands  in 
the  female  Omithorhynchus ; l  and  this  circumstance  alone, 
even  though  the  mammce  exist  merely  in  a  rudimentary  form, 
and  without  the  accompaniment  of  the  ordinary  function,  I 
esteem  sufficient  to  determine  the  rank  of  the  Monotremata 
as  a  subordinate  group  of  mammals.2     In  fact  the  simple  de- 


1  The  observations  of  Meckel  have  heen  fully  and  most  satisfactorily  con- 
firmed, since  this  passage  was  written,  by  the  investigations  of  Mr.  Owen  ; 
and  it  is  now  definitely  established  that  these  singular  and  anomalous  ani- 
mals, not  only  lay  eggs  and  hatch  them  like  birds,  but  likewise  support 
their  young,  when  excluded  from  the  shell,  by  means  of  a  thick  milky  fluid, 
which  at  that  period  exudes  copiously  from  the  glands  observed  by  these 
able  anatomists. 

2 For  the  following  ingenious  observations  on  this  subject  I  am  indebted 
to  the  kindness  of  Professor  Agardh,  now  Bishop  of  Bergen :  and  it  affords 

Vol.  III.— No.  31.  n.  s.  2  n 


346  MARSUPIAL  QUADRUPEDS  OF  NEW  HOLLAND. 

finition  of  this  class,  as  mammals,  or  animals  provided  with 


me  great  satisfaction  to  find  that  my  views  regarding  the  value  and  posi- 
tion of  the  group,  Monotremata,  so  entirely  coincide  with  those  of  so  dis- 
tinguished a  naturalist.  They  are  contained  in  a  letter  dated  Lund,  in 
Sweden,  Aug.  3rd,  1833 ;  and  are  a  translation  from  a  work  recently  pub- 
lished by  Professor  Agardh,  in  the  Swedish  language,  under  the  name  of 
*Allman  Wext  Biologi.' 

"  The  marsupials,"  says  the  Professor,  "  are  Mammalia  which  approach 
very  nearly  to  birds ;  the  Monotremata  in  particular  almost  coincide  with 
them.  Not  only  do  the  developed  form  of  the  hind  legs,  the  deranged  func- 
tions of  the  anterior  extremities,  the  position  of  the  body,  and  the  destination 
of  the  tail  to  govern  the  pace,  all  indicate  this  affinity,  but  their  internal  struc- 
ture is  likewise  very  similar.  They  constitute  a  distinct  group  of  Mamma- 
lia, combining  carnivorous  as  well  as  herbivorous  animals,  in  the  same 
manner  as  birds  contain  predacious  as  well  as  frugivorous  tribes.  They 
have  no  distinct  internal  uterus,  for  it  is  only  the  connection  of  the  two  ovi- 
ducts to  which  that  name  has  hitherto  been  given ;  neither  have  they  a  pe- 
culiar vagina,  for  the  organ  which  Daubenton  and  GeofFroy  thus  distin- 
guish, when  they  assert  that  the  marsupials  have  two  vagina,  belongs  rather, 
according  to  the  researches  of  Tyson,  to  the  oviducts  or  Fallopian  tubes : 
so  that,  except  in  the  doubleness  of  the  parts,  the  marsupials  resemble  birds 
in  their  organs  of  generation,  as  well  as  in  other  respects.  The  embryo 
also  is  brought  forth,  not  as  in  other  Mammalia,  perfectly  formed ;  but  it 
is  produced  in  the  state  of  an  egg,  and  in  that  form  deposited  in  the  mar- 
supium  or  uterus.  Now  the  egg  or  embryo  of  the  Mammalia  has  the  pro- 
perty of  attaching  itself  to  every  part  of  the  uterus  at  the  point  where  the 
placenta  is  formed ;  and  thus  the  embryo  or  egg  of  the  marsupials  fastens 
itself  to  the  mamma,  and  there  communicates  with  the  arteria  epigastrica  in 
the  same  manner  as  in  other  Mammalia  it  communicates  with  the  arteria 
uterina.  It  is  fastened  by  a  cord  resembling  the  navel-string,  (though  it  is 
unknown  where  this  cord  passes  out  from  the  embryo),  which  is  often  so 
long  that  the  embryo  hangs  out  of  the  bag,  and  which  at  the  moment  of 
real  birth  is  separated  by  a  rupture,  as  in  the  case  of  the  placenta  and  ordi- 
nary uterus.  This  external  uterus,  however,  does  not  invariably  assume  the 
form  of  a  purse  or  bag ;  in  some  instances  it  consists  of  simple  folds  of  the 
skin,  and  in  the  monotremes,  even  these  disappear. 

"  The  monotremes  bear  a  very  strong  affinity  to  the  ordinary  marsupials, 
they  likewise  very  closely  resemble  birds,  not  alone  in  the. construction  of 
the  bill,  cranium,  clavicles,  shoulder-bones,  sternum,  and  undeveloped  teats, 
but  especially  in  their  organs  of  generation.  These  animals  have  only  one 
ovarium  developed,  as  in  birds,  and  both  the  Echidna  and  the  Ornithorhyn- 
chus  lay  eggs  and  hatch  them.  Thus  it  is  that  the  uterus  of  the  Mammalia 
becomes  modified  in  the  marsupials,  so  as  to  be  situated  without  the  body, 
and  finally  vanishes  altogether  in  the  Monotremata. 

"  If  we  apply  these  considerations  to  ascertain  the  concatenation  of  the 
various  groups  of  animals,  in  relation  to  their  organs  of  generation,  we  find 
that  it  indicates  one  class,  the  Mammalia,  which  have  an  internal  hatching 
organ,  called  the  uterus ;  another  class,  the  marsupials  and  monotremes, 
in  which  this  hatching  organ  is  placed  without  the  body,  vanishing  totally 
in  the  latter  group,  the  animals  of  which  lay  eggs  and  hatch  them ;  and 
finally,  a  third  class,  birds,  in  which  this  property,  which  is  irregular  and 
limited  in  the  monotremes,  becomes  fully  normal." — Allman  Wext  Biologi 
afC.  A.  Agardh,  p.  453. 


ILLUSTRATED  ZOOLOGICAL  NOTICES.  347 

mammary  glands,  altogether  disregards  the  consideration  of 
their  viviparous  production,  and  must,  in  strict  logical  accep- 
tation, be  taken  to  include  all  animals  possessing  these  organs, 
even  when  the  function,  which  they  were  originally  designed 
to  execute,  no  longer  exists  :  for,  in  the  progressive  degrada- 
tion of  organic  perfection,  through  successive  groups,  it  is 
a  necessary  condition  of  existence  itself,  that  the  function 
should  cease,  either  simultaneously  with  the  organ,  or  before 
it  is  obliterated ;  and  this  latter  phenomenon  is  so  universal- 
ly the  case  with  regard  to  all  other  organs  and  functions,  that 
it  ought  not  to  be  accounted  matter  of  surprise  in  the  present 
instance. 

The  Monotremata  must  therefore  be  regarded  as  a  subor- 
dinate group  of  mammals,  but  whether  of  primary  or  of  se- 
condary value,  whether  entitled  to  rank  as  an  order  or  only 
as  a  family,  is  an  inquiry  which  admits  of  more  reasonable 
doubt.  For  my  own  part,  as  I  consider  the  existence  of  the 
marsupial  bones  to  be  the  simple  and  only  unexceptionable 
character  of  the  group,  to  which  they  are  peculiar,  I  prefer 
considering  the  Monotremata  as  a  subordinate  group,  or  fa- 
mily, of  this  order,  rather  than  elevating  them  to  an  indepen- 
dent and  equal  rank,  or  associating  them  with  a  different  or- 
der. It  is  true  indeed,  that,  strictly  speaking,  they  come 
equally  within  the  definition  of  M.  Cuvier's  Edentata,  but  if 
approximated  to  this  order  rather  than  to  the  other  marsupi- 
als, the  integrity  and  logical  simplicity  of  the  latter  group  is 
destroyed  ;  for  these,  as  already  observed,  depend,  not  upon 
the  existence  of  the  abdominal  pouch,  which  is  not  common 
to  all  the  species  of  animals  included  in  the  present  order, 
but  properly  upon  that  of  the  marsupial  bones. 


Art.  IV. — Illustrated  Zoological  Notices.     By  Edward  Charles- 
worth,  F.G.S. 
{Continued  from  page  248). 

1.  On  a  Specimen  of  the  Lower  Jaw  of  the  Mammoth. 

2.  On  a  Tooth  of  the  Genus  Otodus,  Agassiz^from  the  London  Clay. 

3.  On  a  Fossil  Zoophyte  from  the  Kentish  Chalk,  inclosing  a  Cidaris. 

The  fossil  elephant's  jaw  represented  in  the  accompanying 


It  appears  from  this  extract  that  Professor  Agardh,  like  M.  De  Blain- 
ville,  is  disposed  to  view  the  marsupials  as  forming  a  distinct  class,  inter- 
mediate between  mammals  and  birds ;  I  have  already  stated  my  reasons 
for  dissenting  from  this  opinion. 


348  ILLUSTRATED  ZOOLOGICAL  NOTICES. 

40 


Fossil  Jaw  of  Mammoth. 

figure  (No.  40),  was  obtained  by  a  Dover  fisherman  in  1837, 
whilst  dredging  off  the  Dogger  Bank ;  and  after  having  been 
offered  for  sale  to  the  British  Museum  and  other  metropolitan 
institutions,  was  purchased  by  Mr.  G.  B.  Sowerby,  in  whose 
possession  it  has  since  remained.  It  is  decidedly  the  finest 
relic  of  the  kind  that  I  have  seen ;  and  the  very  faithful  re- 
presentation which  I  am  enabled  to  publish  of  it,  is  due  to 
the  skill  of  Mr.  G.  B.  Sowerby,  jun.,  by  whom  the  drawing 
on  wood  was  executed. 

The  source  from  which  this  noble  fossil  was  derived, — the 
bed  of  the  German  Ocean, — is  that  which  has  more  or  less 
enriched  the  various  museums  and  private  collections  through- 
out the  kingdom  :  indeed  the  profusion  in  which  the  disjoint- 
ed skeletons  of  the  larger  Pachydermata,  must  lie  strewn  over 
the  bed  of  the  sea,  along  the  south-eastern  coast  of  England 
almost  baffles  conception.  Mr.  Samuel  Woodward,  in  his 
Geology  of  Norfolk,  supposes  that  upwards  of  two  thousand 
elephants'  grinders  had  been  dredged  up  by  the  fishermen  off 
one  little  village  (Hasbro')  on  the  Norfolk  coast,  in  the  space 
of  thirteen  years ;  and  though  he  does  not  supply  us  with  the 
data  upon  which  he  founded  his  calculation,  his  statement  may 
readily  be  believed  when  one  private  collector  in  that  neigh- 


FOSSIL  JAW  OF  MAMMOTH.  349 

bourhood, — the  Rev.  James  Layton, — speaks  of  having  had 
three  hundred  in  his  possession. x 

It  would  be  a  matter  of  great  interest  to  determine  the  ex- 
tent of  the  sub-aqueous  area  over  which  these  fossil  remains 
are  distributed ;  but  conclusions  upon  this  point  must  be  in 
a  great  measure  merely  conjectural,  as  the  necessary  evidence 
can  only  be  obtained  where  the  soundings  are  sufficiently  shal- 
low to  admit  of  dredging  being  carried  forward.  Until  the  find- 
ing of  this  jaw  off  the  Dogger  Bank,  which  is  somewhere  about 
midway  between  the  English  and  Dutch  coasts,  the  greatest 
distance  from  the  shore  where  fossil  remains  had  been  met  with 
was  the  Knole  Sand.  At  this  spot,  which  is  about  twenty 
miles  from  the  coast,  a  tusk,  weighing  ninety-seven  pounds, 
and  measuring  nearly  ten  feet  in  length,  was  discovered  in  1829. 

As  in  the  case  with  the  fossil  volutes  cast  on  shore  near  Har- 
wich, the  remains  of  extinct  mammals  drawn  up  in  the  nets 
of  the  oyster-dredgers,  and  which  have  perhaps  reposed  for 
thousands  of  centuries  on  the  bed  of  the  ocean,  are  in  a  much 
finer  state  of  preservation  than  those  which,  in  the  present 
day,  are  so  constantly  being  exhumed  in  our  inland  superfi- 
cial deposits.  The  mammoth's  teeth,  instead  of  falling  to 
pieces  as  they  so  frequently  do  when  removed  from  the  soil 
in  which  they  are  imbedded,  in  the  former  case  will  often  bear 
slitting  and  polishing  in  the  same  manner  as  the  teeth  of  the 
existing  Asiatic  elephant.  A  tusk,  taken  up  off  Scarborough 
about  three  years  since,  by  some  Yarmouth  fishermen,  was 
so  slightly  altered  in  character,  that  it  was  sawn  up  into  as 
many  portions  as  there  were  hands  in  the  boat,  each  man 
claiming  his  share  of  the  ivory  for  economical  purposes.2  In 
the  present  specimen,  although  the  teeth  are  extremely  per- 
fect, their  condition  has  more  about  it  than  usual  of  the  ordi- 
nary character  of  fossil  teeth ;  but  the  firm  aspect,  and  the 
increased  density  and  compact  structure  of  the  bony  material 
of  the  jaw,  would  at  once  arrest  the  attention  of  an  observer, 
familiarised  only  with  such  osseous  remains  as  are  procured 
under  ordinary  circumstances. 

We  cannot  suppose  this  jaw  to  have  been  drifted  far  from 
the  original  site  of  its  deposition,  for  although  the  condyloid 
apophyses  are  gone,  if  so  ponderous  a  body  had  been  acted 
upon  by  the  operation  of  currents,  a  separation  of  the  rami  at 
the  symphysis  must  have  taken  place.  The  detached  grind- 
ers obtained  in  a  similar  way  are  seldom  bouldered,  and  it  is 

1  See  Fairholme's  Geology  of  Scripture.  Mr.  Layton  has  subsequently 
removed  to  Sandwich. 

2  The  portion  of  this  tusk  which  fell  to  one  of  the  boat's  crew  is  preserved 
in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Robt.  Fitch,  at  Norwich. 


350  ILLUSTRATED  ZOOLOGICAL  NOTICES. 

therefore  probable  that  as  the  sea  encroached  upon  the  land, 
these  remains,  by  the  gradual  falling  away  of  the  cliffs,  be- 
came engulphed,  and  are  now  found  at  the  spots  where  they 
were  in  the  first  instance  deposited,  although  the  level  which 
they  now  occupy  is  necessarily  somewhat  lower. 

Little  or  nothing  has  been  added  by  subsequent  writers  to 
the  description  which  the  illustrious  Cuvier  has  given  us  of 
the  osteological  peculiarities  which  serve  to  distinguish  the 
fossil  species  of  the  genus  Elephas ;  and  paleontologists 
still  follow  him  in  referring  elephantine  remains,  in  whatever 
region  they  may  be  found,  to  one  and  the  same  species.  A 
slighter  amount  of  divergence  in  the  horizontal  rami  of  the 
lower  jaw,  accompanied  with  a  change  in  the  shape  of  the 
canal  formed  by  the  approximation  of  these  parts,  especially 
at  its  anterior  termination ; — grinding  teeth  wider  in  propor- 
tion to  their  length,  and  with  more  numerous  and  less  fes- 
tooned lamina; — are  points  of  distinction  referred  to  by  the 
above-named  distinguished  anatomist,  when  comparing  the 
skeleton  of  the  mammoth  with  that  of  the  Asiatic  elephant, 
the  nearest  allied  of  the  two  existing  species.  Mr.  Sowerby's 
drawing  admirably  displays  the  form  of  the  anterior  termina- 
tion of  the  canal  in  the  present  specimen.  It  is  not  nearly  so 
wide  as  seen  in  the  figures  which  illustrate  Cuvier's  observa- 
tions, but  at  the  same  time  it  differs  materially  from  that  of 
the  existing  species,  which,  in  the  adult  skeleton,  has  more 
the  character  of  a  deep  cleft.  A  short  distance  from  the  sym- 
physis the  canal  contracts  to  about  two-thirds  the  diame- 
ter of  its  anterior  termination,  and  a  somewhat  similar  con- 
traction is  shown  in  one  of  the  jaws  figured  in  the  'Ossemens 
Fossiles.'  The  following  dimensions  may  perhaps  as  well  be 
recorded. 

FT.  IN. 

Width  between  the  ascending  rami  at  the  coronoid  processes,  ...  1  7 
Width  of  each  ascending  ramus,  measured  midway  between  the 

angle  of  the  jaw  and  the  condyloid  apophysis, 1  0 

Width  of  canal  at  the  anterior  termination, „  3£ 

Ditto         ditto  five  inches  from  the  symphysis,    „  2| 

Circumference  of  the  symphysis  measured  from  before  to  behind, 

including  the  process  of  the  mentum  (one  inch  in  length)  1  1 

From  the  above  dimensions  it  appears  that  the  diameter  of 
the  anterior  termination  of  the  canal,  as  compared  with  the 
expansion  of  the  ascending  rami,  is  in  the  proportion  of  1  to 
6 :  in  the  two  lower  jaws  figured  in  pi.  5  tome  i.  of  the  Osse- 
mens Fossiles,  this  proportion  is  represented  as  1  to  4. 

I  have  remarked  an  extraordinary  disproportion  in  the  re- 
lative number  of  plates,  when  fossil  elephants'  teeth  from 
North  America  are  compared  with  teeth  from  the  coast  of 


FOSSIL  TOOTH  OF  OTODUS.  351 

Norfolk ;  those  of  the  former  exceeding  the  latter  in  the  pro- 
portion of  at  least  2  to  1  :  while  I  have  noticed  that  the  teeth 
found  in  the  supposed  hyaena's  retreats,  exhibit  a  proportion 
intermediate  to  these  two.  1  fully  anticipate  that  sooner  or 
later  it  will  be  found  that  several  species  have  been  confound- 
ed under  the  name  Elephas  primogenius. 

In  the  first  volume  of  the  new  series  of  this  Magazine,  p. 
226,  I  have  noticed  the  occurrence  of  the  teeth  of  a  gigantic 
shark  (Carcharias  megalodon)  in  the  red  crag  of  Suffolk,  and 
have  given  an  engraving  of  a  particularly  fine  specimen  of 
that  species  in  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  Colchester,  of  Ipswich. — 
The  name  Otodus  has  been  lately  applied  by  Agassiz ■  to  the 
largest  teeth  in  the  family  of  sharks  which  occur  in  the  Lon- 
don clay,  and  the  tooth  of  this  genus  now  figured  (41)  I  be- 
lieve to  be  unique  as  regards  size  and  perfect  state  of  preser- 

41 


Tooth  of  the  Fossil  Genus  Otodus. 

vation.  It  was  found  in  the  cliffs  at  Walton,  in  Essex,  by  a 
servant  of  Lord  Sidmouth,  and  Lady  Sidmouth  obligingly  per- 
mitted me  to  remove  it  from  her  cabinet  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
serting the  present  notice.     In  size  the  tooth  presents  us  with 

1  Figures  are  given  in  the  last  Livraison  of  the  *  Poissons  Fossiles,'  but 
no  descriptive  letter-press. 


352 


ILLUSTRATED  ZOOLOGICAL  NOTICES. 


an  approximation  to  that  of  the  crag  Carcharias,  but  it  differs 
widely  in  its  relative  proportions,  and  in  the  presence  of  late- 
ral denticles. — Its  robust  form,  and  the  great  extent  of  surface 
by  which  it  was  implanted  in  the  jaw,  indicate  its  having  been 
an  organ  of  prodigious  power.  Its  thickness  is  about  equal  to 
half  its  width,  as  seen  by  the  section,  fig.  42.     That  of  Carcha- 


rias megalodon  is  only  in  the  proportion  of  1  to  4.  I  am  aware 
that  the  teeth  in  the  existing  species  of  Carcharias  differ  con- 
siderably in  form,  according  to  the  position  which  they  occu- 
py in  the  jaw;  but  the  above  proportions  will  be  found  to 
hold  good  through  a  series  of  specimens,  and  may  therefore 
be  regarded  as  depending  upon  generic  distinction.  The 
edges  of  the  teeth  in  Otodus  are  perfectly  free  from  serrations, 
and  the  crag  specimens  of  Carcharias  appear  so,  but  in  the 
latter  their  absence  depends  upon  attrition.  Some  of  the 
squaloid  teeth  figured  in  Moreton's  Synopsis  of  the  cretace- 
ceous  fossils  of  the  United  States,  probably  belong  to  the 
present  genus. 

43 


m 


Figure  43  is  a  silicified  zoophyte  from  the  Kentish  chalk, 
which  a  Cidaris  appears  very  snugly  housed,  with  its 


FOSSIL  INFUSORIA  IN  IRELAND.  353 

spines  in  several  places  projecting  through  the  substance  of 
the  organic  body  which  surrounds  it,  as  at  (a).  It  would,  I 
think,  be  a  knotty  point  to  determine,  in  this  instance,  which 
of  the  two  has  been  the  aggressor, — the  Ventriculite  or  the 
Cidaris.  The  former  cannot  have  been  simply  growing  up- 
on a  dead  shell,  because  the  root  of  the  zoophyte  is  at  the 
small  extremity,  and  the  large  spines  of  the  Echinus  are  still 
in  connection  with  the  shell  to  which  they  belong.  This  cu- 
rious fossil  is  in  the  cabinet  of  my  friend  Mr.  Bowerbank. 


Art.  V. — On  Fossil  Infusoria  found  in  the  County  Down,  Ireland. 
By  James  L.  Drummond,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Anatomy  in  the 
Royal  Belfast  Institution,  President  of  the  Belfast  Natural  History 
Society. 

When  my  friend  William  Thompson,  Esq.,  was  at  Newcas- 
tle (at  the  base  of  the  Mourne  Mountains,  County  Down)  last 
autumn,  he  received  a  specimen  of  a  very  light,  white,  earthy 
substance,  which  had  been  found  some  time  previously  in 
considerable  quantity,  in  that  neighbourhood ;  and  a  short 
time  ago  he  requested  me  to  investigate  its  nature,  as  he  felt 
assured  that  it  was  the  same  kind  of  substance  as  Professor 
Bailey  had  found  in  a  bog  at  West  Point,  in  America,  (as 
stated  in  Silliman's  Journal  for  October,  1838),  and  which 
was  composed  of  fossil  infusorial  remains.  I  undertook  the 
investigation,  and  soon  found  that  this  anticipation  was  right; 
the  whole  mass  consisting  of  the  siliceous  remains  of  organ- 
ized microscopic  beings,  either  animal  or  vegetable.  I  am 
not  aware  that  fossil  Infusoria  have  hitherto  been  detected 
in  the  British  islands,  but  if  not,  their  discovery  is  due  to  Mr. 
Thompson,  as  I  have  only  followed  up  and  ascertained,  by 
microscopical  investigation,  that  the  views  which  he  had  pre- 
viously entertained  were  correct. 

The  substance  alluded  to  is,  when  dry,  of  the  whiteness  of 
chalk,  but  becomes  brownish  when  wet ;  it  is  as  light  as  car- 
bonate of  magnesia,  which  it  much  resembles,  but  is  not  act- 
ed on  by  nitric,  muriatic,  or  sulphuric  acids,  and  is  indestruct- 
ible by  fire.  The  specimen  I  received  was  a  compact  mass, 
of  the  shape,  and  nearly  the  size,  of  an  ordinary  building- 
brick  ;  it  could  easily  be  rubbed  down  into  powder,  and  had 
a  coarse  and  somewhat  fibrous  fracture ;  when  a  portion  was 
rubbed  between  the  finger  and  thumb,  it  had  no  grittiness, 
but  felt  like  an  impalpable  powder,  and  when  it  was  then 
blown  into  the  air,  it  flew  about  almost  like  wood-ashes. 

Vol.  HI.— No.  31.  n.  s.  2  o 


354 


FOSSIL  INFUSORIA  IN  IRELAND. 


I  had  learned  from  my  friend  and  assistant  in  my  anatomi- 
cal demonstrations,  Mr.  Shaw,  that  during  the  past  summer, 
his  uncle,  Dr.  Hunter,  of  Bryansford  (near  Newcastle),  and 
himself,  had  been  making  chemical  experiments  on  a  singu- 
lar substance  which  had  lately  been  found  in  that  neighbour- 
hood ;  that  they  had  proved  it  to  be  silex,  but  could  ascertain 
nothing  farther  concerning  it.  On  showing  the  specimen 
to  Mr.  Shaw,  he  at  once  knew  it  to  be  identical  with  the 
substance  which  they  had  been  examining ;  I  accordingly 
requested  him  to  write  to  Bryansford,  and  obtain  all  the  par- 
ticulars he  could  concerning  it,  and  the  following  is  Dr. 
Hunter's  answer. 

"I  should  sooner  have  written,  but  I  waited  to  procure 
accurate  information  respecting  the  deposit  at  Lough-Island 
Reavey. l  It  was  found  on  lowering  the  water  of  the  lake  by 
the  Bann  Company,  lying  in  considerable  quantity  under  a 
covering  of  about  a  foot  of  boggy  soil.  It  was  in  a  semi-fluid 
state,  of  the  consistence  of  thick  mud,  and  could  be  lift- 
ed out  with  a  shovel.  It  soon  dried  when  laid  out  on  the 
bank.  There  is  also  a  stratum  of  an  apparently  similar  sub- 
stance found  in  a  mountain  valley  to  the  south  of  Slieve  Ber- 
nagh,  in  the  midst  of  the  Mourne  range.  It  cuts  out  and 
shows  itself  on  the  face  of  a  bank  covered  also  with  a  stratum 
of  peaty  soil.  There  are  also  detached  pieces  of  what  I  con- 
sider a  similar  matter  occasionally  found  in  the  low  parts  of 
the  alluvial  soil  of  Corrogs,  of  these  I  shall  endeavour  to  pro- 
cure specimens,  and  if  possible  myself  inspect  the  place  where 
they  are  found,  and  send  them  to  you  as  soon  as  possible." 
44  .    W,  „        ( 


Magnified  views  of  fossil  infusorial  remains. 


On  examining  many  times  small  portions  of  the  fossil  mix- 
ed with  a  little  water,  on  a  slip  of  glass,  the  whole  was  found 

1  This  Lough  is  a  few  miles  from  Bryansford. 


FOSSIL  INFUSORIA  IN  IRELAND.  355 

to  be  composed  of  the  bodies  represented  in  fig.  44,  of  which 
the  long,  linear  spicula  {a)  form  at  least  four-fifths.  The  next 
most  abundant  are  those  marked  (b),  then  (c) ;  those  marked 
(d)  are  still  less  numerous,  and  not  always  seen,  though  in 
some  of  my  examinations  the  portion  of  fossil  in  the  micro- 
scope consisted  of  them  chiefly.  Occasionally  confervoid 
fragments  (e)  were  seen,  and  frequently  minute  annular  por- 
tions (/),  while  {g)  is  very  rare.  These  are  all  the  bodies 
which  I  have  observed ;  there  was  no  admixture  whatever  of 
unorganized  matter,  and  no  medium  of  cement  whatever. 

The  spicular  bodies  (a)  are  joints  of  the  Diatoma  elonga- 
tum,  (( Eng.  Flora,'  vol.  v.  pt.  1,  page  406).  This  species 
grows  in  the  utmost  abundance  in  a  small  drain  of  clear  wa- 
ter, in  the  grounds  of  the  Royal  Belfast  Institution,  and  its 
joints  in  the  microscope  are  seen  to  be  precisely  similar  to 
the  spicular  bodies.  When  the  loricated  Infusoria  are  burn- 
ed to  ashes,  the  latter  are  found  to  be  their  siliceous  coverings 
unchanged;  and  the  same  thing  occurs  in  the  Diatoma,  as 
was  discovered  by  De  Brebisson  and  Professor  Bailey.1  On 
burning  the  Diatoma  elongatum  to  a  red  heat,  I  found  it, 
when  cold,  to  be  unchanged  in  form  and  appearance,  its  sharp- 
ness of  outline  being  equally  well  defined  as  before.  The 
Navicula  tripunctata  I  found  equally  unaffected  by  heat,  as 
also  some  other  Infusoria  with  which  I  am  little  acquainted. 
Of  the  other  bodies  in  the  fossil  I  as  yet  know  nothing  more 
than  their  appearance ;  but  I  think  an  examination  of  the 
waters  in  the  localities  where  the  deposit  is  found,  would 
bring  them  to  light  in  a  recent  state. 

The  deposit  which  I  have  now  described  is  evidently  of 
the  same  description  as  that  found  by  Professor  Bailey  in  the 
New  World,  and  analogous  to  what  is  found  in  several  pla- 
ces of  the  Old ;  viz.  the  Kieselguhr  of  Franzenbad,  and  the 
deposit  in  peat-bog  near  the  same  place,  the  Bergmehl  of 
Santa  Fiora,  &c,  which  are  formed  of  fossil  infusorial  re- 
mains.2 

Belfast,  April  30th,  1839. 


1  See  paper  of  the  latter  on  fossil  Infusoria  discovered  in  peat-earth  at 
West  Point,  in  Silliman's  Journal  for  October,  1838. 
2  See  Edinburgh  New  PhilosophicalJournal,  for  January,  1837,  p.  183. 


356  LETTER  FROM  PROF.  AGASSIZ 


Akt.  VI. — Letter  from  Prof.  Agassiz  on  the  subject  of  the  French 
Edition  of  the  '  Mineral  Conchology  of  Great  Britain.' 

Neuchatel,  Mai  15,  1839. 

Monsieur, 

Je  viens  de  lire  dans  votre  journal  (N.  29)  une 
incrimination  odieuse  de  la  part  que  j'ai  prise  a  la  publication 
que  fait  dans  ce  moment  M.  Nicolet,  d'une  edition  a  bon  mar- 
che de  la  '  Conchy liologie  Mineralogique '  de  J.  Sowerby. — 
Rien  ne  me  paroitroit  mieux  merite  que  les  reproches  qui 
m'y  sont  addresses,  si  les  assertions  et  les  insinuations  que 
renferme  cet  article  n'etoient  d'un  bout  a  l'autre  perfides  ou 
mensongeres.  Puisque  vous  avez  accueilli  cette  accusation 
dans  votre  journal,  j'attends  de  votre  loyaute  que  vous  y  in- 
sererez  ma  justification  dans  votre  plus  prochain  No. 

Malgre  V  immense  importance  de  l'ouvrage  de  Sowerby  sur 
les  fossiles  d'Angleterre,  cette  publication  n' a  pu  trouver  qu' 
un  petit  nombre  d'  acquereurs  sur  le  continent.  Aussi  le  con- 
naissance  que  j'ai  des  etablissements  scientifiques  des  locali- 
tes  les  plus  importants  d'  Europe  m'a  telle  donne  la  certitude 
qu'une  edition  Francoise  ou  Allemande  de  cet  ouvrage,  si 
elle  pouvoit  etre  publiee  a  meilleur  marche  que  1'  original, 
seroit  un  veritable  service  rendu  a  la  science,  sans  nuire  en 
aucun  facon  a  Vedition  originate,  qui  s'est  surtout  ecoulees 
en  pays  Anglois.  N'y  auroit-il  pas  des  lors  mauvaise  foi  a 
representer  une  pareille  publication  comme  une  piraterie 
systematique  ?  comme  si  des  traductions  d'ouvrages  scienti- 
fiques ne  se  feroient  pas  tous  les  jours  au  gre  des  auteurs,  et 
a  plus  fort  raison  apres  leur  mort !  et  comme  si,  en  fesant  ce 
que  vous,  auteur  d'un  journal  scientifique,  vous  devez  savoir 
etre  de  bon  droit,  je  devois  causer  la  ruine  des  heritiers  de 
Sowerby,  en  les  privant  du  benefice  d'une  publication  dont 
ils  disposent  depuis  plus  de  quinze  ans,  et  qui  est  terminee 
depuis  dix,  apres  avoir  recu  deux  volumes  posthumes.  Mais 
il  y  a  plus,  lorsque  j'ai  engage  un  lithographe  d'ici, — M. 
Nicolet, — a  faire  un  Sowerby  a  bon  marche,  je  lui  ai  fourni 
gratuitement  la  traduction  du  texte,  enrichie  de  nombreuses 
additions  et  corrections.  II  est  done  absolument  faux  de  dire 
que  l'edition  Francoise  de  Sowerby,  dont  il  s'agit,  n'est  qu' 
une  mauvaise  contrefacon  des  planches  de  Touvrage  Anglois, 
accompagnee  d'une  simple  translation  du  texte.  Je  n'aurois 
jamais  prete  mon  nom  a  une  pareille  machination.  Je  dois 
done  trouver  bien  etrange  la  conduite  d'un  editeur  d'un  jour- 
nal scientifique  qui  accueille  sans  examen  de  pareilles  calom- 
nies,  et  je  declare  positivement  mensongeres  les  insinuations 


ON  THE  TRANSLATION  OF  MINERAL  CONCHOLOGY.  357 

que  j'aurois  entrepris,  ou  fait  entreprendre,  cette  publication 
dans  le  but  d'en  faire  une  affaire  de  lucre.  Au  contraire,  il  n'en 
a  ete  tire  que  300  exemplaires,  et  j'ai  mit  a  l'editeur  pour  prix 
de  ma  participation,  la  condition  que  l'ouvrage  ne  seroit  pas 
vendu  au-dessus  du  prix  necessaire  pour  couvrir  les  fraix  de 
publication.  Je  pro  teste  en  outre  n' avoir  eu  aucune  intention 
de  nuire  aux  editeurs  de  l'edition  originale  ;  si  j'en  ai  envoye 
quelques  exemplaires  en  Angleterre,  c'est  uniquement  afin  que 
mes  amis  scientifiques  puissent  prendre  connaissance  des 
nombreuses  additions  que  j'ai  faite  a  ma  traduction.  Tout  ce- 
ci  prouve,  que  dans  cette  circonstance,  comme  toujours,  j'ai 
agi  uniquement  dans  Tinteret  de  la  science.  Un  illustre  geo- 
logue  Anglois  pourroit  au  besoin  rapporter  ce  que  je  lui  ai 
dit  a  ce  sujet,  avant  de  m'occuper  de  cette  traduction. 

Ceci  m'amene  a  vous  faire  encore  une  observation.     J'ap- 
prends  que  pour  user  de  represailles  envers  moi,  (comme  si 
j'avois  commis  des  hostilites),  il  se  preparoit  une  souscription 
pour  favoriser  une  contrefac.on  de  mes  *  Poissons  Fossiles,'  ac- 
compagnee  d'une  traduction  Anglaise  du  texte,  qui  puisse  etre 
publiee  a  10s.  lalivraison,  au  lieu  de  30s.     Permettez-moi  de 
vous   dire  ma  facon  de  penser  a  ce  sujet.     Si  le  fait  est  vrai, 
j'envisagerois  cet  acte,  en  tant  que  represaille,  comme  tout  ce 
que  Ton  pourroit  imaginer  de  plus  perfide  et  indigne  de  tout 
homme  qui  se  respecte  ;  mais  si  la  chose  n'avoit  lieu  que  dans 
un  but  d'utilite,  je  declare  aussi  franchement  que  j'appelerois 
la  reussite  de  tous  mes  voeux,  esperant  voir  par  la  mon  ou- 
vrage  passer  entre  les  mains  de  quelques  cents  personnes  qui 
n'auroient  peut-etre  pas  pu  l'acquerir  au  prix  de  souscription. 
Depuis  le  nombre  de  mes  souscripteurs  m'est  approximative- 
ment  connu,  je  n'ai  fait  tirer  qu'un  petit  nombre  d'exemplaires 
en  sus ;  mon  edition  sera  done  epuisee  avant  q'une  pareille  con- 
trefa^on  puisse  etre  terminee,  et  comme  j'ai  detruis  les  gra- 
vures  de  mes  planches,  clans  aucun  temps  je  ne  serai  curieux 
de   refaire  une  edition  d'un  ouvrage   qui  n'a  ete  pour  moi 
qu'une   source  intarissable  de  desagremens  et  de  sacrifices, 
quelques  jouissances  intellectuelles  qu'il  m'ait  procure.     Si 
done  l'idee  d'une  edition  a  bon  marche  de  mes l  Poissons  Fos- 
siles' n'est  pas  une  mauvaise  plaisanterie,  je  desirerais  seri- 
eusement  connoitre  les  personnes   qui  veulent  s'en  charger ; 
j'aurois,  j'en  suis  certain,  plusieurs  bons  conseils  a  leur  donner, 
afin  de  contribuer  a  leur  faire  atteindre  plus  facilement  leur 
but,  qui  doit  etre,  je  le  pense  du  moins,  de  repandre  un  ou- 
vrage envisage  comme  utile,  et  non  pas  uniquement  de  me 
nuire.     D'ailleurs,  mon  ouvrage  sera  completement  acheve 
dans  un  an,  avec  le  15me  livraison  que  j'espere  publier  a 


358  LETTER  FROM  PROFESSOR  AGASSIZ 

Paques  prochain;  et  je  m'estimerais  heureux  de  le  voir  tra- 
duit  et  reproduit  sous  quelle  forme  que  ce  soit. 

Esperant  que  vous  voudrez  bien  inserer  le  contenu  de  ma 
lettre  au  complet  en  le  traduisant  litteralement,  j'ai  Vhonneur 
de  vous  prevenir  que  j'en  expedie  quelques  copies  a  plusieurs 
de  mes  amis. 

Veuillez  agreer, 

Monsieur, 
L'assurance  de  ma  consideration  distinguee, 

L.  Agassiz. 


TRANSLATION. 

Neuchatel,  May  15,  1839. 

SIR, 

I  have  just  read  in  the  29th  number  of  your  Journal  an  in- 
vidious crimination  of  the  part  which  I  have  taken  in  the  cheap  edition  of 
So.  Min.  Conchology,  now  in  course  of  publication  by  M.  Nicolet.  No- 
thing would  be  more  richly  merited  than  the  strictures  which  are  there 
passed  upon  me,  were  it  not  that  the  assertions  and  insinuations  which  the 
article  contains  are  altogether  malicious  and  without  foundation.  As  you 
have  brought  forward  this  accusation  in  your  journal,  I  expect  from  your 
sense  of  honour  that  you  will  give  publicity  to  my  justification  in  your 
forthcoming  number. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  importance  of  Mr.  Sowerby's  work  on  the 
Fossils  of  England,  this  publication  has  met  with  but  few  purchasers  on 
the  continent ;  and  the  knowledge  which  I  possess  of  the  most  important 
European  Scientific  Institutions,  has  assured  me  that  a  French  or  German 
edition  of  the  work,  published  at  a  lower  price,  would  be  rendering  a  real 
service  to  Science,  without  in  any  way  proving  injurious  to  the  original 
edition,  for  which  the  principal  demand  is  in  England.  Would  it  then 
not  be  unfair  to  represent  such  a  publication  as  a  systematic  piracy ;  as 
though  translations  of  scientific  works  were  not  being  made  every  day  with 
the  consent  of  authors,  and  with  still  greater  reason  after  their  death  ;  and 
as  if  in  doing  that,  which  you,  as  the  conductor  of  a  scientific  journal, 
ought  to  know  I  am  justified  in,  I  am  likely  to  injure  the  family  of  Mr. 
Sowerby  in  depriving  them  of  the  benefit  of  a  publication  of  which  they 
have  had  the  disposal  for  more  than  fifteen  years,  and  which  has  been  com- 
pleted ten  years,  after  the  addition  of  two  posthumous  volumes  ?  But  in 
addition  to  this,  when  I  agreed  with  a  lithographer,  M.  Nicolet,  to  bring 
out  a  cheap  Sowerby,  I  gratuitously  furnished  him  with  a  translation  of 
the  text,  enriched  with  numerous  additions  and  corrections.  It  is  then 
altogether  untrue  to  say  that  the  edition  in  question  is  but  a  sorry  imitation 
of  the  plates  of  the  English  work  accompanied  by  a  mere  translation  of 
the  text.  I  should  never  have  lent  my  name  to  such  a  machination.  It 
appears  to  me  therefore,  very  strange  conduct  in  the  Editor  of  a  scientific 
journal  to  give,  without  examination,  publicity  to  such  calumnies ;  and 
I  affirm  that  the  insinuation  of  my  having  entered  upon  this  undertaking 
with  a  view  to  pecuniary  emolument,  to  be  altogether  unfounded.  On  the 
contrary,  only  300  copies  have  been  struck  off,  and  I  agreed  with  the  Edi- 
tor as  the  price  of  my  participation  in  it,  that  the  work  should  not  be  sold 


ON  THE  TRANSLATION  OF  MINERAL  CONCHOLOGY.         859 

at  a  sum  above  that  necessary  to  cover  the  expense  of  its  publication.  I 
protest  also,  that  I  had  not  the  least.intention  of  injuring  the  Editor  of  the 
original  edition :  if  I  have  dispatched  some  copies  to  England  it  has  been 
with  the  view  of  letting  my  scientific  friends  see  the  number  of  additions  and 
corrections  which  I  have  incorporated  in  my  translation.  All  this  proves  that 
in  the  present  instance,  as  always,  I  have  only  acted  from  a  regard  to  the 
interests  of  science.  An  illustrious  English  geologist  can,  if  required,  re- 
late what  I  said  to  him  on  this  subject  before  I  occupied  myself  with 
the  translation. 

This  leads  me  to  make  one  other  remark  to  you.  I  understand,  that  by 
way  of  reprisal,  as  though  I  had  committed  hostilities,  there  is  in  prepa- 
ration a  subscription  to  bring  out  a  reprint  of  my  Fossil  Fishes,  with  an 
English  translation  of  the  text,  at  10s.  a  livraison  instead  of  30s.  Permit 
me  to  tell  you  my  notions  upon  this  subject.  If  the  fact  be  true,  and  I  am 
to  regard  this  act  in  the  light  of  a  reprisal,  I  must  deem  it  most  perfidious 
and  disreputable  ;  but  if  the  thing  be  only  undertaken  as  a  matter  of  uti- 
lity, I  declare  with  the  same  frankness,  that  I  shall  be  gratified,  hoping 
thus  to  see  my  work  pass  into  the  hands  of  some  hundreds  of  persons  who 
would  not  perhaps  be  able  to  obtain  it  at  the  original  subscription  price. 
As  I  have  now  pretty  well  ascertained  the  amount  of  my  subscribers,  I  have 
only  had  a  few  copies  struck  off  beyond  that  number,  and  my  edition  will 
consequently  be  disposed  of  before  a  reprint  can  be  completed ;  and  as  I 
have  effaced  the  drawings  from  the  stones,  at  no  future  time  shall  T  be  de- 
sirous of  attempting  another  edition  of  a  work  which  has  all  along  been  to 
me  a  source  of  vexation  and  sacrifice,  whatever  intellectual  enjoyment  it 
may  have  produced  me.  If,  therefore,  a  cheap  edition  of  my  work  be 
really  seriously  talked  of,  I  should  like  to  know  the  parties  who  are  about 
to  engage  in  it,  as  I  should  have  some  advice  to  give  them  to  enable  them 
more  readily  to  attain  the  object  which  I,  at  least,  think  they  should  have  in 
view  ;  viz.,  the  diffusion  of  a  work  regarded  as  useful,  and  not  merely  an 
attempt  to  injure  me.  As  my  work  will  be  completely  finished  in  a 
year,  with  the  15th  livraison,  which  I  hope  to  publish  next  Easter,  I  shall 
esteem  myself  fortunate  to  see  the  work  translated,  in  whatever  shape  it 
may  appear. 

Hoping  that  you  will  insert  the  contents  of  this  letter  entire  and  literally 
translated,  I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that  I  have  sent  copies  to  se- 
veral of  my  friends. 

Louis  Agassiz. 


MAGAZINE  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

JULY,  1839. 

Our  remarks  upon  M.  Nicolet's  French  edition  of  Sowerby's  work  on  the 
fossil  shells  of  this  country,  have  drawn  forth  a  reply  from  Prof.  Agassiz, 
which  should  have  received  a  place  in  our  last  month's  number,  had  it 
not  reached  us  too  late  for  publication.  We  now  insert  his  letter,  with 
a  translation  of  its  contents,  that  every  publicity  in  our  power  may  be 
given  to  the  vindication  which  he  has  put  forward.  Had  the  work  under 
notice  originated  with  none  other  name  than  those  of  the  printer,  pub- 
lisher, and  artist,  greatly  as  we  might  have  regretted,  for  the  interests  of 
science,  the  non-existence  of  international  protecting  enactments,  the 


360  TRANSLATION  OF  MINERAL  CONCHOLOGY. 

matter  would  have  appeared  to  us  one  of  comparatively  trivial  importance, 
and  instead  of  advancing  anything  in  the  shape  of  reproach  or  remon- 
strance, we  should  have  deemed  it  the  wiser  course  to  have  been  altoge- 
ther silent. 

The  name,  however,  of  Louis  Agassiz,  as  the  Editor  and  avowed  pro- 
jector of  the  reprint,  and  the  plausible  statement  from  a  man  of  such  high 
scientific  reputation,  that  its  cheapness,  when  compared  with  the  price  of 
the  original  work,  must  necessarily  tend  to  further  the  progress  of  Geo- 
logy, made  us  determine,  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  on  the  course 
which  we  pursued.  For  though  originating  in  such  a  quarter  the  scheme 
threatened  to  be  tenfold  more  injurious  in  its  operation,  we  felt  that  Agas- 
siz was  bound  by  so  many  ties  to  this  country,  that  he  would  probably 
consider  himself  amenable  to  the  expression  of  censure,  if  publicly  di- 
rected against  him  in  the  columns  of  an  English  Journal.  We  are  glad 
to  find  that  on  this  head  we  have  not  been  mistaken ;  and  we  may  add 
too  that  our  expectations  have  been  completely  realised,  in  not  even  the 
shadow  of  an  argument  being  adduced  to  oppose  the  views  which  we 
put  forward,  as  to  the  injurious  prospective  operation  of  the  part  acted 
by  Agassiz.  He  repeats,  it  is  true,  the  substance  of  the  shallow  sophism 
that  we  quoted  from  his  preface ;  but  how  does  he  support  the  position 
which  he  would  there  maintain,  the  assumed  "  utilite  "  of  the  measure 
we  condemn  ?  Three  hundred  cheap  Sowerbys,  he  tells  us,  will  be  dis- 
seminated over  the  continent,  and  pass  into  the  hands  of  those  who  would 
not  otherwise  have  possessed  copies  of  this  important  work.  But  has 
Agassiz  so  little  foresight,  so  small  a  share  of  penetration,  that  he  looks 
to  this  one  result  as  the  sole  and  only  consequence  of  the  course  which 
he  is  pursuing?  Can  he  not  perceive  that  the  system  which  he  has  com- 
menced, if  followed  up  upon  the  strength  of  his  example,  must  strike  at 
the  very  existence  of  a  class  of  works  upon  which  the  progress  of  Geolo- 
gy is  essentially  dependent ; — works  which  convey  to  us  delineations  of 
new  forms  as  they  are  brought  to  light  in  both  the  past  and  existing  or- 
der of  creation ; — which  tell  their  own  tale  without  the  aid  of  a  transla- 
tor, let  the  country  be  what  it  may  to  which  science  is  indebted  for  their 
acquisition ;  but  which,  from  the  heavy  cost  of  their  production,  and  the 
limited  class  among  which  they  circulate,  require  that  kind  of  support 
which  is  not  restricted  by  the  boundaries  of  clime  or  country  ? 

Agassiz  has  saved  us  the  necessity  of  selecting  an  instance  by  way  of 
illustration.  Singularly  enough,  the  same  document  which  contains  the 
attempt  to  justify  his  conduct,  informs  us  that  notwithstanding  the  un- 
exampled support  which,  although  a  foreigner,  he  has  in  this  country  re- 
ceived, by  the  aid  of  public  pecuniary  grants,  and  that  of  most  extensive 


MINERAL  CONCHOLOGY.  361 

private  subscription,  still  that  his  '  Poissons  Fossiles '  has  been  to  him 
"  une  source  intarissable  de  desagremens  et  de  sacrifices."  Surely  then 
this,  his  own  experience,  might  have  suggested  to  Agassiz  the  impor- 
tance of  every  possible  encouragement  being  held  out  to  the  present  au- 
thor of  the  '  Mineral  Conchology,'  with  a  view  to  the  continuation  of  that 
work,  rather  than  that  the  continental  demand  should,  for  the  future,  be 
supplied  by  an  edition  so  low  in  price,  that  competition  on  the  part  of 
Mr.  Sowerby  would  be  utterly  impossible. 

As  it  respects  the  minor  points  adverted  to  by  Agassiz,  we  shall  be  very 
brief.  That  an  English  sale  of  the  cheap  edition  was  calculated  upon, 
we  feel  satisfied,  because  a  large  number  of  prospectuses  have  been  dis- 
patched to  this  country,  and  great  pains  taken  to  circulate  them;  but 
whether  at  the  instigation  of  Prof.  Agassiz  or  his  lithographer,  we  cannot 
say.  The  general  principle  of  translating  scientific  works  from  one  lan- 
guage into  another  is  utterly  foreign  to  the  question,  and  cannot  possibly 
be  brought  to  bear  upon  those  publications  whose  scientific  value  is  vested 
in  faithful  representations  of  species,  fac  similes  of  which  can  be  at  any 
time  produced  at  an  enormous  reduction  of  expense  below  that  which 
they  have  originally  cost  the  author. 

That  Agassiz  is  altogether  in  error  on  the  subject  of  the  relation  in 
which  the  present  Mr.  James  De  Carle  Sowerby  stands  in  respect  to  the 
1  Mineral  Conchology,'  is  clear  from  the  following  passage,  which  will  be 
found  in  No.  105.  "  To  the  public  the  author  feels  deeply  indebted, 
and  cannot  refrain  from  declaring  his  gratitude  for  the  encouragement 
bestowed  upon  a  work  commenced  by  his  lamented  father,  and  in  the  con- 
tinuation of  which  he  himself  has  incurred  so  much  responsibility." — 
Dated  Camden  Town,  July.  1835.1 

As  to  the  numerous  additions  and  corrections  in  the  French  edition  upon 
which  Agassiz  seems  to  plume  himself,  we  cannot  give  him  a  great  deal 
of  credit  on  this  score,  when  his  zeal  for  science  has  not  induced  him  to 
procure  from  England  such  species  as  are  now  well  known  and  readily 
obtained  in  a  more  perfect  condition  than  some  of  the  specimens  figured 
in  the  early  numbers  of  Mr.  Sowerby's  work.  And  upon  the  subject  of 
an  English  edition  of  the  '  Poissons  Fossiles,'  though,  as  far  as  we  are 
aware,  nothing  of  the  kind  is  in  contemplation,  yet  if  its  author  really 


1  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  observe  that  since  the  publication  of  the 
above  number  in  1835,  English  geologists  have  been  anxiously  hoping 
that  Mr.  J.  de  C.  Sowerby  would  again  proceed  with  the  continuation  of 
the  '  Mineral  Conchology.' 
Vol.  III.— No.  31.  n.  s.  2p 


362         TERTIARY  GEOLOGY  OF  NORFOLK,  &C. 

have  acted  with  so  little  prudence  as  not  to  have  reserved  a  supply  to 
meet  the  demand  that  must  arise  when  the  work  is  rendered  complete ; 
and  never  intends,  after  the  issue  of  his  15th  livraison,  to  resume  those 
labours  in  ancient  Ichthyology  which  have  shed  so  much  light  upon  this 
department  of  science,  and  reflected  so  much  lustre  on  himself ;  in  that 
case  most  cordially  should  we  adopt  his  avowed  sentiments,  and  look  up- 
on a  cheap  English  fac-simile  of  the  '  Poissons  Fossiles,'  as  a  matter  of 
the  highest  'utilite.' 

A  paper  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Lyell  appears  in  our  number  for  the  pre- 
sent month,  which  embodies  some  results  of  the  highest  interest,  as  bear- 
ing upon  the  tertiary  Geology  of  Norfolk  and  the  adjoining  counties. — 
The  district  treated  of  has  long  been  celebrated  for  the  number  and  beau- 
ty of  its  fossils ;  but  until  within  a  very  recent  period,  no  suspicion  had 
been  entertained  that  the  fossiliferous  beds  called  "crag"  included  depo- 
sits of  distinct  geological  ages.  It  is  now,  however,  satisfactorily  shown 
by  the  application  of  the  per-centage  test  to  the  very  extensive  series  of 
crag  Testacea  in  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  Searles  Wood,  that  three  marine  de- 
posits, of  different  and  well-marked  periods,  overlie  the  chalk  and  Lon- 
don clay  in  this  part  of  England.  This  result  confirms  the  general  views 
upon  Tertiary  Geology  which  Mr.  Lyell  has  entertained  in  opposition  to 
M.  Deshayes,  who  asserts  the  existence  in  the  tertiary  group,  of  three  de- 
finite proportions  in  the  percentage  of  extinct  species,  and  to  one  of  which 
any  member  of  the  series  may  be  referred.1 

The  misapprehension  which  has  so  long  prevailed  respecting  the  his- 
tory of  a  formation  that  has  so  often  been  looked  at  with  geological 
eyes,  proves  the  absolute  necessity  for  extreme  caution  in  deciding  upon 
the  age  of  deposits  that  may  be  situated  in  less  frequently  explored  loca- 
lities. 

From  the  recently  published  annual  reports  of  the  Geological  and 
Zoological  Societies,  both  these  important  scientific  associations  may  be 
considered  in  a  flourishing  condition.  The  former  has  been  steadily  in- 
creasing in  the  amount  of  its  members ;  and  though  the  latter  has  pro- 
bably attained  its  maximum  number,  and  suffered  a  serious  diminution 
of  income  from  the  unfavourable  summers  of  the  two  past  years,  the  re- 
ceipts have  still  left  a  surplus  over  the  expenditure.     The  Council  of  the 


J"4.  Constant  proportions  (3  per  cent.,  19  per  cent,  52  per  cent.)  in 
the  number  of  recent  species,  determine  the  age  of  the  tertiary  strata." 
Deshayes;  translated  in  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.  vol.  i.  n.  s.  p.  12. 


REVIEWS.  363 

Geological  speak  with  regret  of  the  resignation  of  their  recently-appoint- 
ed Curator,  Mr.  Searles  Wood,  whose  health  would  not  permit  him  to 
continue  in  office.  Referring  to  the  Society's  collection  of  crag  fossils, 
the  Museum-Committee  state  that  Mr.  Wood  "has  added  to  it  most  li- 
"  berally  from  his  private  cabinet,  and  has  by  this  means  augmented  the 
"species  of  Mollusca  and  corals  from  about  100,  of  which  they  before 
"  consisted,  to  no  less  than  400,  besides  inserting  many  specimens  in  a 
"  more  perfect  state,  of  species  of  which  the  Society  already  possessed 
"  some  individuals.  Duplicates,  moreover,  of  many  species  common  to 
"  the  upper  and  lower  crag,  have  been  introduced  for  the  sake  of  compa- 
"  rison ;  and  the  localities  of  all  Mr.  Wood's  specimens,  verified  from  his 
"  own  observations,  have  been  carefully  noted  on  the  tablets.  By  these 
"  important  donations  the  number  of  drawers  containing  organic  remains 
"  of  the  crag,  has  been  increased  from  10  to  27." 

The  Zoological  Society  have  recently  been  so  unfortunate  as  to  lose 
the  chimpanzee  and  the  male  and  female  orangs,  all  of  which  were,  a 
short  time  since,  alive,  and  exhibited  together  in  the  Regent's  Park. — 
The  great  object  of  interest  now  at  the  Gardens  is  the  young  giraffe,  the 
birth  of  which  took  place  about  ten  days  since.  No  similar  instance  has 
ever  previously  occurred  in  Europe. 


REVIEWS. 

Art.  I. — 1.  Monographia  Chalciditum.  By  Francis  Walker.  London: 
Bailliere.     1839.     8vo.  pp.  330. 

2.  Hymenoptera  Britannica  :  Alysia.  Auctore  A.  H.  Haliday.  Fascicu- 
lus alter.     London :  Bailliere.     1839.     pp.  32. 

The  cessation  of  the  publication  of  the  '  Entomological  Ma- 
gazine,' previous  to  the  completion  of  the  Monographs  upon 
the  Chalcididce  by  Mr.  Walker,  and  the  Ichneumones  adsciti 
by  Mr.  Haliday,  has  compelled  these  gentlemen  to  resort  to 
separate  publication  for  the  termination  of  their  memoirs. — 
Mr.  Walker's  work,  therefore,  instead  of  being  a  '  Monogra- 
pliia  Chalciditum]  is  a  monograph  only  of  four  of  the  genera 
of  that  family,  with  supplemental  species  of  some  of  the  other 
genera  described  either  in  the  '  Entomological  Magazine,'  or 
the  '  Annals  of  Natural  History.'  The  present  volume  con- 
tains descriptions  of  452  species,  chiefly  inhabitants  of  this 
country,  and  now  for  the  first  time  described.  It  must  there- 
fore be  considered  an  important  addition  to  our  Fauna. 

Mr.  Flaliday's  brochure  comprises  descriptions  of  about  for- 
ty British  species  "belonging  to  the  Ichneumonideous  genus 
Alysia  and  its  subgenera, — sixty -one  species  of  the  same  ge- 
nus having  been  previously  described  in  the  *  Entomological 
Magazine.'     It  also  comprises  a  very  valuable  Synopsis  of 


364  REVIEWS. 

the  entire  order  Hymenoptera,  upon  which  the  author  has 
bestowed  so  much  attention,  and  in  which  we  find  the  natu- 
ral habits  of  the  insects,  as  well  as  their  structural  peculiari- 
ties, considered  as  the  ground-work  of  the  classification  here 
proposed. 

It  is  impossible  to  compare  these  two  works  together  with- 
out noticing  the  different  mode  in  which  they  are  written : — 
whilst  the  latter  exhibits  a  lucid  methodical  arrangement  in 
all  its  parts,  the  former  is  lamentably  deficient  therein.  For 
instance,  there  is  no  generic  character  of  Aphelinus  and  Pter- 
optrix ;  and  almost  every  species  is  formed  into  a  distinct 
section,  apparently  of  equal  rank,  without  any  gradation al 
series  of  groups.  Thus,  although  the  species  may  be  well 
described  specifically ',  their  generic  and  subgeneric  investiga- 
tion will  be  attended  with  endless  labour,  unless  the  work  be 
revised.  As  there  are  84  species  of  Cirrospilus  here  describ- 
ed, it  would  have  been  well  to  have  republished  the  74  which 
have  already,  or  are  intended  to  appear  in  the  i  Annals  of 
Natural  History,'  and  in  which  they  are  scattered  through 
many  numbers. 


Art.  II. — 1.  Supplement  to  the  '  History  of  British  Fishes.11    By  William 

Yarrell,  F.L.S.     London :  Van  Voorst.     1839. 
2.  On  the  Growth  of  the  Salmon  in  Fresh  Water.     By  the  same  Author. 

Van  Voorst. 

The  additions  made  to  British  Ichthyology  in  the  short  pe- 
riod that  has  elapsed  since  the  publication  of  Mr.  Yarrell's 
valuable  ( History  of  British  Fishes,'  have  now  enabled  the 
author  to  increase  his  work  by  the  descriptions  of  nearly  thir- 
ty species.  Figures  of  all  these  are  given  in  the  present  sup- 
plement, which,  with  their  history,  adds  72  pages  of  matter 
to  the  original  publication.  Of  course,  the  supplement  will 
fiud  a  place  in  the  library  of  all  those  who  possess  a  copy  of 
the  previous  volumes,  in  the  second  edition  of  which  latter 
we  suppose  the  additional  species  will  be  incorporated.  One 
of  the  fishes  now  recorded  by  Mr.  Yarrell  as  an  acquisition 
to  the  Fauna  of  the  British  seas,  is  also  new  to  Ichthyology 
generally;  it  is  a  species  of  the  genus  Osmerus.  captured 
near  Roth  say,  in  the  isle  of  Bute,  and  sent  to  the  author  by 
Mr.  William  Ewing,  of  Glasgow.  It  is  described  under  the 
specific  name  Hebridicus. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  genera  to  which  the  additions 
contained  in  the  Supplement  are  referable. — Trigla,  1  ;  Peri- 
stedion,  1,  (from  Dr.  Edward  Moore;  described  Mag.  Nat. 
Hist.,  vol.  i.  n.  s.) ;  Gobius,  3  ;  Crenilabrus,  2;  Abramis,  1  ; 
Exoccetus,  1 ;  Salmo,  1 ;  Coregonus,  2;  Motclla,  1 ;  Platessa, 


NEW  SPECIES  OF  POPILLIA.  365 

1 ;  Monochirus,  1 ;  Echiodon  1,  (a  new  genus  recently  de- 
scribed by  Mr.  Thompson,  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Zoolo- 
gical Society) ,  Syngnathus,  1 ;  Acipenser,  1 ;  Echinorhinus, 
1  ;  Zygmia,  1 ;  Rata,  2,  (one  from  vol.  ii.  of  the  Mag.  Nat. 
Hist.  n.  s.  described  by  Mr.  Couch). 

Besides  the  history  of  the  new  Fshes,  the  supplement  con- 
tains some  valuable  additional  matter  relating  to  species 
which  were  figured  in  the  previous  volumes.  The  most  im- 
portant article  of  this  description  is  one  upon  the  growth  of 
Salmon  in  fresh  water.  This  has  been  separately  published 
in  the  form  of  a  large  brochure,  and  is  illustrated  with  six 
admirably  coloured  engravings  on  steel,  exhibiting  the  cha- 
racter and  natural  size  of  the  fish,  and  its  exact  appearance 
at  various  stages  during  the  first  two  years.  One  novelty  in 
the  supplement  with  which  we  are  highly  gratified,  is  thus 
spoken  of  in  the  preface  : — 

"  To  render  the  pictorial  part  of  this  Supplement  as  useful  as  its  size 
and  character  would  admit,  I  have  introduced,  as  vignettes,  representations 
of  the  bones  of  the  cranium  of  several  well-known  fishes,  derived  from  the 
works  of  Cuvier,  Rosentha.ll,  and  others :  and  should  this  part  of  the  plan 
be  approved  as  a  worthy  mode  of  occupying  a  portion  of  that  space  usually 
devoted  to  lighter  subjects,  it  may,  on  some  future  occasion  be  so  enlarged 
upon  as  to  include  an  illustration  of  one  cranium  in  almost  all  the  princi- 
pal genera.  In  the  present  instance,  however,  not  to  interfere  with  the 
ornamental  appearance  of  these  crania,  as  vignettes,  by  a  repetition  of  let- 
ters or  numbers  in  reference  to  each  particular  bone,  I  have  confined  the 
markings  to  the  Perch  only,  as  here  introduced,  premising,  that  a  little 
useful  perseverance  will  lead  to  a  knowledge  of  the  analogous  bones  in 
other  crania." 

We  have  only  to  add,  that  in  the  execution  of  the  cuts,  and 
the  general  style  of  getting  up,  this  volume  is  on  a  par  with 
any  one  in  the  series  of  Mr.  Van  Voorst's  publications. 

SHORT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

Descriptions  of  New  Popillice,  fyc. — Mr.  Solly  having  obli- 
gingly placed  in  my  hands  some  specimens  of  the  genus  Po- 
pillia,  which  he  has  received  from  the  East  Indies,  I  hasten 
to  transmit  to  you  for  publication  descriptions  of  those  species 
which  appear  to  be  new. 

Popillia  varia,  Newman. 
Antennae  nigra? ;  caput,  prothorax,  et  scutellum,  aenea,  clypei  margi- 
ne  antico,  prothoracisque  marginibus  lateralibus  luteis  {  elytra  pro- 
fundi puncto-striata,  lutea,  fasciis  tribus,  quarum  antica  interrupta, 
media  flexuosa,  postica  lata  apicali,  nigris ;  podex  nigro-seneus,  li- 
nea  longitudinali  lutea.     (Corp.  long.  .5  unc.  lat.  .325  unc.) 
Colour. — Antenna  black ;  palpi  testaceous ;  head  gold-green  with  a  nar- 
row anterior  yellow  margin  to  the  clypeus ;  prothorax  gold-green,  with  the 
lateral  margins  yellow  ;  scutellum  gold-green ;  elytra  yellow,  with  the  fol- 
lowing black  markings ; — a  marginal  line  surrounding  each  elytron,  an  an- 


36*6  NEW  SPECIES  OF  POPILLIA. 

tenor  transverse  band  more  or  less  interrupted  or  broken  into  spots,  (in  the 
specimen  before  me  four  distinct  spots  supply  the  place  of  the  band),  a  me- 
dian transverse  flexuose  band,  ancl  a  broad  apical  band,  in  which,  on  each 
elytron,  is  a  minute  yellow  spot ;  the  podex  is  nigro-aeneous,  with  a  central 
longitudinal  yellow  line;  the  legs  have  a  mutable  metallic  lustre,  the  fe- 
mora being  margined  and  tipped  with  yellow ;  the  produced  mesosternum  is 
yellow,  the  metasternum  has  two  somewhat  triangular  yellow  spots ;  the 
underside  of  the  abdomen  has  various  yellow  markings. 

Inhabits  Assam.  There  are  several  specimens  in  Mr. 
Solly's  cabinet. 

Popillia  gemma,  Newman. 
Antennae  testaceae ;    caput,  prothorax,  et  scutellum  caprea ;    elytra 
puncto-striata,  testacea,  regione  suturali  pallidiori ;  podex  cupreus, 
pilis  albis  bisignatus;  pedes  testacei  fulgore  cupreo  nitidi.     (Corp. 
long.  .425  unc.  lat.  .25  unc.) 
Colour. — Antenna  testaceous ;  head,  prothorax,  and  scutellum  brilliant 
copper-coloured ;  elytra  testaceous,  with  a  tint  of  copper  colour,  the  region 
of  the  scutellum  being  paler  ;  the  podex  is  brilliantly  copper-coloured,  and 
has  two  rather  diffuse  spots  composed  of  white  hairs ;  the  legs  are  testace- 
ous with  a  varying  metallic  lustre.     Sculpture. — Head  thickly  punctured ; 
prothorax  punctured  throughout,  but  posteriorly,  near  the  scutellum,  the 
punctures  are  less  obvious  ;  the  scutellum  is  very  sparingly  punctured  ;  the 
elytra  are  punctato- striate. 

Inhabits  Assam.     In  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  Solly. 

Genus. — Paracrvsis,  Newman. 
E  Popillid  celeberrimi  Leach  mesosterno  mutico  nullo  modo  porrecto 
plane  differt ;  elytra  quoque  convexiora,  figura  omnino  globosior. 

This  genus,  in  the  structure  of  its  antenna,  instrumenta 
clbaria,  &c,  nearly  agrees  with  Popillia  of  Leach ;  the  for- 
mation of  the  legs  is  also  nearly  the  same,  the  outer  claw  of 
the  fore  and  middle  feet  being  bifid  at  the  apex  :  its  habit, 
however,  is  very  different,  its  figure  almost  globose,  as  in 
Coccinella,  and  the  elytra  very  convex,  but  the  most  obvious 
structural  difference  is  in  the  sternum,  the  prosternum  is 
produced  in  a  sharp  ridge  between  the  fore  legs,  and  the  me- 
sosternum is  depressed  and  indented,  and  entirely  without  the 
anteriorly  porrected  portion  so  very  obvious  in  the  Popilli<B. 

Paracrusis  cyanipes,  Newman. 
Rubra,  oculis  nigris,  antennis  testaceis,  capitulo  nigro  ;  elytris  rubris, 
glabris,  obsolete  striato-punctis ;  tibiis  tarsisque  cyaneis.     (Corp. 
long.  .5  unc.  lat.  .375  .unc.) 
Colour. — Red,  shining,  antennce  testaceous,  with  a  black  club ;  palpi  and 
mandibles  tipped  with  black ;  elytra  red  ;  tibice  and  tarsi  of  a  bright  metal- 
lie  blue.     Sculpture. — Head  regularly  but  not  very  thickly  or  deeply  punc- 
tured, a  very  distinct  line  (not. observable  in  any  of  the  Popillia:),  separates 
the  clypeus  from  the  vertex ;  prothorax  regularly  punctured  and  completely 
surrounded  dorsal ly  by  a  slender  ridge  ;  scutellum  regularly  but  sparingly 
punctured,  broader  and  shorter  than  in  the  species  of  Popillia ;  elytra  with 
twelve  series  of  punctures,  the  1st  parallel  to  the  suture,  and  the  interstice 
between  this  and  the  2nd  three  times  as  wide  as  either  of  the  other  intersti- 
ces, and  irregularly  punctured. 

Inhabits  Assam.     In  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  Solly. 

Edward  Newman,  Deptford,  June,  1839. 


THE  MAGAZINE 

OF 

NATURAL   HISTORY. 


AUGUST,  1839. 


Art.  I. — On  the  Classifications  of  the  Amphibia.  By  John  Hogg, 
Esq.,  M.A.,  F.L.S.,  C.P.S.,  &c. 

{Continued  from  page  274.) 

It  will  be  here  noticed  that  I  have  chosen  the  modes  of  re- 
spiration, and  the  respiratory  organs,  for  the  principal  cha- 
racters by  which  to  divide  the  whole  class  into  two  leading 
sections,  or  sub-classes.  The  absence,  the  decay,  and  the  per- 
manency of  gills,  materially  influencing  the  respiratory  system, 
and  so  affording  the  most  natural  properties  for  the  subdivi- 
sion of  the  animals  into  their  respective  orders,  present  a  clas- 
sification, at  once  simple  and  uniform.  And  I  cannot  but 
consider,  that  these  organs  furnish  the  truest  characters  for 
more  accurately  distinguishing  the  several  groups,  not  only  in 
accordance  with  the  most  singular  and  curious  phenomena, 
which  have  hitherto  been  found  to  arise  from  their  physiolo- 
gical conformation,  but  also  in  direct  explanation  of  their 
common  name,  'Amphibia,''  and  in  farther  elucidation  of  their 
supposed  amphibiousness. 

Some  observations  explanatory  of  the  sub-classes,  orders, 
and  families  adopted  by  me,  may  not  now  be  deemed  super- 
fluous. 

The  first  sub-class  comprises  the  monopneumenous  amphi- 
bians, or  those  animals  in  which  the  function  of  respiration  is 

Voi,  III.— No.  32.  n.  s.         2  q 


3()8  CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA. 

effected  by  means  of  a  single  breathing- apparatus  ;  that  is  to 
say,  either  altogether  by  lungs  alone,  or  else  at  first  by  gills 
and  then  by  lungs. 

This  sub-class  includes  the  first  and  second  orders.  The 
first  order  gives  the  abranchians,  viz.,  such  animals  as  are 
never  found  to  be  furnished  with  gills  at  any  time  of  their 
existence ;  wherefore  they  always  breathe  atmospheric  air, 
and  the  consequent  circulation  of  the  blood  is,  of  course, 
merely  pulmonary.  There  is  only  one  family  in  this  order, 
— the  CcBciliadce;  which  naturally  constitute  a  link  interme- 
diate between,  and  allied  to,  both  the  ophidians  and  the  true 
amphibians :  to  the  former  they  are  similar  in  their  external 
forms,  in  having  neither  legs  nor  gills,  and  from  their  second 
lung r  being  much  smaller  than  the  first ;  to  the  latter  they 
approach  in  the  smallness  and  shortness  of  their  ribs,  and  in 
the  formation  of  their  hyoid  bones,  from  the  appearance  of 
which  one  might  be  induced  to  suspect  that  some  branchial 
apparatus  once  existed,  and  that  a  metamorphosis  had  actu- 
ally taken  place. 

The  second  order  embraces  all  those  animals  which  (as 
yet  are  known  to)  undergo  any  metamorphosis :  these  are  the 
frogs,  the  frog-like  amphibians,  and  the  family  of  salamanders. 
In  their  early  forms,  larvae  or  tadpole  stages,  they  breathe  by 
gills  in  the  water,  just  as  fishes  do ;  and  after  their  transfor- 
mations, or  in  their  perfect  state,  they  respire  simply  by  the 
aid  of  lungs  in  the  atmosphere.  Hence,  the  term  '  Caduci- 
branchia '  sufficiently  points  out  as  well  the  phenomena  ex- 
hibited by  the  changes  in  the  forms  of  this  natural  group,  as 
their  most  singular  qualities, — of  first  respiring  in  water  by 
gills,  which,  when  they  have  performed  their  service  to  the 
immature  creatures,  become  obliterated,  or  decay,  together 
with  their  cartilaginous  arcs  and  deciduous  lids  or  opercula ; 
—and  of  afterwards  respiring  in  air  by  proper  and  fully-de- 
veloped lungs. 2  And  the  circulation  of  the  blood  in  the  one 
case  would  be  branchial,1  but  in  the  other  only  pulmonary. 

1  Cuvier  observes,  "  leur  deuxieme  poumon  est  aussi  petit  que  dans  les 
autres  serpens." — 'Regne  Animal,'  tomeii.  p.  99. 

2  Les  batraciens  "ont  tous  deux  poumons  egaux,  auxquels  se  joignent, 
dans  le  premier  age,  des  branchies  qui  ont  quelque  rapport  avec  celles  des 
poissons,  et  que  portent  aux  deux  cotes  du  col  des  arceaux  cartilagineux, 
qui  tiennent  a  1'  os  hyoide.  La  plupart  perdent  ces  branchies  et  P  appareil 
qui  les  supporte,  en  arrivant  a  Petat  parfait." — Cuvier;  '  Regne  An.  tome 
ii.  p.  101. 

3  The  circulation  through  the  external  branchial  tufts  of  the  young  tad- 
poles of  the  common  frog,  when  only  three  or  four  days  old,  affords  a  very 
interesting  object  for  the  microscope.  The  globules  of  blood  may  be  seen 
passing,  in  a  distinct  current,  down  one  side  of  the  transparent  finger-like 


CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA.  369 

In  this  order  I  have  divided  the  animals  into  four  families, 
characterized  by  the  shape  of  their  body  when  adult,  their 
tailless  form,  the  presence  of  a  long  tail,  &c. 

I  must  here  observe,  that  although  the  adult  caducibran- 
chians  may  be  well  ascertained  and  correctly  specified,  we 
know  little  of  the  exact  varieties  of  form  assumed  and  chang- 
ed by  the  larvae  of  each  species ;  to  describe  indeed  the  tad- 
poles of  one  or  two  species  of  any  of  the  genera  of  that  order, 
otherwise  than  the  supposed  general  appearance  of  those  of 
all  the  species,  is  clearly  incorrect ;  for  careful  investigations 
have  only  been  made  on  the  tadpoles  of  the  common  frog,  the 
edible  frog,  the  toad,  the  aquatic  salamander,1  and  probably 
a  very  few  other  species,  but  of  the  greater  number  of  those 
of  the  more  rare  and  foreign  kinds,  we  are  at  present  quite 
ignorant.  So  likewise  we  know  nothing  of  the  very  first  ap- 
pearance of  the  immature  animals, — I  mean  especially  when 
first  produced  from  the  ova, — belonging  to  the  latter,  or  Am- 
phibia Diplopneumena,  which  are  supposed  never  to  trans- 
form ;  concerning  them,  I  expect,  Zoology  will  some  day  re- 
ceive many  curious  facts. 

The  second  sub -class,  or  diplopneumenous  kinds  of  amphi- 
bians, are  those  which  respire  by  the  aid  of  a  double  breathing 
apparatus,  namely,  by  lungs  and  by  gills,  or  gill-like  organs, 
both  of  which  the  animals  simultaneously  retain  during  the 
whole  period  of  their  life.     So  that  consequently  the  circula- 


processes  or  lobes  of  the  external  branchice,  turning  round  the  tips  or  extre- 
mities, and  ascending  up  the  opposite  side.  The  blood  continues  to  circu- 
late with  great  velocity,  and  in  a  regular  and  continued  stream.  This 
phenomenon  struck  me  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  I  ever  beheld. 

1  Those  who  wish  to  pay  attention  to  this  subject,  and  "  mutatas  dicere 
formas"  of  the  different  larva,  I  refer  to  the  three  following  beautifully-il- 
lustrated monographs  by  Dr.  Rusconi,  as  examples  worthy  of  their  imita- 
tion.— '  Descrizione  Anatomica  degli  organi  della  circolazione  delle  Larvae 
delle  Salamandre  Acquatiche:'  con  tavola :  1817.  'Amoures  des  Salaman- 
dres  Aquatiques,  et  developpement  du  tetard  de  ces  Salamandres  depuis  1' 
ceuf  jusqu'  a  l'animal  parfait.'  1821 .  '  Developpement  de  la  Grenouille 
commune,  depuis  le  moment  de  sa  naissance  jusqu'  a  son  etat  parfait.' — 
1826.  And  see  Humboldt  and  Bonpland's  Voyage,  vol.  i.  part  2  plate  13$ 
for  Cuvier's  illustrations  of  the  tadpoles  of  Bufo  fuscus  and  Salamandra 
aquatica.  Sir  E.  Home  also  published  in  the  '  Phil.  Trans.'  for  1825,  p. 
81,  a  paper  "  On  the  changes  the  ovum  of  the  Frog  undergoes  during  the 
formation  of  the  Tadpole,"  illustrated  by  accurate  and  beautiful  plates 
from  the  pencil  of  Bauer ;  but  he  has  neglected  to  give  a  representation  of 
the  singular  mode  in  which  the  external  branchice  are  often  seen  to  disap- 
pear, about  the  sixth  or  seventh  day  from  the  birth.  On  one  side  the  little 
creatures  (in  some  specimens)  exhibit  at  that  age  no  appearance  of  exter- 
nal tufts ;  and  on  the  other  side,  only  the  extremities  of  these  tufts  are  vi- 
sible, being  nearly  drawn  urithin  the  cervical  aperture. 


370  CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA. 

tion  maybe  named  branchipulmonary,  that  is,  both  branchial 
and  pulmonary;  and  therefore  either  the  one  or  the  other 
takes  place  as  the  respiration  of  the  animals  is  aquatic  or  at- 
mospheric-    In  this  sub-class  are  comprised  two  orders. 

The  third  order, — Imperfectibranchia, — is  provisionally 
instituted  in  consequence  of  our  present  imperfect  knowledge 
of  the  two  American  genera,  Menopoma  and  Amphmma, 
which  alone  constitute  it. 

These  extraordinary  creatures  appear  to  have  only  imper- 
fect gills,  or  rather  gill-like  organs,  for  they  are  not  known  to 
possess  the  external  branchial  tufts,  which  permanently  be- 
long to,  and  form  the  chief  character  of,  the  following  order, 
though  they  are  always  furnished  with  the  rest  of  the  gill-like 
apparatus,  viz.,  the  branchial  openings  on  the  sides  of  the 
neck,  the  membranous  lids  or  opercula,  and  cartilaginous  arc 
formed  from  the  hyoid  bone.  From  a  careful  examination  of 
these  organs  in  the  beautiful  specimens  of  the  anterior  por- 
tions of  the  Amphiuma  means1  and  the  Menopoma  Allegha- 
niense,2  prepared  by  the  celebrated  John  Hunter;  and  after 
attentively  comparing  them  with  the  very  similar  parts  in  the 
Proteus2  and  Sire?i,4  I  think  I  have  sufficient  grounds,  dur- 
ing our  present  confined  knowledge  at  least,  for  maintaining 
that  they,  in  all  probability,  do  some  service  analogous  to  the 
true  gills  of  the  latter,  and  that  they  assist  in,  if  they  do  not 
altogether  perform,  the  function  of  respiration  in  the  water. 
I  was  unable  to  perceive  any  particular  difference  in  the  struc- 
ture of  the  branchial,  pulmonary  (except  as  to  the  origin  of 
the  pulmonary  arteries),  and  circulatory  organs,  between  the 
Amphiuma  and  the  Menopoma,  as  exhibited  in  these  speci- 
mens ;  wherefore  the  description  of  those  organs  in  the  one, 
will  suffice  for  both  the  animals.  Mr.  Hunter,  in  his  own 
account  of  the  dissected  specimen  of  the  Amphiuma  means 
just  referred  to,  and  which  is  lately  published  in  the  '  Physi- 

1  Numbered  915  in  the  Museum  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  in 
London ;  described  in  the  ■  Phys.  Cat.'  vol.  ii.  p.  43  ;  and  figured  in  Rus- 
coni's  '  Amours  des  Salamandres,'  pi.  5,  fig.  7,  where  it  is  named  by  mistake 
"  Siren  lacertina."  See  Hunter's  own  description  of  it  in  Cat.  vol.  ii.  p. 
150,  note. 

2 Numbered  916  and  917  in  the  same  Museum;  described  in  Cat.  vol. 
ii.  p.  45  ;  also  therein  figured  in  plates  23  and  24.  For  Hunter's  account 
from  his  MS.,  refer  to  the  same  Cat.  pp.  149 — 154. 

3  Vide  '  Monografia  del  Proteo,'  da  Configliachi  e  Rusconi ;  tab.  4,  fig. 
8:  1819. 

4  See  preparation  No.  914  in  the  Museum  of  the  Royal  College  of  Sur- 
geons, and  the  plate  illustrative  of  Prof.  Owen's  paper  in  vol.  i.  of  the  Zo- 
ological Transactions.  Also  plate  11,  part  2,  vol.  i.  Voyage  de  Humboldt 
et  Bonpland. 


CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA.  371 

ological  Catalogue  of  the  Hunterian  Collection'  (vol.  ii.  note, 
p.  151),  calling  the  imperfect  branchial  organs  gills,  thus  de- 
scribes them. — "  The  gills  are  composed  of  three  cartilages, 
which  are  placed  in  the  same  manner  as  gills  in  fish  ;  but 
these  cartilages  have  neither  the  pectinated  part  nor  the  mush- 
room partition,  which  those  of  fish  have ;  their  ends  are  arti- 
culated together,  and  the  whole  is  joined  to  the  extremity  of 
the  same  bone  as  that  of  the  tongue.  From  the  fauces  there 
is  an  opening  outwards,  between  the  two  inferior  cartilages  of 
the  gills,  for  the  water  to  pass.  In  this  opening,  which  is 
oblong,  is  placed  a  structure  composed  of  two  valves,  which 
will  obstruct  the  water  passing  in  from  without.  The  two 
cartilages  which  are  above  the  opening,  between  which  the 
two  arteries  pass,  are  lined  on  the  inside  by  the  membrane  of 
the  fauces,  which  is  not  very  thin."  Next,  the  aorta,  or  great 
artery,  arising  from  the  ventricle  of  the  heart,  swells  at  its 
upper  part  into  a  bulb-like  bag  (bulbus  arteriosus),  from  the 
extremity  of  which  there  proceed  eight  smaller  arteries,  four 
diverging  to  the  right  side  and  four  to  the  left;  one  of  the 
lower  arteries,  on  each  side,  passes  downwards  and  enters  up- 
on the  top  of  each  lung,  along  which  it  ramifies,  and  forms 
the  pulmonary  artery. x  The  other  arteries  branching  off  from 
the  arterial  bulb  on  each  side,  proceed  outwards  to  the  gills, 
and  becoming  the  branchial  arteries,  "  there  wind  round  and 
between  the  cartilages  of  those  parts,1'  both  on  the  left  and  on 
the  right  side  ;  thence,  coming  round  towards  the  back,  they 
unite  into  a  single  trunk  on  either  side,  which,  running  to  the 
backbone,  afterwards  constitute  (with  other  branches)  the  aor- 
ta descendens.  This  organization  then  proves  the  circulation 
of  the  blood  to  be  twofold,  and  in  fact  branchipulmonary,  or 
pneumobranchial,  as  it  has  been  well  named  by  Hunter,  for 
there  are  two  distinct  arteries  (pulmonary)  leading  to  the  two 
lungs,  and  as  many  separate  branchial  arteries  wind  around 
the  gill-like  organs,  as  there  are  such  organs  or  gills  in  num- 
ber.2 This  circulation  is  nearly  identical  with  that  of  the 
animals  in  the  next  order  of  Amphibia,  which  have  complete 
and  persistent  branchice ;  the  only  difference  is,  that  in  the 
latter  the  branchial  arteries  send  off  branches,  which  enter  and 
ramify  through  the  external  gill-tufts  attached  to  the  ends  of 
the  hyoidean  arcs,  in  order  that  the  blood  may  be  more  sub- 
jected to  the  influence  of  the  water.     Now,  I  cannot  imagine 

1  But  the  pulmonary  artery  in  the  Menopoma  springs  from  the  end  of  one 
of  the  branchial  arteries. 

2Cuvier  says, — "tant  que  les  hranchies  subsistent,  l'aorte,  en  sortant  du 
cceur,  se  partage  en  autant  de  rameaux,  de  chaque  cote,  qu'il  y  a  de  bran- 
chies."     'Regne  Animal,'  tome  ii.  p.  101. 


372  CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA. 

that  the  whole  function  of  the  aquatic  respiration  in  the  ma- 
nentibranchious  amphibians  is  performed  by  the  external 
gills  alone,  but  I  conceive  it  to  be  not  improbable  that  a  por- 
tion of  it  is  aided,  and  in  part  effected,  by  the  internal  bran- 
chial arcs  themselves.  The  American  authors1  assert  that 
the  Amphiuma  and  Menopoma  have  never  been  seen  with 
any  external  gills,  but  that  the  rest  of  the  branchial  appara- 
tus remains  unchanged  throughout  life  ;  unless  then  this  ap- 
paratus be  superfluous  or  useless,  (which  I  cannot  suppose 
at  all  likely),  I  think  it  more  than  probable  that  it  performs 
the  part  of  real  gills  to  those  aquatic  animals ;  and  that  the 
blood,  in  circulating  through  the  branchial  arteries,  which 
wind  round  and  between  those  cartilages,  becomes  sufficient- 
ly aerated  by  being  submitted  to  the  influence  of  the  water 
within  the  cervical  apertures,  and  thus  obtains  the  same  ef- 
fect or  benefit,  as  if  the  respiration  were  carried  on  in  the  wa- 
ter by  means  of  them  and  external  tufts  conjointly,  as  in  the 
manentibranchians,  or  by  the  similar  cartilages  with  their 
pectinated  and  membranous  appendages,  as  in  the  fishes.  If 
so,  these  two  genera  are  correctly  stationed  in  my  diplopnen- 
menous  sub-class;  and  it  is  gratifying  to  learn  that  Mr.  Hunter 
held  the  like  opinion,  for  he  has  included  them,  with  the  Si- 
ren,2 in  his  class  which  he  termed  Pneumobranchia.  That 
philosophical  zootomist,  in  his  '  General  Observations3  on  the 
Pneumobranchiata,''  has  admirably  stated  his  view  of  their 
respiration  in  these  two  passages. — "  This  tribe  of  animals  is 
widely  different  from  all  hitherto  known.  They  are  com- 
pounded of  two  grand  divisions  of  the  animal  kingdom,  yet 
not  so  as  for  all  their  parts  to  partake  equally  of  both ;  for 
some  parts  incline  more  to  the  one  of  these  divisions,  other 
parts  to  the  other,  while  a  few  are  pretty  distinctly  made  up 
of  both,  so  as  to  be  truly  double,  just  as  the  parts  of  gene- 
ration are  in  perfect  hermaphrodites,  and  these  parts  are  the 
organs  of  respiration,  to  which  the  circulation  must  of  course 
correspond.  They  hold  with  respect  to  respiration,  a  middle 
rank  between  fish,  which  breathe  water,  and  those  immediate- 
ly above  them,  which  breathe  air,  viz.,  those  called  Amphibia 
(Linn.),  and  they  are  placed  in  this  respect  between  the  two, 

1  See  Dr.  Garden's  letter  to  Linnaeus  in  Smith's  'Correspondence,'  vol.  i. 
p.  599.  Also  Dr.  Harlan's  paper  in  the  Journal  of  the  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  of 
Philadelphia ;  vol.  iii.  p.  54.  cum  tab.  1823  :  and  in  Annals  of  the  Lyceum 
of  Nat.  Hist,  of  New  York,  pp.  223,  270,  vol.  i.  1824. 

2  With  the  respiratory  organs  of  the  Siren  lacertina  he  was  long  acquaint- 
ed, for  that  animal  became  one  of  his  first  subjects  of  comparative  anatomy. 
See  his  paper  in  the  Phil.  Trans,  for  the  year  1706,  p.  308. 

3  Now  published  in  the  Physiol.  Cat.  vol.  ii.  pp.  145  140. 


CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA.  373 

filling  up  the  scale." "An  animal  to  be  truly  amphibious, 

must  have  its  respiratory  apparatus  compounded  of  the  pul- 
monary and  branchial  organs,  which  is  the  case  with  this 
tribe,  for  these  only  can  be  said,  when  in  the  air,  to  be  truly 
terrestrial,  and  when  in  the  water  truly  aquatic." 

Having  before  shown  that  the  circulating  organs  are,  in 
these  two  genera,  both  strictly  pulmonary  and  branchial ; 
and  of  these,  the  latter  perhaps  most  prevail,  for  on  either  side 
of  the  aorta,  three  branchial  arteries  proceed  to  the  gill-like 
parts,  whilst  only  one  artery  descends  upon  each  lung,  and 
this  organization  is  said  to  continue  unaltered  during  the 
entire  life  of  the  animals ;  wherefore,  it  is  almost  naturally 
certain,  that  the  respiration  itself,  like  the  corresponding  cir- 
culation, is  also  two-fold, — both  branchial  or  aquatic,  and 
pulmonary  or  atmospheric.  Again,  by  comparing  these  organs 
with  those  of  the  caducibranchians,  or  such  animals  as  under- 
go a  metamorphosis,  for  example,  with  those  of  the  water  sala- 
mander, we  see  that  the  branchial  arteries  proceed  in  the 
same  course x  in  the  young  or  tadpole,  when  its  respiration  is 
entirely  aquatic ;  but  when  the  lungs  are  fully  developed, 
the  pulmonary  arteries  are  prepared  for  action,  and  when  the 
gill  apparatus  is  decayed,  all  the  branchial  arteries  (except 
two)  with  their  branches  become  obliterated,  and  the  two  re- 
maining (formerly  branchial)  arteries  unite  into  one  at  the 
back,  and  send  off  a  branch  directly  to  the  lung ; 2  and  since 
the  gills,  the  arcs,  the  apertures,  and  opercles,  in  the  adult 
become  quite  evanescent,  the  two  arteries  (branchial)  can  no 
longer  be  of  any  service  in  aquatic  respiration,  for  they  are  not 
exposed  to,  or  in  anywise  influenced  by,  the  water.  The  en- 
tire respiration  is  ever  afterwards  effected  by  the  lungs  alone 
in  the  atmosphere.  But  it  has  been  already  explained  that 
the  branchial  arteries  continue,  in  the  Amphiuma  and  Meno- 
poma,  always  to  wind  round  and  between  the  permanent  arcs 
or  gill-like  organs,  and  to  expose  the  blood  contained  within 
them  to  the  water,  either  passing  through  the  cervical  open- 
ings, or  therein  retained  by  the  closing  of  the  persistent  lids ; 
thus  do  they  differ  in  a  most  essential  way  from  the  final  con- 
dition of  the  similar  parts  in  the  mature  salamander,2  and  in 

1  This  may  be  well  seen  on  referring  to  the  plates  in  Rusconi's  'Amours 
des  Salamandres,'  and  to  plate  13,  part  2,  vol.  i.  Voyage  de  Humboldt. 

2  Cuvier  correctly  writes, — "  dans  les  especes  qui  perdent  leurs  branchies, 
les  rameaux  qui  s'y  rendent  s'obliterent,  excepte  deux,  qui  se  reunissent 
en  une  artere  dorsale,  et  qui  donnent  chacun  une  petite  branche  au  pou- 
mon. — C'est  une  circulation  de  poisson  metamOrphosee  en  une  circulation 
de  reptile." — Regne  Animal,  tome  ii.  p.  102. 

3 Compare  fig.  6,  representing  this  adult  animal  anatomically  displayed, 


374  CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA. 

other  amphibians  which  have  changed  their  forms;  conse- 
quently, from  these  comparisons  I  feel  tolerably  confident, 
that  some  use  of  those  permanent  organs,  in  the  animals  now 
under  notice,  may  be  derived  by  them  in  the  function  of  re- 
spiration whilst  in  water ;  although  satisfactory  proofs  of  this 
supposition  can  only  be  established  by  future  experiments, 
to  be  made  for  the  express  purpose  of  investigating  that  im- 
portant question.  The  third  order  comprehends  a  single 
family,  which  I  have  named  Menopomatidm,  by  taking  the 
appropriate  title  of  the  genus  Menopoma1  for  its  type. 

The  retention  of  external  branchial  tufts  or  ramified  gills, 
with  permanent  hyoidean  arcs,  and  mostly  with  lids  or  oper- 
cles,  is  distinctly  intended  by  the  word  that  denotes  this  last 
order, — Manentibranchia. 

The  two  families  I  have  distinguished  principally  by  the 
form  of  the  body  and  the  number  of  the  legs.  The  genera 
will  exhibit  (among  other  marks)  the  variations  in  the  num- 
ber of  toes. 

The  comparative  naturalist  will  here  with  pleasure  consider, 
how  the  steps  in  the  gradation  of  the  different  respiratory  sys- 
tems, among  the  higher  classes  of  the  animal  kingdom,  are 
nicely  and  beautifully  varied ;  how  inimitably  and  gradually 
they  lead  from  the  most  complete  to  the  inferior  development ; 
and  how  the  transition  from  a  perfect  pulmonary  respiration 
to  a  perfect  branchial  one,  is  gently,  and  not  instantaneously, 
effected.  For  in  the  Mammalia,  birds,  and  reptiles,  there  are 
lungs  more  or  less  perfect ;  in  the  Amphibia  there  exist,  first, 
well-formed  lungs  without  gills ; — secondly,  at  first  perfect 
gills  and  no  lungs,  afterwards  lungs  without  gills ; — thirdly, 
imperfect  gills  co-existing  with  lungs ;  —fourthly,  perfect  gills 
with  less-developed  lungs ; — and  lastly,  in  the  fishes,  most 
complete  gills,  but  lungs  entirely  wanting. 

If,  however,  it  should  be  hereafter  found,  that  the  gill-like 
organs  in  the  Alenopomatidce  are  in  reality  gills,  or  merely  a 


in  pi.  5  of  Rusconi's  f  Amours, '  with  the  Amphiuma  means,  fig.  7  of  the 
same  plate :  also  examine  the  preparation  of  the  Surinam  toad,  No.  917  A, 
in  the  Museum  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons. 

1  Dr.  Harlan  hestowed  that  appellation  on  this  genus,  because  the  oper. 
cula  are  persistent :  it  is  derived  from  ft-svco,  maneo,  and  Tra/xa,  operculum. 

With  regard  to  the  name  of  the  second  genus,  Dr.  Wagler  observes, — 
"der  sippename  Amphiuma  wird  wohl  verandert  werden  miissen.  Was  soil 
Amphiuma  heissen  ?  "  The  generic  name  well  deserves  to  be  changed. — 
What  does  Amphiuma  signify  ?  I  conclude  that  it  is  derived  from  a/Mfpi, 
circa,  and  v(Aa  for  v<rfj,a,  pluvia; — circa  pluviam,  i.  e.  aquam  habitans, — 
from  its  frequenting  pools  left  by  the  rain  and  other  waters. 


CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA.  375 

peculiar  modification  of  gills,  by  which  the  air  from  the  wa- 
ter is  imparted  to  the  blood  in  the  branchial  arteries,  I  would 
then  erase  the  provisional  order  Imperfectibranchia,  and  thus 
re-arrange  the  last  sub-class : — 

Sub-class  II.— DIP  LOPNEUMEN A. 

Order  III. — Manentibranchia. 

Tribe  1.  Internibranchia.     Gills  plain,  internal. 

Family.     Menopomatidce. 

Tribe  2.  Externibranchia.     Gills  tufted  or  ramified,  external. 

Families.     Sirenidce.     Proteidce. 

But,  on  the  contrary,  should  future  experiments  prove  that 
the  branchial  apparatus  in  the  Menopomatidce  is  decidedly 
imperfect,  and  that  it  has  no  share  whatever  in  aquatic  respi- 
ration, then  it  will  become  necessary  to  modify  my  classifi- 
cation after  this  manner : — ■ 

Class  IV.— AMPHIBIA. 

Sub-class  I.-MONOPNEUMENA. 

Order  I. — Abranchia.     Branchial  apparatus  none. 

Family.    Cceciliadte. 

Order  II. — Caducibranchia.     Branchial  apparatus  decaying. 

Families.  Ranidce.    Dactylethridce.    Astrodactylidce.     Salamandridce. 

Order  III. — Imperfectibranchia.     Branchial  apparatus  imperfect. 

Family.  Menopomatidce. 

Sub-class  II.— DIPLOPNEUMEN A. 

Order  IV. — Manentibranchia.     Branchial  apparatus  remaining. 
Families.    Sirenidce.     Proteidce. 

And  lastly,  if  the  Menopomatidce  be  hereafter  ascertained 
to  undergo  a  metamorphosis ;  and  if  the  very  young  animals 
really  possess  the  external  branchiae,  but  which  are  very  early 
deciduous ;  which  Cuvier  thought  likely,  for  he  says,—  "  pro- 
bablement  qu'ils  les  perdent  d'  aussi  bonne  heure  que  notre 
salamandre  terrestre;"1 — and  the  branchial  arcs,  lids,  and 
apertures  remain  permanent  throughout  life ;  I  will,  in  such 
case,  propose  the  following  arrangement : — 

Class  IV.— AMPHIBIA. 
Sub-class  I.—MONOPNEUMENA. 


Vide  'Regne  Animal,'  tome  ii.  p.  117,  edit.  2. 


370  CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA. 

Order  I. — Abranchia.     Gills  wanting. 
Family.   Cceciliadce. 
Order  II. — Caducibranchia.     Gills  deciduous. 
Tribe  1.  Arcucadentia.     Branchial  arcs  deciduous. 
Families.  Ranidce.    Dactylethridce.     Astrodactylidce.     Salamandridce. 
Tribe  2.  Arcumanentia.     Branchial  arcs  persistent. 
Family.  Menopomatidce. 
Sub-class  II.— DIPLOPNEUMENA. 
Order  III. — Manentibranchia.     Gills  permanent. 
Families.  Sirenidce.     Proteidee. 
It  was  my  desire  to  have  given  fuller  definitions  of  the 
several  sub-classes,  orders,  tribes,  and  families,  and  to  have 
added  characters  of  all  the  genera,  which  I  have  here  thought 
right  to  adopt ;  but  professional  occupations  at  present  en- 
tirely prevent  the  completion  of  that  task. 

With  respect  however  to  the  word  Amphibia,  used  to  de- 
nominate this  class  of  animals,  its  literal  meaning  signifies 
the  being  able  to  live  both  on  land  and  in  water, — that  is  to 
say, — the  having  at  the  same  time  two  natures  or  faculties  of 
life  ;  namely,  the  faculty  of  life  in  the  air,  and  the  faculty  of 
life  in  the  water.  Now,  the  great  vital  principle,  or  original 
spring  of  life,  is  respiration ;  hence,  whatever  animal  has  the 
faculty  of  respiring  freely  both  in  the  atmosphere  and  in  wa- 
ter, can  alone  be  strictly  called  Amphibious.  Moreover,  lungs 
are — in  the  higher  classes  of  animals — the  only  apparatus 
that  can  perform  the  function  of  the  former ;  and  gills  are  the 
peculiar  apparatus  adapted  to  that  of  the  latter.  It  is  there- 
fore evident,  that  all  creatures  not  furnished  with  both  lungs 
and  gills,  are  naturally  disabled  from  ever  enjoying  real  am- 
phibiousness,  or  the  twofold  faculty  of  life ;  and  so,  none  of 
the  animals  of  this  class,  which  belong  to  the  Monopneume- 
na,  can  receive  the  epithet  of  amphibious  in  its  full  and  literal 
sense;  and  of  those  belonging  to  the  Diplop?ieumena9  the 
Amphiuma  means,  the  Siren  lacertina,  and  the  Proteus  an- 
guinus,  as  far  as  we  have  yet  learned,  are  alone  entitled  to  it. 
It  is  nevertheless  more  than  very  probable,  that  the  greater 
number  (if  not  all)  of  the  second  sub-class,  will  hereafter  be 
proved  to  be  strictly  amphibious. 

Amongst  other  interpretations  of  this  word,  and  in  its  re- 
stricted but  more  common  meaning,  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
monopneumenous  animals  may  be  called  amphibious,1   for 

1  In  this  sense  are  to  be  understood  the  animals  which  Cuvier  names  "  les 
Amphibies"  consisting  of  the  genera  Phoca  and  Trichechus.  In  his  Sys- 
tem they  form  the  third  and  last  tribe  of  the  Carnivora. 


CLASSIFICATIONS  OF  THE  AMPHIBIA.  377 

the  greater  part  of  them,  although  in  their  adult  state  terres- 
trial animals,  are  in  the  habit  of  resorting  to  lakes,  ponds,  and 
other  fluviatile  places,  and  are  capable  of  remaining  under 
the  water x  for  a  considerable  length  of  time,  without  rising  to 
the  surface  in  order  to  inhale  atmospheric  air.  In  this  sense, 
then,  it  is,  that  we  must  confine  the  signification  of  ampliibi- 
ous,  as  almost  universally  made  use  of;  and  certainly  it  is  to 
be  so  translated  in  the  following  lines  of  the  very  ancient 
poet  j — 

A'(ji<pi@iov  ya$  spooks  vo/xm  Ba,T()ctx0l<Tl  KfowW, 
X)ti%TYi<Tai  Korea,  ynv,  kou  hep1  ti^acri  crajxa  JtaXv-^ai. 

Homeri  Batrach.  v.  59. 

(For  we,  amphibious),  "  by  gift  from  Jove," 
(Do)  "  leap  as  well  as  swim,  can  range  the  land 
"  For  food,  or  diving,  seek  it  in  the  deep." 

Cowper  :  Trans,  v.  79. 

Now,  whether  this  power  of  remaining  long  submerged 
under  water,  without  performing  the  function  of  respiration, 
arises  from  the  cold  blood  in  these  animals,  when  first  suffi- 
ciently aerated,  being  able  to  continue  its  slow  circulation  for 
a  considerable  time  together ;  or,  from  the  lungs  having  the 
capacity  of  retaining  such  a  quantity  of  air,  as  to  permit  the 
circulation  to  go  on  uninterruptedly,  for  a  long  period ;  or, 
from  the  circulation  being  in  some  degree  earned  on  indepen- 
dently of  the  lungs ;  because,  in  these  amphibians,  the  blood 
is  only  in  part  passed  through  the  lungs  and  so  aerated,  while 
the  other  part  circulates  again  from  the  heart,  through  the 
rest  of  the  body,  independent  of  transmission  through  the  pul- 
monary organs ;  or  from  the  pulmonary  vessels  being  so  small 
as  to  allow  the  respiration  to  be  suspended,  without  stopping 
the  circulation  of  the  blood ;  or  from  whatsoever  organic 
cause2  it  may  be  considered  to  be  effected,  I  will  leave  ana- 

xMany  of  the  monopneumenous  adult  amphibians  are  admirably  adapted 
to  an  aquatic  life,  in  having  some  of  their  organs  protected  against  injury 
from  the  water,  and  in  having  others  so  formed  as  to  be  of  material  assist- 
ance to  them,  when  diving  in  that  element.  Of  the  former  are,  the  nostrils, 
(through  which  alone  many  sorts  breathe),  which  are  often  furnished  with 
small  valves,  to  prevent  both  the  entrance  of  water,  and  the  escape  of  the 
air  inhaled  for  respiration ;  the  ears  are  usually  covered  by  a  membrane,  and 
the  eyes  are  defended  by  two,  or  even  three,  eyelids :  of  the  latter,  are,  the 
crystalline  lenses  in  the  eyes  of  some  kinds,  which  assume  a  more  spherical 
shape,  approaching  to  those  in  fishes,  the  toes  of  the  hind  feet  are  frequently 
webbed,  and  the  tails,  sometimes  being  compressed,  greatly  aid  in  swimming. 

2 1  have  not  made  any  allusion  to  a  third  mode  of  respiration,  with  which 
some  of  these  animals  are  endowed ;  namely,  that  of  breathing  water,  or  at- 
mospheric air,  by  means  of  their  skin;  because,  how  far  this  cutaneous  re- 
spiration is  really  possessed  by,  or  of  actual  service  to,  the  different  groups 
of  the  Amphibia,  is  as  yet  unknown. 


378  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

tomists  to  decide.  But  I  must  remark,  that  notwithstanding 
important  zootomical  examinations  have  been  made  upon  the 
Siren  lacertina,  the  Proteus  anguinus,  the  Siredon  piscifor- 
mis,  the  Menopoma  Alleghaniense,  and  the  Amphiuma  me- 
ans ; '  still,  experiments  directly  in  reference  to  the  supposed 
faculty  possessed  by  these,  and  other  species,  of  respiring 
with  ease  both  in  the  water  and  in  the  atmosphere,  ought  to 
be  carefully  instituted,  on  several  living  and  healthy  speci- 
mens, in  various  stages  of  their  growth  and  age,  in  their  na- 
tural countries  or  abodes ;  so  that  it  may  be  ascertained  with 
certainty  how  far  each  of  them  is  to  be  esteemed  amphibious, 
how  necessary,  or  useful,  the  gills  or  branchial  apparatus,  and 
the  lungs  individually,  may  prove  to  those  kinds  that  are  fur- 
nished with  both  these  organs  ;  and  how  their  respiration  may 
be  affected  by  the  variations  of  temperature,  and  other  atmo- 
spheric causes.  At  the  same  time,  due  attention  being  paid 
to  any  chemical  changes  that  may  take  place  in  the  water  in 
which  they  may  be  kept.  Of  the  discoveries  likely  to  result 
from  such  investigations,  we  are  now  totally  ignorant ;  but  I 
feel  perfectly  assured  that  such  observations  would  not  fail  to 
afford  to  science  many  new  and  interesting  facts,  in  regard  to 
the  physiological  relations  of  these,  as  yet,  little  known,  and 
most  extraordinary  animals. 

Temple,  London ; 

February  5th,  1838. 


Art.  II. — Monograph  of  the  Genus  Sciurus,  with  Descriptions  of 
Mew  Species  and  their  Varieties.  By  J.  Bachman,  D.D.,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society,  Charlestown,  South 
Carolina,  &c. 

{Continued  from  page  337.) 

12.  Large  Louisiana  Black  Squirrel.  Sciurus  Audubonii. 

To  the  kindness  of  J.  W.  Audubon,  Esq.,  I  am  indebted  for  a 
specimen  of  another  species  of  squirrel,  of  which  I  have  seen 
no  description.     His  successful  efforts  in  another  department 

1  For  the  details  of  the  organization  of  the  first  three  animals,  see  Cuvi- 
er's  'Recherches  Anatomiques  sur  les  Reptiles  Douteux,'  (1807) ;  publish- 
ed at  p.  93,  in  part  2,  vol.  i.  of  '  Voyage  de  Humboldt  et  Bonpland ;  also 
MM.  Configliachi  et  Rusconi's  Monograph  for  the  Proteus ;  and  Professor 
Owen's  and  Mr.  Hunter's  papers  already  quoted,  for  the  Siren,  as  well  as 
the  two  last  animals. 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIUItUS.  379 

of  Natural  History  and  his  having  been  the  discoverer  of  the 
present  species,  fully  entitle  him  to  a  much  higher  tribute 
than  the  above  dedication. 

Characters. — A  little  less  than  Sciurus  niger ;  ears  shorter ;  incisors 
broader:  larger  than  the  little  brown  squirrel.  Tail  the  length  of  the  bo- 
dy ;  fur  very  coarse,  glossy  and  harsh  to  the  touch ;  colour  above  black, 
beneath  brownish.  Dental  formula:  Incisors  |;  Canines  §§;  Molars  ff; — 
20. 

The  specimen  from  which  I  describe  contained  the  above 
number  of  teeth.  If  the  small  anterior  molar  in  the  upper 
jaw  existed  in  the  young,  which  I  suspect  to  be  the  case  in 
all  our  species,  it  is  deciduous,  and  we  are  warranted  in  ar- 
ranging this  species  among  those  which  have  permanently 
but  twenty  teeth.  The  head  is  narrower  than  that  of  Sciurus 
niger.  In  the  upper  jaw  the  anterior  molar  is  triangular  in 
shape,  crowned  with  three  blunt  tubercles ;  the  rest  are  quad- 
rangular, with  excavated  crowns. 

The  body  is  thinner  than  that  of  the  Sciurus  niger,  and  the 
ears,  which  are  triangular  in  shape,  are  much  shorter ;  they 
are  covered  on  both  surfaces  with  short  adpressed  hairs,  pre- 
senting none  of  the  tuft-like  appearances  on  the  outer  surface 
possessed  by  several  of  our  other  species.  Whiskers  longer 
than  the  head,  extending  to  the  shoulders.  The  fur  on  the 
back  is  the  coarsest  of  all  our  species,  with  the  exception  of 
that  of  the  fox  squirrel  {Sciurus  vulpinus),  black  and  very 
glossy. 

Colour. — The  incisors,  as  is  the  case  with  nearly  all  the 
species  of  this  genus,  are  of  a  deep  orange  colour  ;  whiskers 
black ;  the  back,  whole  of  the  upper  parts,  limbs  externally, 
and  feet,  are  black,  with  a  faint  tinge  of  brown ;  many  of 
the  hairs  are  obscurely  annulated  with  yellowish  white. — 
The  whole  under  surface,  as  well  as  the  inner  sides  of  the 
thighs  and  legs,  brownish.  Most  of  the  hairs  are  greyish 
white  at  the  base,  and  the  remaining  portion  is  annulated  with 
black  and  yellow ;  in  certain  parts,  however,  the  hairs  are 
chiefly  of  a  brown  colour.  The  chin  is  black,  with  the  ex- 
treme tip  whitish ;  tip  of  the  muzzle  brownish.  Tail  black  ; 
when  viewed  from  beneath,  the  hairs  exhibit  deep  yellow  an- 
nulations :  most  of  the  hairs  are  brownish  towards  the  tip. 

There  are  black  varieties  of  Sciurus  leucotis,  having  the 
hairs  obscurely  annulated ;  but  the  present  species  may  be 
distinguished  by  its  much  shorter  ears,  which  are  well  cloth- 
ed with  hair.  The  tarsus  is  shorter  in  proportion,  and  the 
coarseness  of  fur  will  prove  a  sufficient  mark  of  distinction. 


380  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.  L. 

Length  of  head  and  body 11  6 

Ditto      of  tail,  (vertebra) 8  9 

Ditto  including  hair 11  6 

Ditto     of  palm  to  end  of  the  middle  fore  claw  ...  1  6 

Heel  to  point  of  longest  nail    2  6 

Height  of  ear  posteriorly  „  3 

Length  of  fur  on  the  back    „  6 

The  specimen  from  which  the  above  description  was  drawn 
up,  was  procured  in  the  flesh,  in  the  New  Orleans  market. — 
The  species  is  said  not  to  be  scarce  in  Louisiana,  but  is  not 
so  frequently  seen  in  the  swamps  as  the  little  brown  squirrel. 
It  keeps  more  on  high  grounds,  and  has  all  the  active  restless 
and  playful  habits  of  the  northern  grey  squirrel. 

13.  Sooty  Squirrel.      Sciurus  fuliginosus. 

I  am  indebted  to  J.  W.  Audubon,  Esq.  for  a  specimen  of 
an  interesting  little  squirrel,  obtained  at  New  Orleans,  on  the 
24th  March,  1837,  which  I  find  agreeing  in  most  particulars 
with  the  specimen  in  the  Philadelphia  Museum,  referred  by 
American  authors  to  Sciurus  rufiventer. 

Dr.  Harlan's  description  does  not  apply  very  closely  to  the 
specimen  in  question,  but  seems  to  be,  with  slight  variations, 
that  of  Desmarest's  description  of  Sciurus  rufiventer. 

The  following  description  is  taken  from  the  specimen  pro- 
cured by  Audubon.  It  was  that  of  an  old  female,  containing 
several  young ;  and  I  am  enabled  to  state  with  certainty  that 
it  was  an  adult  animal. 

Characters. — A  little  larger  than  the  Hudson's  Bay  Squirrel  (Sciurus 
Hudsonius) ;  tail  flattish,  and  much  shorter  than  the  body ;  general  colour 
black  above,  grizzled  with  brownish  yellow ;  beneath  brownish.  Dental 
formula ;  Incisors,  § ;  Canines,  gg ;  Molars,  |f ; — 22. 

I  have  given  to  this  species  the  character  of  22  teeth,  from 
the  circumstance  of  my  having  found  that  number  in  the  spe- 
cimen from  which  I  described ;  the  animal  could  not  have 
been  less  than  a  year  old.  The  anterior  molars  in  the  upper 
jaw  were  small.  The  inner  surface  of  the  upper  grinders  is 
obtuse,  and  the  two  outer  points  on  each  tooth  are  elevated 
and  sharper  than  those  of  most  other  species.  In  the  lower 
jaw  the  molars  regularly  increase  in  size  from  the  first,  which 
is  the  smallest,  to  the  fourth,  which  is  the  largest.  Head 
short  and  broad ;  nose  veiy  obtuse ;  ears  short  and  rounded, 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  381 

slightly  clothed  with  hair,  feet  and  claws  rather  short  and 
strong ;  tail  short  and  flattened,  but  not  broad,  resembling 
that  of  the  Sciurus  Hudsonius.  The  form  of  the  body,  like 
that  of  the  little  Carolina  squirrel,  is  more  indicative  of 
strength  than  of  agility. 

Colour. — The  hairs  on  the  upper  part  of  the  body,  the 
limbs  externally,  and  feet,  are  black,  obscurely  grizzled  with 
brownish  yellow,  On  the  under  parts,  with  the  exception  of 
the  chin  and  throat,  which  are  greyish,  the  hairs  are  annulat- 
ed  with  brownish  orange  and  black,  and  a  greyish  white  at 
the  roots.  The  prevailing  colour  of  the  tail  above,  is  black, 
the  hairs  being  brown  at  the  base,  some  of  them  obscurely 
annulated  with  brown,  and  at  the  apex  pale  brown.  On  the 
under  side  of  the  tail  the  hairs  exhibit  pale  yellowish  brown 
annulations. 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.      L. 

Length  of  head  and  body 10  0 

Tail,  {vertebra)  6  9 

Ditto,  including  fur 8  6 

Length  of  palm  to  point  of  middle  fore  claw 1  8 

Ditto     of  heel  to  point  of  longest  nail   2  1 

Height  of  ear  posteriorly „  4 

Length  of  fur  on  the  back „  7 

Weight  without  intestines, fib. 

I  am  under  an  impression  that  this  little  species  is  subject 
to  some  variation  in  colour  j  the  present  specimen,  and  that 
in  the  Philadelphia  Museum  having  a  shade  of  difference,  the 
latter  appearing  a  little  lighter.  In  Louisiana  it  is  so  dark  in 
colour,  as  to  be  called  by  the  French  inhabitants  "  la  petite 
noir," — the  little  black  squirrel.  It  is  an  inhabitant  of  low 
swampy  situations  along  the  Mississippi,  and  is  said  to  be 
abundant  in  its  favourite  localities. 

As  yet  I  am  unacquainted  with  any  species  of  squirrel  ful- 
ly agreeing  with  the  description  of  Sciurus  rufiventer. 

14.  Douglass's  Squirrel.     Sciurus  Douglassii,  Gray. 
Oppoce-poce,  Indian  name. 

Characters. — About  one  fourth  larger  than  the  Hudson's  Bay  Squir- 
rel ;  tail  shorter  than  the  body ;  colour  dark  brown  above,  and  bright  buff 
beneath.     Dental  formula ;  Incisors,  § ;  Canines, 

A  number  of  specimens  of  the  species  described  in  this  ar- 
ticle, were  obtained  by  Dr.  J.  K.  Townsend,  in  his  recent 


38*2  MONOGRAPH  OF   THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

enterprising  journey  over  the  Rocky  Mountains.  All  of  them 
present  the  above  dental  formula,  and  if  the  species  has,  at 
any  time,  the  small  deciduous  front  tooth  in  the  upper  jaw, 
it  must  drop  out  at  a  very  early  period. 

The  incisors  are  a  little  smaller  than  those  of  Sciurus  Hud- 
sonius.  In  the  upper  jaw,  the  anterior  molar,  which  is  the 
smallest,  has  a  single  rounded  eminence  on  the  inner  side ; 
on  the  outer  edge  of  the  tooth  there  are  two  acute  points,  and 
one  in  front ;  the  next  two  grinders,  which  are  of  equal  size, 
have  each  a  similar  eminence  on  the  inner  side,  with  a  pair 
of  points  externally ;  the  posterior  grinder,  although  larger, 
is  not  unlike  the  anterior  one.  In  the  lower  jaw  the  bound- 
ing ridge  of  enamel  in  each  tooth  forms  an  anterior  and  pos- 
terior pair  of  points.  The  molars  increase  gradually  in  size 
from  the  first,  which  is  the  smallest,  to  the  posterior  one, 
which  is  the  largest. 

This  species,  in  the  form  of  its  body,  is  not  very  unlike  the 
Sciurus  Hudsonius ;  its  ears  and  tail,  however,  are  much 
shorter  in  proportion,  and  in  other  respects,  as  well  as  in  size, 
it  differs  widely. 

Head  considerably  broader  than  that  of  Sciurus  Hudsoni- 
us;  nose  less  elongated  and  blunter;  body  long  and  slender; 
ears  rather  small,  nearly  rounded,  slightly  tufted  posteriorly. 
As  usual  in  this  genus,  the  third  inner  toe  is  the  longest,  and 
not  the  second,  as  in  the  spermophiles. 

Colour. — The  whiskers,  which  are  longer  than  the  head, 
are  black.  The  fur,  which  is  soft  and  lustrous,  is,  on  the 
back,  from  the  roots  to  near  the  points,  plumbeous,  tipped 
with  brownish  grey,  with  a  few  lighter-coloured  hairs  inter- 
spersed, giving  it  a  dark  brown  appearance;  when  closely  ex- 
amined, it  has  the  appearance  of  being  thickly  sprinkled  with 
miuute  points  of  rust  colour  on  a  black  ground.  The  tail, 
which  is  distichous  but  not  broad,  is  for  three  fourths  of  its 
length  the  colour  of  the  back ;  in  the  middle  the  fur  is  plum- 
beous at  the  roots,  then  irregular  markings  of  brown  and  black, 
tipped  with  soiled  white,  giving  it  a  hoary  appearance ;  on 
the  extremity  of  the  tail  the  hairs  are  black  from  the  roots,  and 
tipped  with  light  brown.  The  belly,  the  inner  sides  of  the 
extremities,  and  the  outer  surfaces  of  the  feet,  together  with 
the  throat  and  mouth,  and  a  line  above  and  under  the  eye,  are 
bright  buff.  The  colours  on  the  upper  and  under  parts  are 
separated  by  a  line  of  black,  commencing  at  the  shoulders, 
and  running  along  the  flanks  to  the  thighs.  It  is  widest  in 
the  middle  by  about  three  lines,  and  tapers  off  to  a  point. — 
The  hairs,  which  project  beyond  the  outer  margins  of  the  ears 
and  form  a  slight  tuft,  are  dark  brown,  and  in  some  specimens 
black. 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  383 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.  L. 

Length  from  point  of  nose  to  the  insertion  of  tail  8  4 

Tail,  {vertebrae) 4  6 

Ditto,  including  fur    6  4 

Height  of  ear  posteriorly „  6 

Palm  to  end  of  middle  fore  claw   1  4 

Heel  and  middle  hind  claw    1  10 

The  specimens  of  the  above  squirrel  exhibit  scarcely  any 
variations  in  colour ;  they  were  procured  by  Mr.  Townsend 
on  the  Columbia  river.  He  remarks  in  his  notes, — "  This 
is  a  very  plentiful  species,  inhabits  the  pine  trees  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood, and,  like  our  common  Carolina,  lays  in  a  great 
quantity  of  food  for  consumption  during  the  winter  months. 
This  food  consists  of  the  cones  of  the  pine,  with  a  few  acorns. 
Late  in  autumn  it  may  be  seen  very  busy  in  the  tops  of  the 
trees,  throwing  down  its  winter  stock ;  after  which,  assisted 
by  its  mate,  it  gathers  in  and  stows  away  its  store,  in  readi- 
ness for  its  long  incarceration." 

15.  The  Chickaree  Hudson's  Bay  Squirrel.      Red 
Squirrel.     Sciurus  Hudsonius,  Pennant. 

Common  Squirrel;  Foster,  Phil.  Trans,  vol.  lxii.  p.  378,    1772. 
Sciurus  vulgaris,  var.  E. ;  Erxleben,  Syst.  an.  1777. 
Hudson's  Bay  Squirrel;  Pennant,  Arctic  Zool.  vol.  i.  p.  116. 
Common  Squirrel ;  Hearne's  Journey,  p.  385. 
Red  Barking  Squirrel ;  Schoolcraft's  Journal,  p.  273. 
Red  Squirrel ;  Warden's  United  States,  vol.  i.  p.  330. 
Ecureuil  de  la  Baie  d 'Hudson;  F.  Cuvier,  Hist.  Nat.  desMam. 
Sciurus  Hudsonicus ;  Harlan :  Godman. 

Characters — A  third  smaller  than  the  Northern  Grey  Squirrel ;  tail 
shorter  than  the  body ;  ears  slightly  tufted ;  colour  reddish  above,  white 
beneath.     Dental  formula ;  Incisors,  § ;  Canines,  gg ;  Molars,  $  *> — 20. 

In  the  number  and  arrangement  of  the  teeth  there  is  a  great 
resemblance  between  this  species  and  the  Townsend's  squir- 
rel. The  present  species  also,  being  well  known  and  having 
been  frequently  described,  a  short  description  in  this  place  is 
merely  added  for  convenient  reference. 

Forehead  slightly  arched ;  whiskers  longer  than  the  head, 
black  ;  nose  rather  obtuse  ;  ears  somewhat  concave,  rounded, 
clothed  with  hair ;  that  which  covers  the  outer  surface,  dur- 
ing winter  extends  three  or  four  lines  beyond  the  margins ; 
tail  clothed  with  long  hairs,  but  not  bushy  as  in  the  larger 
species. 

Vol.  III.— No.  32.  n.  s.  2  r 


384  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS   SCIURUS. 

Colour. — This  species  varies  a  little  in  colour,  but  in  gene- 
ral it  will  not  be  found  to  differ  widely  from  the  following  de- 
scription. The  ears,  upper  surface  of  the  fore  and  hind  feet, 
and  along  the  foreshoulders  and  hips,  a  faint  stripe  on  the 
back,  and  the  upper  surface  of  the  tail,  bright  chesnut ;  body 
above  greyish  brown,  the  hairs  minutely  speckled  with  red- 
dish brown  and  black.  The  whole  under  surface  white,  with 
a  narrow  black  line  separating  the  colours  of  the  upper  surface 
from  those  beneath.  The  under  surface  of  the  tail  is  first  ru- 
fous, then  black,  tipped  with  light  brown. 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.       L. 

Length  of  head  and  body 8  0 

Ditto     of  tail,  (vertebra)  5  0 

Ditto                  including  fur    6  6 

Palm  and  middle  fore  claw 1  2 

From  heel  to  point  of  hind  claw  1  10 

Geographical  Distribution. — The  limits  of  its  northern 
range  are  not  precisely  determined,  but  all  our  travellers  who 
have  braved  the  snows  of  our  polar  regions,  speak  of  its  ex- 
istence as  far  north  as  their  travels  extended.  It  has  been 
observed  in  the  68th  or  69th  parallel  of  latitude ;  it  also  ex- 
ists in  Labrador,  Newfoundland,  and  the  Canadas.  It  is  the 
most  common  species  in  New  England  and  New  York,  and 
is  not  rare  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey.  It  is  still  seen 
in  diminished  numbers  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia,  although 
in  the  low  country  of  that  state  it  is  scarcely  known.  It  is 
occasionally  met  with  along  the  summits  of  the  Alleghanies, 
in  North  Carolina  and  Tenessee,  but  is  not,  that  I  am  aware 
of,  found  farther  south. 

Habits. — The  habits  of  this  little  squirrel  are,  in  several 
particulars,  peculiar.  Whilst  the  larger  grey  squirrels  derive 
their  sustenance  from  the  buds  and  nuts  of  trees,  growing  in 
warm  or  temperate  climates,  and  are  constitutionally  fitted, 
during  winter,  to  subsist  on  a  small  quantity  of  food, — the 
chickaree,  on  the  other  hand,  has  the  free  circulation  of  its 
blood  unimpeded,  and  exhibits  the  greatest  sprightliness  and 
activity  amidst  the  snows  and  frosts  of  the  polar  regions.  It 
consequently  is  obliged,  during  this  inclement  season,  to  con- 
sume as  great  a  quantity  of  food  as  at  any  other.  Nature  has 
therefore  instructed  it  to  make  provision  in  the  season  of  abun- 
dance, for  the  long  winter  that  is  approaching ;  and  the  quan- 
tity of  nuts  and  seeds  sometimes  laid  up  in  store  by  this 
species  is  almost  incredible.  On  one  occasion  I  was  present 
when  a  bushel  and  a  half  of  shell-barks  (Carya  alba)  and 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  385 

chestnuts  were  taken  from  a  hollow  tree  occupied  by  a  single 
pair  of  these  industrious  creatures.  Generally  the  quantity  is 
considerably  less.  It  must  however  be  remarked,  that  the 
chickaree  has  too  much  foresight  to  trust  to  a  single  hoard, 
often  having  several  in  different  localities.  Sometimes  they 
are  found  under  leaves,  or  beneath  logs  and  brush-heaps,  and 
at  other  times  are  contained  in  holes  in  the  ground.  These 
stores  are  sometimes  only  temporarily  deposited  in  some  con- 
venient situation,  to  be  removed  at  leisure.  When,  for  in- 
stance, nuts  are  abundant  in  autumn,  large  quantities  in  the 
green  state,  covered  by  their  thick  envelope,  are  collected  in 
a  heap  near  the  tree  whence  they  have  fallen ;  they  are  then 
covered  up  with  leaves,  until  the  pericarp,  or  thick  outer  co- 
vering, either  falls  off  or  opens,  when  the  squirrel  is  able  to 
carry  off  the  nuts  more  conveniently.  But  Providence  has 
placed  much  food  of  a  different  kind  within  its  reach,  during 
winter.  The  cones  of  many  of  our  pines  and  firs  in  high 
northern  latitudes  are  persistent  during  winter,  and  the  chick- 
aree can  be  supported  by  these,  even  should  his  other  hoards 
fail. 

This  little  squirrel  seems  also  to  accommodate  itself  to  its 
situation  in  another  respect.  In  Pennsylvania  and  New  York, 
where  the  winters  are  comparatively  mild,  it  is  very  commonly 
satisfied  with  a  hollow  tree  as  a  winter's  residence ;  but  in 
Maine,  Lower  Canada,  and  farther  north,  it  usually  seeks  for 
an  additional  protection  from  the  cold,  by  forming  deep  bur- 
rows in  the  earth.  Nothing  is  more  common  than  to  meet 
with  five  or  six  squirrel-holes  in  the  ground,  near  the  roots  of 
some  white  pine  or  hemlock ;  and  these  retreats  can  be  easily 
found  by  the  vast  heaps  of  scales  from  the  cones  of  pines  and 
firs  which  are,  in  process  of  time,  accumulated. 

This  species,  as  well  as  the  little  ground  squirrel,  is  very 
commonly  found  along  fences  near  wheat-fields,  and  appears, 
in  autumn,  to  confine  itself  more  exclusively  to  wheat  and 
buckwheat  than  any  of  our  larger  squirrels. 

It  is  one  of  the  noisiest  of  our  species,  and  its  querulous 
notes  of  chick-chick-chick-a-7'ee — chick-a-ree  can  be  heard 
among  the  white  pines  and  hemlocks,  at  nearly  all  hours  of 
the  day.  It  is  easily  approached,  and  rarely  conceals  itself 
from  the  presence  of  man.     Its  flesh  is  juicy  and  tender. 

16.  Columbia  Pine  Squirrel.     Sciurus  RichardsoniL 

Small  Brown  Squirrel ;  Lewis  and  Clarke,  vol.  iii.  p.  37. 
Sciurus  Hudsonius,  var.  (3;  Richardson,  Fauna  Boreali-Ameri- 
cana,  p.  190. 


386  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

Characters. —  Smaller  than  Sciurus  Hudsonius ;  tail  shorter  than  the 
body ;  rusty  grey  above,  whitish  beneath ;  extremity  of  the  tail  black. 

This  small  species  was  first  noticed  by  Lewis  and  Clarke, 
who  deposited  a  specimen  in  the  Philadelphia  Museum,  where 
it  still  exists.  I  have  compared  it  with  the  specimen  brought 
by  Mr.  Townsend,  and  find  them  identical.  Dr.  Richardson, 
who  appears  not  to  have  seen  it,  supposes  it  to  be  a  mere  va- 
riety of  the  Sciurus  Hudsonicus :  on  the  contrary,  Dr.  Towns- 
end  says  in  his  notes, — "  It  is  evidently  a  distinct  species  ; 
its  habits  are  very  different  from  those  of  the  Sciurus  Hud- 
sonicus. It  frequents  the  pine  trees  in  the  high  range  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  west  of  the  great  chain,  feeding  upon  the 
seeds  contained  in  the  cones.  These  seeds  are  large  and 
white,  and  contain  a  good  deal  of  nutriment.  The  Indians 
eat  a  great  quantity  of  them,  and  esteem  them  good.  The 
note  of  this  squirrel  is  a  loud  jarring  chatter,  very  different 
from  the  noise  of  Sci.  Hudsonicus.  It  is  not  at  all  shy,  fre- 
quently coming  down  to  the  foot  of  the  tree  to  reconnoitre  the 
passenger,  and  scolding  at  him  vociferously.  It  is,  I  think, 
a  scarce  species." 

The  difference  between  these  two  species  can  be  detected 
at  a  glance,  by  comparing  the  specimens.  The  present  spe- 
cies, in  addition  to  its  being  a  fourth  smaller,  and  about  the 
size  of  the  Tamias  Lysteri,  has  less  of  the  reddish  brown  on 
the  upper  surface  ;  and  may  always  be  distinguished  from  the 
other  by  the  blackness  of  its  tail  at  the  extremity,  as  also  by 
the  colour  of  the  incisors,  which  are  nearly  white,  instead  of 
the  deep  orange  colour  of  those  of  Sci.  Hudsonius. 

Dental  formula ;  Incisors,  § ;  Canines,  {$ ;  Molars,  ^ ; — 20. 

The  upper  incisors  are  small  and  of  a  light  yellow  colour, 
the  lower  are  very  thin  and  slender,  and  nearly  white.  The 
first  or  deciduous  grinder,  as  in  all  the  smaller  species  of  pine 
squirrel  that  I  have  examined,  is  wanting;  the  remaining 
grinders,  both  in  the  upper  and  lower  jaws,  do  not  vary  ma- 
terially from  those  contained  in  Douglass's  squirrel. 

The  body  of  this  most  diminutive  of  all  the  known  species 
of  genuine  squirrel  in  North  America,  is  short,  and  does  not 
present  that  appearance  of  lightness  and  agility  which  distin- 
guishes the  Sciurus  Hudsonius.  Head  large,  less  elongated, 
forehead  more  arched,  and  nose  a  little  more  blunt,  than  in 
that  species  ;  ears  short ;  feet  of  moderate  size ;  the  third  toe 
on  the  fore  feet  but  slightly  longer  than  the  second ;  claws 
compressed,  hooked,  and  acute  ;  tail  shorter  than  the  body  ; 
the  thumb-nail  is  broad,  flat,  and  blunt. 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  387 

Colour. — The  fur  on  the  back  is  dark  plumbeous  from  the 
roots,  tipped  with  rusty  brown  and  black,  giving  it  a  rusty 
grey  appearance.  It  is  less  rufous  than  the  Sciurus  Hudso- 
nius,  and  lighter  coloured  than  Set.  Townsendii.  The  feet, 
on  their  upper  surface,  are  rufous ;  on  the  shoulders,  fore- 
head, ears,  and  along  the  thighs,  there  is  a  slight  tinge  of  the 
same  colour.  The  whiskers,  which  are  a  little  longer  than  the 
head,  are  black.  The  whole  of  the  under  surface,  as  well  as 
a  line  around  the  eyes,  and  a  small  patch  above  the  nostrils, 
smoke  grey.  The  tail,  for  about  one  half  its  length,  presents 
on  the  upper  surface,  a  dark  rufous  appearance,  many  of  the 
hairs  being  nearly  black,  pointed  with  light  rufous ;  at  the 
extremity  of  the  tail,  for  about  an  inch  and  three  quarters  in 
length,  the  hairs  are  black,  a  few  of  them  slightly  tipped  with 
rufous.  The  hind  feet,  from  the  heel  to  the  palms,  are  thickly 
clothed  with  short,  adpressed,  light-coloured  hairs  ;  the  palms 
are  naked.  The  sides  are  marked  by  a  line  of  black,  com- 
mencing at  the  shoulder,  and  terminating  abruptly  on  the 
flanks  ;  this  line  is  about  two  inches  in  length  and  four  lines 
wide. 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.    L. 

Length  of  head  and  body   6  2 

Tail  (vertebra;) .* 3  6 

Ditto  including  fur 5  0 

Height  of  ear  posteriorly „  3 

Ditto     including  fur  „  5 

Palm  and  middle  fore  claw    1  3 

Sole  and  middle  hind  claw 1  9 

The  specimen  from  which  I  have  described  is  labelled, — 
"Rocky  Mts.  Aug.  12,  1834." 

17.  Downy  Squirrel.     Sciurus  lanuginosus. 

Characters. — Size  of  Sciurus  Hudsonicus ;  ears  short,  well  clothed 
with  hair;  tail  shorter  than  the  body;  palms  and  inner  surface  of  the  toes 
thickly  clothed  with  silky  hairs ;  fur  soft  and  downy;  yellowish  grey  on  the 
back,  silver  grey  on  the  sides,  white  on  the  belly. 

A  singular  and  beautiful  little  quadruped,  to  which  I  have 
conceived  the  above  name  appropriate,  was  sent  to  me  with 
the  collection  of  Dr.  Townsend.  He  states  in  his  letter, — 
"  Of  this  animal  I  have  no  farther  knowledge  than  that  it  was 
killed  on  the  north-west  coast,  near  Sitka-,  where  it  is  said  to 
be  common,  and  given  to  me  by  my  friend  W.  F.  Tolmie  Esq. 
surgeon  of  the  Hon.  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  I  saw  three 
other  specimens  from  Paget's  Sound,  in  the  possession  of 
Capt.  Brotchie,  and  understood  him  to  say  that  H  was  a  bur- 


388  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS. 

rowing  animal."  Sitka  is,  I  believe,  the  principal  settlement 
of  the  Russians  on  Norfolk  Sound  and  Paget' s  Sound,  a  few 
degrees  north  of  the  Columbia  river. 

The  head  is  broader  than  that  of  Sciurus  Hudsonicus,  and 
the  forehead  much  arched ;  the  ears,  which  are  situaetd  far 
back  on  the  head,  are  short,  oval,  and  thickly  clothed  with 
fur.  They  are  not  tufted,  as  in  the  Sciurus  Hudsonicus,  and 
Sci.  vulgaris  of  Europe,  but  a  quantity  of  longer  fur,  situated 
on  the  outer  base  of  the  ear,  and  rising  two  or  three  lines 
above  the  margins,  gives  the  ears  the  appearance  of  being 
somewhat  tufted.  In  the  squirrels  generally,  the  posterior 
margin  of  the  ear  doubles  forward,  to  form  a  valve  over  the 
auditory  opening,  and  the  anterior  one  curves  in  form  of  a 
helix ;  in  the  present  species,  the  margins  are  less  folded  than 
those  of  any  other  which  I  have  examined.  Whiskers  longer 
than  the  head ;  feet  and  toes  short ;  rudimental  thumb  armed 
with  a  broad  flat  nail ;  nails  slender,  compressed,  arched  and 
acute ;  the  third  on  the  fore  feet  is  rather  the  longest,  as  in 
the  squirrels.  The  tail  bears  some  resemblance  to  that  of  the 
flying  squirrel,  and  is  thickly  clothed  with  hair,  which  is  a 
little  coarser  than  that  on  the  back.  On  the  fore  feet  the 
palms  are  only  partially  covered  with  hair,  but  on  the  hinder 
feet  the  under  surface,  from  the  heel  even  to  the  extremity  of 
the  nails,  is  thickly  clothed  with  short  soft  hairs. 

The  fur  is  softer  and  more  downy  than  that  of  any  other 
North  American  species,  and  the  whole  covering  of  the  ani- 
mal indicates  it  to  be  a  native  of  a  cold  region. 

Dental  formula ;  Incisors  §;  Canines  gg;  Molars  ||; — 20. 

The  upper  incisors  are  smaller  and  more  compressed  than 
those  of  Sciurus  Hudsonicus :  the  lower  ones  are  a  little  long- 
er and  sharper  than  the  upper.  The  upper  grinders,  on  their 
inner  surface,  have  each  an  elevated  ridge  of  enamel ;  on  the 
outer  crest  or  edge  of  the  tooth,  there  are  three  sharp  points 
instead  of  two  obtuse  elevations,  as  in  the  squirrels  generally, 
and  in  this  particular  it  approaches  the  spermophiles.  In  the 
lower  jaw  the  grinders,  which  are  quadrangular  in  shape,  pre- 
sent each  four  sharp  points. 

Colour. — The  teeth  are  of  an  orange  colour ;  under  teeth 
nearly  as  dark  as  the  upper :  whiskers  pale  brown ;  nails  white. 
The  fur  on  the  back,  from  the  roots  to  near  the  extremity,  whit- 
ish grey,  some  hairs  are  annulated  near  the  tips  with  deep  yel- 
low, slightly  tipped  with  black  ;  on  the  sides  annulated  with 
cream  colour.  Hind  feet  above  grizzled  with  black  and  cream 
colour.  There  is  a  broad  line  of  white  around  the  eyes ;  a 
spot  of  white  on  the  hind  part  of  the  head,  a  little  in  advance 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  GENUS  SCIURUS.  389 

of  the  anterior  portions  on  the  ears;  the  nose  is  white,  which 
colour  extends  along  the  forehead  till  above  the  eyes,  where 
it  is  gradually  blended  with  the  colours  on  the  back.  The 
cheeks  are  white,  a  little  greyish  beneath  the  eyes.  The  whole 
of  the  under  surface,  including  the  feet  and  inner  surface  of 
the  legs,  pure  white  to  the  roots.  In  the  tail  the  colours  are 
irregularly  blended,  with  markings  of  black,  brownish  yellow 
and  white.  In  general  it  may  be  said  that  the  tail,  when  ex- 
amined without  reference  to  rudimental  hairs,  is  light  ash  at 
the  roots  of  the  hairs,  then  a  broad  but  not  well  defined  line 
of  light  rufous,  then  dark  brown,  and  tipt  with  rufous  and 
smoke  grey. 

DIMENSIONS. 

IN.       L. 

Length  of  head  and  body 7  11 

Tail  (yertebrce)    4  8 

Ditto  including  fur  6  0 

Palm  and  middle  fore  claw 1  0 

Sole  and  middle  hind  claw  1  9 

Length  of  fur  on  the  back    „  7 

Length            at  the  tip  of  the  tail  1  10 

Height  of  ear  posteriorly,  including  fur „  5 

On  the  back  and  in  the  tail  there  are  so  many  white  hairs 
interspersed,  and  the  white  spot  on  the  head  being  merely  oc- 
casioned by  a  greater  number  of  hairs  nearly  or  wholly  white, 
that  there  is  great  reason  to  believe  that  this  species  becomes 
much  lighter,  if  not  wholly  white,  during  winter. 

In  the  shape  of  the  head  and  ears,  and  in  the  pointed  pro- 
jections  of  the  teeth,  this  species  approaches  the  marmots  and 
spermophiles ;  but  in  the  shape  of  its  body, — its  soft  fur, — its 
curved  and  acute  nails,  constructed  more  for  climbing  than 
digging  in  the  earth, — and  in  the  third  toe  being  longer  than 
the  second, — it  must  be  placed  among  the  squirrels. 


In  attempting  a  Monograph  of  the  genus  Sciurus,  I  have 
confined  myself  to  descriptions  of  those  species  only,  which 
are  either  found  in  the  United  States  of  America,  and  in  the 
northern  parts  of  that  continent,  or  such  as  have  been  disco- 
vered along  the  range  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  as  far  west  as 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  extending  to  California.  The  squirrels  of 
Mexico,  of  which  there  are  several  species,  including  Sciurus 
hypopyrrhus  (Wagler),  Sci.  albipes  and  Set.  socialis  (Wagner, 
Beitrage  zur  Kenntniss  der  warmblutigen  wirbelthiere  Ame- 


390    GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH  EAST  OF  DORSETSHIRE. 

kas;  Dr.  J.  A.  Wagner,  Munich),  have  therefore  been  omitted. 

I  have  excluded  several  North  American  species,  referred 
by  authors  to  this  genus, — such  as  Sciurus  Grammurus,  Sci. 
lateralis,  Sci.  Clarkii,  &c. — they  being  more  properly  refer- 
red to  Spermophilus ;  as  also  Sci.  quadrivittatus  and  Set; 
Lysteri,  which  belong  to  the  genus  Tamias. 

Confining  myself  solely  to  species  which  I  have  personally 
examined  and  compared,  I  have  omitted  several  which  have 
been  given  by  authors,  and  which  may  yet  be  detected. 

The  specimen  of  Sciurus  rufiventer  described  by  Geoffroy 
has  disappeared  from  the  Paris  Museum,  and  the  researches 
of  naturalists  in  Louisiana  have  not  been  successful  in  pro- 
curing another  specimen.  It  may  prove  to  have  been  a  young 
animal,  or  a  variety  of  some  species  already  known.  Sciurus 
Lewisii,  given  by  Griffith  (Cuv.  An.  Kingd.  vol.  iii.  p.  190), 
escaped  my  notice  in  the  Philadelphia  Museum.  The  de- 
scriptions I  have  seen  of  Sci.  ludoviciatius,  Curtis,  being  very 
short  and  imperfect  extracts  from  a  work  (Barton's  Medical 
and  Phys.  Journal)  which  I  have  had  no  opportunity  of  con- 
sulting, prevented  me  from  deciding  on  the  species :  it  may 
possibly  prove  to  be  the  Sci.  macrourus  of  Say,  or  the  species 
to  which  I  have  attached  the  name  of  Sci.  Texianus ;  in 
the  latter  case  his  name  will  have  the  priority. 


Art.  III. — Illustrations  of  the  Geology  of  the  South  East  of  Dor- 
setshire.    By  The  Rev.  W.  B.  Clarke,  A.M.,  F.G.S. 
No.  III. — Studland. 

The  map  which  is  appended  to  the  present  number  repre- 
sents geologically  and  geographically  the  coast  line  of  the 
district,  a  portion  of  which  is,  in  these  illustrations,  submit- 
ted to  examination.  It  is  taken  from  the  Ordnance  survey, 
with  such  observations  added  as  appear  necessary  to  make  it 
useful  in  this  investigation,  and  with  the  succession  of  the 
formations  marked  out  by  division  lines,  so  as  to  serve  gene- 
rally for  this  and  the  preceding  papers. 

The  portion  now  to  be  considered  is  that  which  is  compre- 
hended between  the  points  A  and  B  in  the  map,  from  the 
extremity  of  the  chalk  cliffs  at  Old  Harry,  to  the  commence- 
ment of  the  sand  hills  between  Studland  and  Little  Sea. 

The  extremity  of  these  cliffs  has  already  been  figured,  in 
the  diagram  No.  39,  vol.  i.,  p.  418 ;  and  the  continuation  of 


STUDLAND. 


391 


392 


GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH  EAST  OF  DORSETSHIRE. 


them  to  their  junction  with  the  plastic  clay  at  the  point  C  on 

the  map,  is  given  in  the  following  figure,  (45). 

45 


Chalk  Cliffs  from  Old  Harry  to  the  Plastic  Clay.     South  side  of  Studland  Bay 


The  chalk  is,  as  before  mentioned,  through  a  great  part  of 
the  space,  nearly  horizontal ;  but  it  has  a  gentle  dip  to  the 
north-west,  which  increases  as  it  approaches  the  plastic  clay, 
near  which  it  has  suffered  local  derangements.  The  cliffs 
are  of  a  medium  softness,  but  are  easily  separated  into  quad- 
rangular or  trapezoidal  blocks,  and,  where  horizontally  bed- 
ded, are  fissured  by  vertical  cracks  from  top  to  bottom.  They 
are  also  spotted,  like  the  Suffolk  chalk,  with  manganese,  and 
contain  much  yellow  matter,  probably  decomposed  pyrites. 
It  is  by  the  instrumentality  of  these  cracks,  that  the  perpen- 
dicular buttresses  before  spoken  of  occur  on  either  side  of  the 
promontory  at  Old  Harry  (vol.  ii.  p.  131) ;  and  thus  the  cliffs 
on  the  south  side  of  Studland  Bay,  have  been  separated  into 
divisions  by  the  action  of  the  sea.  As  there  is  nothing  mate- 
rial between  Old  Harry  Point  and  the  division  nearest  to  the 
plastic  clay,  I  have  introduced  the  profile  from  the  point  E  of  fig. 
45,  as  a  sufficient  illustration  of  the  whole  of  the  phenomena. 
It  will  be  seen  by  the  examination  of  that  diagram  (fig.  46), 


Profile  view  of  Studland  cliffs  from  the  point  E  to  Old  Harry. 

A,  Old  Harry  Point.        C  c,  vertical  crack  down  the  cliff.        Distance  from  C  to  D,  49  paces. 

Distance  from  D  to  E  28  paces. 

that  the  measure  of  the  decay  of  the  cliffs  is,  to  a  certain  de- 
gree, regulated  by  these  vertical  fissures :  the  line  C  c  in  fig. 
46  shows  this  very  clearly,  for  it  is  impossible  that  the  pro- 


STUDLAND. 


393 


truding  and  bulging  central  part  of  the  buttress  can  resist  the 
elements  long  after  the  sea  shall  have  a  little  further  under- 
mined the  base.  The  changes,  therefore,  in  the  outline  of 
these  cliffs,  cannot  be  exactly  uniform,  but  must  be  produced 
by  different  measures  of  decay ;  and  it  also  follows,  that  that 
decay  must  be  of  a  more  rapid  character  than  if  there  were  no 
assistance  offered  by  these  natural  rents. 

These  vertical  fissures  are  curious  also  in  a  more  important 
geological  sense.  It  is  observed  that  they  occur  only  where 
the  chalk  strata  are  horizontal,  or  nearly  so ;  and  that  the  fis- 
sures which  traverse  the  vertical  beds  are  at  right  angles,  or 
nearly  perpendicular,  to  the  direction  of  the  fault  which  oc- 
curs at  Ballard  Head,  (vol.  i.  p.  467).  Now  this,  upon  the 
supposition  I  have  advanced  before,  should  be  exactly  the 
case;  and,  therefore,  these  vertical  rents  are  nothing  but 
joints,  traversing  the  whole  solid  body  of  chalk,  consequent 
upon  the  strain  of  elevation.  There  are  two  other  evidences 
of  this  fact.  At  the  approach  of  the  chalk  to  the  plastic  clay, 
at  the  bottom  of  Studland  Bay,  represented  at  I  and  J  in  the 
diagram  (fig,  47),  which  gives  the  plan  of  the  cliffs  from  the 


Plan  of  the  chalk  cliffs  from  point  E  to  the  plastic  clay  cliffs,  Studland  Bay. 
At  I  and  J  faults  numerous.  At  L,  a  spring  rises  from  the  beach,  11  paces  from  the  cliffs 

At  N  and  O,  conglomerate.  1 ,  Plastic  clay.  2,  Boat-house. 

The  numbers  represent  the  distance  in  paces. 

point  E  in  the  map,  and  in  figs.  45  and  46  looking  westward, 
faults  are  very  numerous ;  and  in  several  cases  there  is  the 
plainest  proof  that  the  masses  have  been  ground  against  each 
other,  as  the  surface  of  the  chalk  is  sometimes  ground  smooth, 
and  is  shining,  as  if  covered  with  slickensides ;  in  other  in- 
stances, the  surface  at  the  fault  is  covered  with  a  thin  coating 
of  yellowish  iron,  which  is  striated  by  scratches  exactly  after 
the  manner  of  the  surfaces  of  faults  in  the  older  rocks.  The 
flints  in  the  vicinity  of  these  faults  are  all  fractured  in  situ, 


394 


GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH  EAST  OF  DORSETSHIRE. 


by  cracks  which  have  traversed  them  as  well  as  the  chalk ; 
and  the  beds  of  chalk  are  compressed  into  extremely  thin  la- 
mina, the  edges  being  turned  up  against  the  portions  that  yet 
retain  their  horizontality  of  position,  as  if,  after  the  upheav- 
ing, they  had  again  fallen  back,  which  was  also  the  case,  as 
I  endeavoured  to  show,  in  the  Ballard  Head  fault.  At  I,  in 
fig.  47,  the  situation  of  three  faults  is  shown.  The  first  is  in- 
dicated by  a  vertical  crack  down  the  cliff',  on  each  side  of 
which  the  beds  of  flint  are  curved,  first  dipping  to  the  fault, 
and  then  rising  in  a  curvilinear  course  at  a  higher  elevation, 
as  shown  in  figure  48.  A  few  paces  to  the  eastward  the  thick 
blocks  of  chalk  are  succeeded  by  a  mass  of  about  two  feet 
wide,  consisting  of  lamina  from  \  to  ^  an  inch  thick,  gradu- 
ally passing  into  larger  blocks  as  before,  but  dipping  11°  to 
N.W. :  ten  paces  further  a  similar  laminated  mass,  dipping 
to  the  S.E.  occurs,  so  as  to  mark  the  eastern  limit  of  the  de- 
ranged mass.  The  beds  are  here  all  strongly  marked  by  yel- 
low seams,  and  the  fault  and  strata  divisions  are  coated  with 
yellow  matter, — the  flints  are  also  much  displaced  and  shat- 
tered. But  the  most  extraordinary  appearance  is,  that  the 
thinly  laminated  bed  appears  to  mark  an  internal  derange- 
ment in  the  cliff",  for  about  six  feet  from  the  first  fault,  the  face 
of  the  cliff  is  protected  by  a  continuation  of  larger  beds  and 
blocks,  through  an  opening  in  which  the  smaller  lamina  are 
seen,  and,  on  inspection,  this  face  is  separated  from  the  por- 
tion behind  by  a  line  of  fissure  which  slopes  in  a  slanting  di- 


Faults  in  the  chalk  cliffs,  Studland  Bay. 

A  a,  vertical  fault.  B  b,  line  of  fault.  C,  b,  D,  thin  laminee  of  chalk.  E,  opening 

in  the  face  of  the  cliff,  through  which  thin  lamina,  are  seen.  1,  2,  lines  of  flint. 

At  C  the  flints  are  fractured  and  the  chalk  yellow,— the  edge  of  the  fault  striated  and  rubbed. 


STUDLAND.  395 

rection  into  the  interior  of  the  promontory.  This  is  shown  in 
fig.  48. 

There  is  a  difficulty  in  comprehending  the  exact  character 
of  these  derangements ;  but  after  considerable  observation,  I 
am  inclined  to  think  that  these  faults  are  occasioned  by  the 
action  of  a  protruding  mass  of  the  lower  chalk,  pushed  up  in 
an  arch-like  form  from  below ; — and  that  they  betoken  the 
localities  of  the  up-heaving  process :  it  seems  impossible  to 
account  for  the  curvature,  compression,  and  fractured  state  of 
the  beds  in  the  middle  of  a  cliff,  in  any  other  way.  More- 
over, the  vertical  and  diagonal  joints  which  exist  in  the  ho- 
rizontal beds,  are  here  made  to  correspond  with  the  altered 
condition  of  those  beds.  The  vertical  joints  become  diago- 
nal in  the  sloping  beds,  being  still  at  right  angles  to  the  strata, 
and  the  diagonal  joints  appear  to  pass  into  lines  of  stratifica- 
tion, which  is  consonant  to  theory  if  we  assume,  as  before  ex- 
plained, that  the  diagonal  joints  were  the  result  of  that  force 
which  produced  the  Ballard  Head  fault,  and  are  parallels  to 
it.  And  if  this  reasoning  be  correct,  we  see  that  the  derange- 
ments exhibited  on  the  Ballard  Head  side  of  the  promontory 
are  also  traceable  all  through,  and  consequently,  that  the 
derangements  in  the  plastic  clay  beds  are  attributable  to  the 
same  causes.  For  the  joints  also  that  traverse  the  beds  of  the 
plastic  clay  at  the  Red  Rock,  soon  to  be  mentioned,  which 
dip  at  about  24°  to  the  northward,  are  transverse  to  their  di- 
rection ;  furnishing  proof  of  the  universality  of  the  forces  that 
have  operated  on  the  whole  of  the  district,  and  which  are 
clearly  connected  with  elevation  from  below. 

The  lines  at  F,  G,  H,  &c.  to  N,  (fig.  47),  represent  the  ver- 
tical rents,  many  of  which  occur  in  the  short  distance  of  760 
paces, x  the  whole  length  from  E  to  the  end  of  the  chalk. — 
The  beach  all  the  way  is  strewn  with  masses  of  chalk  and 
flints,  and  plastic  clay  sand-rock,  fallen  from  the  cliffs ;  but 
it  is  not  wide,  and  there  is  no  evidence  whatever  in  this  part, 
of  any  ancient  elevated  beach. 

Towards  the  point  N  (fig.  47),  the  cliff'  of  chalk  becomes 
much  lower,  and  is  covered  with  a  thick  capping  of  plastic 
clay  beds,  consisting  above  of  white  and  yellow  sand,  and  be- 
low of  a  brown  conglomerate  with  clay,  abounding  at  the 
junction  in  springs,  which  have  brought  down  vast  masses, 
forming  a  sort  of  underclifF,  and  strewing  the  shore  with  frag- 
ments. 


1  The  distance  is  calculated  as  one  commonly  walks  along  the  shore  of 
the  sea, — not  exactly  in  a  right  line ;  and  the  proportion  of  the  paces  is  as 
55  to  100  feet. 


396 


GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH  EAST  OF  DORSETSHIRE. 


The  conglomerate  is  composed  of  clay,  fractured  flints, 
green  plastic  clay,  pebbles,  and  iron  stone,  the  curvilinear  di- 
rection of  which  is  deserving  of  notice.  It  is  seen  in  fig.  47 
that  the  chalk,  at  its  extremity,  is  worn  into  cavities,  which 
are  filled  with  conglomerate.  The  portions  of  chalk  are  yel- 
low, curved,  and  fractured,  and,  corresponding  to  them,  the 
lowest  beds  of  plastic  clay,  which  consists,  in  its  upper  mem- 
ber, of  a  black  sand,  and  in  its  lower,  of  a  hard  iron  stone  con- 
taining hollows  filled  with  crystals  of  iron, — is  arched  over  the 
chalk  and  broken,  evidently  proving  that  the  chalk  has  been 
pushed  up  so  as  to  protrude  through  the  super-incumbent  de- 
posits, which  fill  up  the  intervals  between  the  domes  of  chalk, 
and  dip  vertically  between  them,  as  they  ought  to  do  in  the 
supposition  of  a  regular  arch  thus  formed.  The  iron  stone 
being  the  hardest,  and  the  chalk  being  acted  upon  by  destruc- 
tive agents,  in  one  instance  the  former  remains  a  perfect  arch, 
the  chalk  being  removed.  Now  in  these  domes  of  chalk,  that 
rock  is  fractured  and  split,  together  with  its  imbedded  flints, 
as  it  is  a  little  to  the  westward.  In  all  these  cases  of  derange- 
ment, it  is  remarkable  that  the  chalk  is  of  a  yellowish  hue, 
which  Mr.  Lyell  conceives  to  be  the  result  of  the  iron  in  the 
super-incumbent  beds  ;  but  such  can  hardly  be  £he  case,  when 
it  is  observed  that  these  yellow  lines  are  not  external  mark- 
ings, but  a  portion  of  the  solid  matter  itself.  The  chalk  here 
is  evidently  composed  of  alternations  of  yellow  and  white  lay- 
ers, and  in  many  cases  most  beautiful  fragments  may  be  found, 
in  which  the  layers  are  concentric,  the  nucleus  being  a  white 
nodule,  and  the  yellow  lines  curving  round,  like  the  simi- 
lar wood-like  markings  in  the  Red  Rock  of  the  plastic  clay, 
(fig.  49).  The  strata  are  also  distinguished  by  yellow  part- 
ings, and  often  on  the  surface  there 
are  innumerable  minute  black  spots, 
together  with  elegantly  branching  den- 
drites, the  latter  seeming  to  result  from 
the  pressure  of  the  colouring  liquid  in 
the  squeezing  of  the  beds.  This  li- 
quid seems  to  have  been  manganese  in 
solution.  What  connection  there  may 
actually  have  been  between  the  de- 
rangements in  the  beds  and  these  me- 
tallic markings,  is  foreign  to  our  sub- 
ject ;  but  the  white  beds  of  chalk  are 
undisturbed,  and  the  yellow  fractured 
concentric  curves  of  yellow  chalk  and  curved  :  and  the  change  of  colour 

round  a  nucleus  of  white.    Natu-^  ft  sufficient  indication  of   the  locali- 


ral  size.     Studland  Bay. 

ties  of  disturbance. 


Another  point  to  be  remarked  is,  that 


STUDLAND.  397 

fossils  are  very  rare  in  this  chalk  ;  here  and  there  a  Belemnite 
and  a  Terebratula  signify  their  existence,  but  although  the 
flints  abound  in  large  nodules,  there  are  scarcely  any  shells. 

The  continuation  of  the  chalk  from  this  point  is  no  longer 
traceable,  save  by  the  plants  that  occur  along  the  shore  and 
the  recess  at  the  junction  of  the  two  lines  of  cliff;  but  between 
the  shore  and  the  hill  of  Ballard  Down,  the  conformation  of 
the  ground  shows  that  the  chalk  extends  under  a  thin  super- 
ficial covering,  from  behind  Studland  to  the  edge  of  the  as- 
cent on  the  road  to  Swanage,  where  the  steepness  of  the  slope 
and  the  sudden  and  abrupt  stages  of  ascent,  and  the  broken 
character  of  the  fragments  of  chalk  and  flint,  the  latter  of 
which  cover  the  summit,  sufficiently  point  out  the  spot  where 
the  vertical  chalk  is  to  be  found,  though  the  surface  is  clothed 
with  a  thin  vegetation  of  grass  and  furze  bushes,  affording  a 
scanty  herbage  for  sheep,  and  a  bed  for  myriads  of  Helices. 

Mr.  Lyell  ('  On  the  Strata  between  Christchurch  and  Stud- 
land,'  G.  T.  ii.  s.  s.  p.  287)  says  that  "  the  junction  of  the 
chalk  and  sands  is  buried  under  a  mass  of  debris ;  but  frag- 
ments of  a  breccia  of  flint,  imbedded  in  a  ferruginous  cement, 
are  observed  immediately  above  the  chalk."  He  also  addu- 
ces Dr.  Mantell  as  pointing  out  a  similar  breccia,  containing 
green  pebbles,  at  Seaforth ;  and  also  quotes  them  as  occur- 
ring in  the  North  of  Hampshire  and  at  Croydon. 

Now  this  breccia  or  conglomerate  consists  of  sandy  loam 
and  brown  clay,  with  yellow  clay,  and  greenish  clay  and  sand, 
containing,  not  only  flints  from  the  chalk,  but  the  pebbles 
themselves ;  and,  as  it  appears  to  me,  has  resulted  from  the 
breaking  up  of  the  regularly-deposited  lowest  plastic  clay  bed, 
and  the  mixture  of  flints  with  it,  from  a  portion  of  the  cliffs 
higher  than  those  in  which  the  conglomerate  occurs.  That 
lowest  bed  is,  I  conceive,  the  pebble  bed  itself,  which,  in  va- 
rious parts  of  this  county,  as  at  Lulworth,  Hinton  Martell, 
and  Booker's  Hill,  near  Lytchett,  occurs  in  great  force  im- 
mediately over  the  chalk.  It  "may  also  be  seen,  not  only  at 
Croydon,  but  in  a  vast  accumulation  at  Otterton  Hill  near 
Winchester,  at  Lewisham  in  Kent,  and  at  Farnborough,  where 
it  lies  upon  the  chalk ;  as  it  may  be  also  seen  at  the  chalk- 
pit near  Shelley  Church,  and  at  Bramford,  in  the  county  of 
Suffolk.  In  all  these  localities  I  have  noticed  the  occurrence 
of  pebbles  directly,  or  very  nearly  so,  over  the  chalk,  some- 
times imbedded  in  green,  and  sometimes  in  other  coloured 
sands  and  marls.  These  pebbles  are  also  frequent  in  the  sur- 
face drift  of  Dorsetshire,  pointing  out  the  former  greater  ex- 
tent of  their  occurrence  ;  and,  singular  enough,  at  the  descent 
to  the  village  of  Etterbeek  from  the  city  of  Brussells,  and  also 


398    GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH  EAST  OF  DORSETSHIRE. 

at  Tervureen,  in  the  Forest  of  Soignies,  I  have  found  pebbles 
perfectly  similar  in  every  respect,  in  the  former  case  occupy- 
ing a  position  in  the  midst  of  the  beds  which  are  called  'cal- 
caire  grossier,'  and  are  assumed  to  be  the  equivalent  of  the 
London  clay.1  I  mention  these  localities,  because  I  think 
that  the  origin  of  these  pebble-beds,  and  their  particular  po- 
sition in  the  supra-cretaceous  deposits,  have  not  received  all 
the  attention  which  they  deserve.  An  observation  upon  the 
subject  will  not  be  out  of  place  here. 

These  pebbles  invariably  occur  either  in  the  lower  beds  of 
the  plastic  clay,  or  as  imbedded  in  the  pudding-stone  of  Hert- 
ford and  Dorsetshire,  or  as  in  loose  aggregations  of  superfi- 
cial drift.  In  both  the  latter  cases,  their  original  position  as 
pebbles  was  doubtless  that  of  the  former.  Now  it  is  the  opin- 
ion of  several  eminent  geologists,  that  the  plastic  clay  beds 
have  been  derived  in  great  measure  from  the  destruction,  at 
a  very  early  period,  of  the  lower  green  sand  formation,  which 
is  the  expressed  idea  of  Professor  Phillips,  for  instance.2 — 
('Treatise  on  Geology,'  pp.  165 — 169).  And  in  considering 
the  origin  of  these  pebbles,  I  have  been  led  to  believe,  that 
though  they  are  called  flint  (Blackheath  flint),  they  are  not 
flint  but  chert,  and  derived  from  the  chert  beds  of  the  green 
sand.  Dr.  Mitchell  ('  Mag.  Nat.  Hist'  vol.  ii.  p.  218)  has 
very  carefully  described  the  true  character  of  these  "  peculiar 
flints,"  as  they  occur  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London,  and  I 
am  sure,  after  that  elaborate  detail  on  the  subject,  no  doubt 
can  remain,  that  they  are  not  flint,  but  chert  pebbles.  There 
is  nothing  extraordinary  in  admitting  such  an  origin ; — it  can- 
not be  the  "  countless  multitudes"  and  "  millions"  of  them 
which  startle  the  mind ; — for  it  is  a  fact,  that  nearly  -^gy  of 
all  the  drift  gravel  in  that  part  of  Dorsetshire  of  which  I  am 
treating,  is  composed  of  chert,  which  I  have  traced  to  the 
green  sand  of  Devonshire :  so  that  even  in  modern  times, 
compared  with  the  plastic  clay  era,  the  chert  beds  of  the  green 
sand  have  furnished  the  materials  for  innumerable  beds  of 
pebbles,  of  much  greater  extent  than  those  composing  the 
Blackheath  and  Croydon  deposits.     Analogous  to  the  suppo- 

1  It  is  from  this,  and  other  causes,  that  I  am  not  satisfied  with  the  ar- 
rangement which  assigns  to  the  Brussells  beds  the  geological  cognomen 
of '  calcaire  grossier.'  Mr.  Morris  has,  however,  given  reasons  for  us  to  be- 
lieve, that  the  plastic  clay  and  London  clay  are  of  the  same  formation,  al- 
though of  different  divisions — (see  Geol.  Pro.  vol.  ii.  p.  450), — an  arrange- 
ment of  some  importance. 

2  Mr.  Lyell,  however,  speaks  of  "  shingle  composed  of  perfectly  rolled 
chalk-Jlints,  with  here  and  there  small  pebbles  of  quartz." — Geol.  vol.  iv.  p. 
212. 


STUDLAND. 


399 


sition  thus  mentioned,  is  Dr.  Mitchell's  remark  that  "there  is 
a  spot  beyond  the  boundaries "  of  his  paper,  "  where  such 
flints  are  exceedingly  abundant,  which  is  the  hill  immediate- 
ly above  the  fire-stone  quarries,  a  mile  north  from  Godstone 
Green"— (p.  219)  Now  the  fire -si one  is  the  lower  green 
sand,  and  at  Godstone  the  pits  occur  in  the  side  of  the  chalk 
escarpment  of  Tillingdown,  having  opposite  to  them,  at  little 
more  than  two  miles  distance  to  the  south,  the  elevated  ridge 
of  Tilbuster  Hill,  which  consists  of  chert,  and  the  summit  of 
which  is  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  chalk  downs. 

The  subjoined  section  (P)  is  given  to  point  out  the  pecu- 


Tilbuster  Hill. 
/ 


Section  and  faults  at  Tilbuster  Hill,  near  Godstone,  Surrey. 
1,  Sand  and  loam.  2,  Grey  sand.  3,  Chalk.  4,  Grey  sand.  5,  Sand  and 


iron  stone. 


6,  Weald  clay. 


liar  position  of  the  chert  beds, |  which  are,  in  some  places, 
perfectly  fragmentary,  so  near  to  the  locality  where  the  peb- 
bles are  found ;  and  which  I  cannot  help  thinking  supplied 
them.  Should  further  examination  lead  to  the  conviction, 
that  the  pebbles  above  the  fire-*tone  did  come  from  Tilbuster, 
or  the  beds  to  which  that  hill  belongs,  there  is  no  reason  to 
deny,  that  the  chert  of  Surrey  was  once  perfectly  sufficient  in 
extent  to  have  supplied  all  the  beds  of  transported  rolled 
fragments  that  form  the  accumulations  at  Croydon,  Black- 
heath,  &c. 

Having  suggested  the  above  possible  origin  for  the  pebbles 
of  the  early  tertiary  epoch,  it  remains  to  say  a  word  as  to  the 
method  of  their  accumulation.  This  strikes  me  to  have  been 
occasioned  by  the  very  same  causes  that  now  produce  shin- 
gle-banks and  beaches  on  and  near  the  shores  of  our  present 
seas, — currents  and  agitations  of  the  tidal  waters,  whether  of 
the  ocean  or  its  estuaries.  That  this  is  probable  is  shown  by 
the  fact,  that  these  pebbles  are  not  universally  scattered  over 
the  surface  of  the  chalk,  but  only  on  such  places  (where  found 
in  situ)  as  at  once  justify  the  idea  of  an  ancient  littoral  accu- 

1  A  sketch  of  Tilbuster  (Tilburstow  or  Tilvester)  Hill  is  given  by  Dr.  Fit- 
ton,  G.  T.  iv.  138,  and  a  description  by  Dr.  Mantell,  Geol.  S.E.  of  Engl, 
p.  177. 

Vol.  III.— No.  32.  n.  s.         2t 


400         GEOLOGY  OF  THE   SOUTH  EAST  OF    DORSETSHIRE. 

mulation.    Take  the  case  of  Farnborough  for  instance  (fig.  R). 

Marrant's  Hill.  Farnborough. 

R  ^T~-— ^  .  J>  Bromley. 


The  pebbles  are  there  found  over  the  chalk,  just  at  its  outcrop 
from  under  the  tertiary  beds  that  extend  thence  to  London. 
And  it  will  be  found,  in  the  generality  of  cases,  that  the  ac- 
cumulation has  taken  place,  not  at  a  distance  from  what  must 
have  been  the  shore  of  the  tertiary  sea,  but  on  the  very  limits 
of  its  margin,  as  defined  by  the  rise  of  the  sloping  chalk  from 
under  the  horizontal  layers  of  the  tertiary  beds. 

Now,  in  the  case  of  Studland,  the  conglomerate  with  peb- 
bles is  found  exactly  at  the  edge  of  the  basin  in  the  slope  of 
the  lofty  chalk  range  of  Ballard  Down,  just  where  the  plastic 
clay  series  commences ;  so  is  it  at  Lulworth,  for  it  is  at  the 
foot  of  the  Purbeck  downs  that  the  pebbles  make  their  ap- 
pearance. But  I  am  bound  to  admit,  that  two  lines  of  these 
pebbles,  regularly  imbedded,  occur  in  the  sand  at  Booker's 
Hill,  Lytchett,  at  a  much  higher  level  above  the  present  sea, 
than  that  at  Studland, — and  the  difference  of  elevation  is  pro- 
bably 200  or  300  feet ;  of  which  a  similar  example  is  afforded 
at  Hinton  Martell,  where  the  pebble-bed  is  found  on  the  sum- 
mit of  a  high  chalk  ridge,  whilst  the  lower  lands,  also  cover- 
ing the  chalk,  have  traces  of  these  pebbles. 

Here  there  seems  a  discrepancy,  for  if  these  pebbles  mark 
an  ancient  littoral  accumulation,  the  tertiary  sea  must  have 
stood,  in  different  places  of  the  same  geological  area,  at  dif- 
ferent elevations  !  But  to  explain  this  impossibility  we  have 
two  solutions  at  hand.  The  plastic  clay  series  in  south-east 
Dorset,  has  experienced  enormous  dislocation  and  denuda- 
tion ;  and  it  is  not  only  probable,  but  proveable,  that  there 
have  been  depressions  and  elevations  throughout  this  area. — 
Moreover,  evidence  will  be  advanced  in  the  course  of  these 
illustrations,  to  show  that  during  the  deposition  of  the  plastic 
clay  beds,  violent  denuding  and  destructive  agencies  were  at 
work,  and  that  the  first-deposited  beds  were  in  some  cases,  as 
at  Wareham,  and  near  the  station-house,  Studland,  broken  up 
to  form  the  constituent  portions  of  a  later  part  of  the  deposit. 
So  that  the  ancient  shingle  of  the  plastic  clay  may  have  been 
removed  and  re-accumulated  upon  other  spots,  which  were 
then  emerging  from  the  general  low  level  to  a  higher  one,  un- 
under  the  influence  of  those  up-lifting  agencies  which  we  have 


AFRICAN  RESEARCHES.  401 

reason  to  conclude  accompanied  the  desolating  torrents  that 
have  passed  over,  and  excavated  and  broken  up,  the  first  de- 
posited beds. 

At  Studland,  where  this  conglomerate  occurs,  also  is  seen 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  proofs  of  the  occurrence  of  up- 
lifting forces  after  the  deposit  of  the  plastic  clay ;  and  this 
we  shall  presently  consider.  But  generally  speaking,  where 
the  chalk  and  super-incumbent  deposits  have  not  been  shat- 
tered and  up-heaved,  the  pebbles  in  question  occur  at  the  out- 
crop of  the  chalk,  on  the  slope  of  the  tertiary  basin,  and  ex- 
tend only  so  far  into  the  interior  of  the  deposits  now  filling 
that  basin,  as  is  compatible  with  the  belief  that  they  repre- 
sent what  they  once  were,  namely,  a  littoral  shingle. 

(To  be  continued). 


REVIEWS. 

Art,  I. — 1.  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  into  Southern  Africa,  during  the 
years  1836  and  1837.  By  Captn.  W.  C.  Harris,  H.  E.  I.  Company's 
Engineers,  &c.  Bombay:  1838.  Re-published  by  Murray,  London:  1839. 

2.  An  Expedition  of  Discovery  into  the  Interior  of  Africa,  under  the  auspi- 
ces of  Her  Majesty's  Government,  and  the  Royal  Geographical  Society. — 
By  Capt.  Sir  James  Edward  Alexander,  K.L.S.,  &c.  2  vols.  12mo. 
London :  Colburn.     1839. 

The  steps  which  have  led  to  a  knowledge  of  the  continent  of 
Africa,  viewed  in  its  geographical  relations,  are  so  intimately 
associated  with  our  insight  into  the  Zoology  of  this  intensely 
interesting  portion  of  the  globe,  that  contributions  to  Natural 
History  seem  almost  of  necessity  to  be  part  and  parcel  of  the 
results  consequent  upon  exploring  expeditions  to  its  interior. 
Bruce,  Le  Vaillant,  Burchell,  Rupell,  and  Smith,  are  names 
too  prominently  enrolled  on  the  pages  that  chronicle  the  pro- 
gress of  science,  to  render  a  syllable  of  comment  on  their  la- 
bours necessary,  or  on  the  possession  of  that  true  spirit  of 
philosophical  enterprise,  and  unflinching  zeal  in  the  pursuit 
of  knowledge,  which  led  them  to  face  the  perils  and  difficul- 
ties that  attend  the  traveller  in  his  path  through  the  African 
forests. 

The  announcement  of  the  first  work  on  our  list, — the  nar- 
rative of  an  expedition  into  Southern  Africa  by  an  officer  in 
the  Bombay  Engineers,  whose  name  is  coupled  with  a  bril- 
liant addition  to  the  antelope  tribe,  in  the  discovery  of  that 
magnificent  species,  the  Aigocerus  niger,1 — led  us  to  antici- 

1  Described  and  figured  by  Capt.  Harris,  in  the  last  part  of  the  Zoologi- 
cal Transactions. 


402  AFRICAN  RESEARCHES. 

pate,  in  this  quarter,  a  rich  fund  of  scientific  information ; 
and  our  expectations  were  in  no  small  degree  heightened  when 
we  saw  it  stated  in  the  last  number  of  the  Quarterly,  that  the 
work  in  question  would  be  read  with  great  pleasure  by  the 
zoologist,  from  the  valuable  accounts  there  given  of  the  habits 
of  animals  of  the  greatest  rarity.  It  is,  however,  with  a  con- 
siderable feeling  of  disappointment  that  we  have  risen  from 
a  perusal  of  Capt.  Harris's  production.  The  narration  he  has 
given  us,  it  is  true,  teems  with  observations  upon  the  four- 
footed  denizens  of  the  African  wilds,  but  the  points  upon 
which  he  most  frequently  and  fully  enlarges,  are,  with  few 
exceptions,  restricted  to  such  as  bear  upon  his  own  shooting 
exploits,  and  generally  of  but  minor  import  to  the  naturalist. 
If  a  place  is  given  to  a  fact  of  real  scientific  interest,  it  is  ra- 
ther because  it  has  been  forced  on  the  writer's  attention,  than 
that  he  has  troubled  his  brains  about  anything  else  than  the 
number  of  shots  required  to  kill  a  giraffe,  or  the  precise  spot 
in  which  a  ball  should  be  planted  to  drop  a  rhinoceros. 

Captain  Harris  commenced  his  projectile  career  at  the  early 
age  of  six,  by  shooting  at  sparrows  with  a  blunderbuss  ;  and 
when  but  sixteen  he  found  himself  in  Western  India,  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  rifle,  before  the  deadly  grooves  of  which  a  kite  had 
but  little  chance  at  the  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards; 
whether  Jlying  or  sitting  he  has  left  his  readers  to  conjecture. 
With  so  precocious  a  development  of  the  bump  of  propulsion, 
it  may  readily  be  conceived  that  the  rhinoceroses  and  giraffes 
of  the  wilds  of  Africa  presented  targets  of  no  ordinary  attrac- 
tion to  the  vivid  imagination  of  the  youthful  officer.  "Often" 
he  remarks,  "did  I  see  at  the  extremity  of  a  long  vista  of  years 
that  intervened  betwixt  me  and  my  furlough,  the  slender  and 
swan-like  neck  of  the  stately  giraffe,  bowing  distantly  to  our 
better  acquaintance ;  Behemoth,  with  his  square  and  mirth- 
exciting  snout  protruded  from  the  yellow  waters  of  a  vast  ri- 
ver, acting  the  part  of  master  of  the  ceremonies  ;  whilst  a  host 
of  rhinoceroses,  supported  by  gigantic  elephants,  eccentrical- 
ly horned  antelopes,  and  other  fascinating  strangers,  awaited 
their  turn  of  presentation  with  evident  impatience." 

The  dreams  so  fondly  indulged  in  by  our  author  were  des- 
tined to  be  realized.  The  Bombay  Medical  Board  ordered 
him  to  the  Cape,  with  a  warm  recommendation  that  he  should 
penetrate  into  the  interior  of  Africa.  And  here  he  begs  it  may 
not  be  supposed  that  "sport"  was  his  only  object,  having, 
both  from  education  and  taste,  an  ardent  desire  to  contribute 
to  the  Natural  History  and  Geography  of  the  countries  he  was 
about  to  explore.  The  vast  preponderance,  however,  of  our 
author's  "shooting  mania"  as  he  terms  it,  over  all  other  con- 


AFRICAN  RESEARCHES.          .  403 

siderations,  is  but  too  plainly  apparent  in  the  subsequent  pa- 
ges of  his  work.  The  learned  reviewer  in  the  Quarterly  who, 
if  sufficiently  at  home  upon  zoological  matters  to  distinguish 
a  sphinx  from  a  griffin,  we  are  sure  would  feel  wofully  com- 
flustercated *  if  called  upon  to  define  the  difference  between 
a  rifle  and  a  marling-spike,  is  in  ecstacies  with  the  exploits 
of  the  gallant  captain, — speaks  of  the  shots  which  leave 
nothing  more  to  be  wished  for  from  eye, — hand, — lead  and 
gunpowder,  and  is  perfectly  guiltless  of  giving  him  credit  for 
occasionally  shooting  with  a  long  bow.  It  is  well  known  in 
America,  that  now  and  then  a  Kentucky  rifle-shooter  attains 
such  a  degree  of  certainty  in  bringing  down  any  object  with- 
in the  range  of  vision,  that  at  length  the  expenditure  of  his 
powder  and  ball  becomes  altogether  unnecessary, — racoons 
and  squirrels  "  giving  in"  the  moment  his  piece  is  brought  to 
bear  upon  them,  acting  probably  on  the  same  principle  that 
induces  certain  culprits,  when  they  see  no  possibility  of  es 
caping  conviction,  to  plead  guilty,  hoping  to  gain  a  mitigation 
of  punishment  for  having  spared  the  time  and  trouble  of  the 
judge  and  jury.  If,  therefore,  we  remark,  that  the  recital  of 
some  incidents  in  the  present  adventurous  narrative,  has 
strongly  brought  to  our  recollection  passages  in  the  travels 
of  the  never-yet-rivalled  Baron  Munchausen,  this  impression 
must  not  be  attributed  to  our  ignorance  of  what  has  been 
and  may  be  achieved  in  the  way  of  ball  shooting.  The 
singularly  unpleasant  situation  in  which  the  above  celebrated 
traveller  once  found  himself  placed,  in  juxta-position  with  an 
individual  of  the  bruin  tribe, — and  the  extraordinary  display 
of  skill  and  presence  of  mind  by  which  he  extricated  himself, 
when  his  stock  of  ammunition  consisted  of  only  two  gun-flints, 
— proves  how  much  may  be  accomplished,  even  with  the 
most  limited  resources,  if  a  person  will  only  exert  his  wits  to 
the  best  advantage. 

The  bagging  a  stately  camelopard  in  his  native  wilds,  by  a 
shot  from  his  favorite  rifle,  was  an  object  of  our  author's  high- 
est ambition.  But  the  Captain's  first  essay  in  giraffe- shoot- 
ing was  not  destined  to  be  successful. 

"  I  had  shot  a  hartebeest  for  the  savages,  when  an  object  which  had  re- 
peatedly attracted  my  eye — but  which  I  had  as  often  persuaded  myself  was 
nothing  more  than  the  branchless  stump  of  some  withered  tree — suddenly 
shifted  its  position,  and  the  next  moment  I  distinctly  perceived  that  singu- 
lar form,  of  which  the  apparition  had  ofttiines  visited  my  slumbers,  but 


1  For  the  precise  meaning  of  the  word  '  comflustercate, '  sec  Dr.  Peter's 
Dictionary  of  obsolete  verbs. 


404  AFRICAN  RESEARCHES. 

upon  whose  reality  I  now  gazed  for  the  first  time.  It  passed  rapidly  among 
the  trees,  above  the  topmost  "branches  of  many  of  which  its  graceful  head 
nodded  like  some  lofty  pine — it  was  the  stately,  the  long-sought  giraffe. — 
Putting  spurs  to  my  horse,  and  directing  the  Hottentots  to  follow,  I  pre- 
sently found  myself,  half  choked  with  excitement,  rattling  at  the  heels  of 
the  tallest  of  all  the  mammiferes,  whom  thus  to  meet,  free  on  his  native 
plains,  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  few  of  the  votaries  of  the  chase.  Sailing  he- 
fore  me  with  incredible  velocity,  his  long  swan-like  neck  keeping  time  to 
the  eccentric  motion  of  his  stilt-like  legs — his  ample  black  tail  curled  above 
his  back,  and  whisking  in  ludicrous  concert  with  the  rocking  of  his  dispro- 
portioned  frame,  he  glided  gallantly  along,  "  like  some  tall  ship  upon  the 
ocean's  bosom,"  and  seemed  to  leave  whole  leagues  behind  him  at  each 
stride.  The  ground  was  of  the  most  treacherous  description ;  a  rotten  black 
soil,  overgrown  with  long  coarse  grass,  which  concealed  from  view  innumer- 
able cracks  and  fissures,  that  momentarily  threatened  to  throw  down  my 
horse.  For  the  first  five  minutes  I  rather  lost  than  gained  ground,  and  de- 
spairing, in  such  a  country,  of  ever  diminishing  the  distance,  or  improving 
my  acquaintance  with  this  ogre  in  seven-league  boots,  I  dismounted,  and 
had  the  satisfaction  of  hearing  two  balls  tell  roundly  on  his  plank-like  stern. 
But  I  might  as  well  have  fired  at  a  wall ;  he  neither  swerved  from  his  course 
nor  slackened  his  pace,  and  had  pushed  on  so  far  a-head  during  the  time  I 
was  re-loading,  that,  after  re-mounting,  I  had  some  difficulty  in  even  keep- 
ing sight  of  him  amongst  the  trees.  Closing  again,  however,  I  repeated 
the  dose  on  the  other  quarter,  and  spurred  along  my  horse,  ever  and  anon 
sinking  to  his  fetlock ;  the  giraffe  now  flagging  at  each  stride,  until,  as  I 
was  coming  up  hand  over  hand,  and  success  seemed  certain,  down  I  came 
headlong, — my  horse  having  fallen  into  a  pit,  and  lodged  me  close  to  an 
ostriches'  nest,  in  which  the  old  birds  were  sitting." 

Here  we  have  the  first  novelty  in  the  way  of  Natural  His- 
tory,— the  male  and  female  ostrich  employed  at  the  same  time 
in  the  act  of  incubation.  Surely  our  hero  might  have  had  the 
adroitness  to  have  tumbled  into  instead  of  outside  the  ostrich- 
es' nest,  and  across  one  of  the  old  birds,  which,  starting  off 
and  bolting  a-head,  would  in  a  jiffey  have  brought  him  along- 
side of  the  giraffe.  Luckily,  both  horse  and  rider  found  their 
legs  again,  without  having  sustained  any  serious  damage ; 
but  the  violence  of  the  shock  bent  the  rifle  double,  and  so 
nearly  detached  it  from  the  stock,  that  it  hung  only  by  the 
trigger- guard,  a  mishap,  under  such  circumstances,  sufficient 
to  paralise  the  energies  of  any  traveller  who  had  not  a  copy  of 
Baron  Munchausen  in  his  pocket.  Lions  and  black  rhino- 
ceroses were  around,  as  plentiful  as  partridges  in  a  Norfolk 
turnip-field  in  the  month  of  September,  and  the  Captain  was 
alone,  and  his  only  weapon  the  said  unfortunate  rifle. 

To  an  ordinary  mind,  or  one  unpossessed  of  a  shooting  ma- 
nia, a  retreat  with  all  possible  dispatch  to  the  camp,  would 
have  appeared  the  most  prudent  course  in  such  an  emergen- 
cy, but  not  so  thought  our  author  ;  the  object  of  pursuit  was 
still  in  sight,  and,  "  nothing  dismayed  by  this  heavy  calami- 
ty," he  remounted  his  jaded  beast.     But  how  was  the  giraffe 


AFRICAN  RESEARCHES.  405 

to  be  brought  down  or  a  rhinoceros  despatched,  if  such  a  step 
became  desirable  ?  He  could  make  allowance,  in  taking  aim, 
for  the  doubling  of  his  rifle-barrel,  and  grasp  it  round  so  firm- 
ly at  the  breech  with  his  left  hand,  as  to  prevent  its  bursting, 
whilst  the  percussion  cap  could  be  exploded  by  a  blow  from 
his  pocket-knife  or  a  stone.  The  odds  were  fearfully  against 
him,  but  "  nothing  venture  nothing  have,"  and  he  determined 
to  go  on.  The  goal  of  his  ambition  was  at  length  within  his 
reach,  but ; — he  was  still  doomed  to  disappointment. — 

"  In  vain  Iiooked  around  for  a  stone,  and  sought  in  every  pocket  for  my 
knife,  with  which  to  strike  the  copper  cap,  and  bring  ahout  ignition,  or  ham- 
string the  colossal  hut  harmless  animal,  hy  whose  side  I  appeared  the  veri- 
est pigmy  in  the  creation — alas,  I  had  lent  it  to  the  Hottentots  to  cut  off 
the  head  of  the  hartebeest.  Vainly  did  I  wait  for  the  tardy  and  rebellious 
villains  to  come  to  my  assistance,  making  the  air  ring,  and  my  throat  tin- 
gle, with  reiterated  shouts — not  a  soul  appeared  ;  and  in  a  few  minutes,  the 
giraffe  having  recovered  his  wind,  and  being  only  slightly  wounded  in  the 
hind  quarters,  shuffled  his  long  legs,  twisted  his  tail  over  his  back,  walked 
a  few  steps,  then  broke  into  a  gallop,  and  diving  into  the  mazes  of  the  fo- 
rest, disappeared  from  my  sight." 

On  our  author's  return  to  the  camp,  he  found  that  while  he 
was  pursuing  the  giraffe,  his  companion  in  the  expedition,  a 
brother  officer  and  a  devoted  sportsman,  had  also  damaged 
his  rifle,  by  firing  it  down  the  throat  of  an  infuriated  rhino- 
ceros ;  an  operation  by  the  bye,  which  we  should  have  felt  as 
shy  of,  as  that  of  discharging  a  bent  barrel,  by  rapping  the 
nipple  with  a  pocket  knife. 

"Richardson  shortly  returned,  having  been  engaged  in  close  conflict  with 
a  rhinoceros.  Aroused  from  a  siesta  by  the  smarting  of  a  gun-shot  wound, 
the  infuriated  animal  had  pursued  his  assailant  so  closely,  that  it  became 
necessary  to  discharge  the  second  barrel  into  his  mouth,  an  operation  by 
which  the  stock  was  much  disfigured.  I  employed  the  rest  of  the  day  in 
repairing  my  own  weapon  with  the  iron  clamp  of  a  box,  binding  it  with  a  strip 
of  green  hide  from  the  carcase  of  an  eland." 

We  should  have  imagined  the  corpus  of  his  friend  Richard- 
son to  have  stood  a  far  greater  chance  of  being  "  disfigured" 
than  the  stock  of  the  rifle  ;  but  had  it  been  so,  we  don't  for  a 
moment  suppose  the  Captain  would  have  deemed  this  a  cir- 
cumstance of  sufficient  importance  to  have  entered  in  his 
journal. 

The  wThite  rhinoceros  was  found  to  be  much  less  dangerous 
than  the  black,  but  every  four-legged  animal  seems  to  have 
been  pretty  much  the  same  to  the  Captain  ;  for  whenever  the 
mammiferes,  no  matter  what  their  genus  or  species,  evinced 
the  slightest  disposition  to  exceed  the  rules  of  propriety,  the 


406  AFRICAN  RESEARCHES. 

coup-de-grace  was  certain  to  follow  from  the  deadly  grooves 
of  the  Captain's  rifle. 

"  About  sunset  an  unwieldy  white  rhinoceros  approached  the  waggons, 
evidently  with  hostile  intentions.  There  being  neither  bush  nor  hollow  to 
conceal  my  advance,  I  crawled  towards  him  amongst  the  grass,  and  within 
forty  yards  fired  two  balls  into  him.  He  started,  looked  around  for  some 
object  on  which  to  wreak  his  vengeance,  and  actually  charged  up,  with  his 
eye  flashing  fire,  to  within  an  arm's  length  of  me.  Crouching  low,  howev- 
er, I  fortunately  eluded  his  vengeance,  and  he  soon  afterwards  dropped 
down  dead." 

From  the  abundance  in  which  our  author  found  examples 
of  the  king  of  beasts,  it  is  satisfactory  to  find  that  notwith- 
standing the  great  rage  for  establishing  zoological  gardens, 
this  noble  animal  will  afford  sport  to  African  hunters  for  some 
time  to  come. 

"  On  the  bank  of  the  river  I  observed  the  perfect  skeleton  of  an  elephant. 
Near  to  it  'Lingap  suddenly  stopped,  and  pointing  with  his  assegai  to  a 
bush  a  few  yards  off,  whispered  '  TaooJ  and  T  immediately  perceived  three 
lionesses  asleep.  Ensconcing  himself  behind  his  shield,  he  made  signs  to 
me  to  fire,  which  I  did  into  the  middle  of  the  party,  at  the  same  moment 
springing  behind  a  tree,  which  completely  screened  me.  Thus  unceremoni- 
ously awakened,  the  three  ladies  broke  covert,  roaring  in  concert,  and  dash- 
ed into  the  thick  bushes,  while  we  walked  as  fast  as  possible  in  an  opposite 
direction.  In  the  course  of  a  few  minutes  we  heard  several  discharges  of 
musquetry,  and  an  infuriated  rhinoceros,  streaming  with  blood,  rushed  over 
the  brow  of  the  eminence  that  we  were  ascending,  and  was  within  pistol- 
shot  before  we  were  aware  of  his  approach.  No  bush  presenting  itself  be- 
hind which  to  hide,  I  threw  my  cap  at  him,  and  'Lingap  striking  his  shield 
and  shouting  with  stentorian  lungs,  the  enraged  beast  turned  off." 

On  one  occasion  we  find,  however,  that  the  Captain's  head- 
dress inspired  a  feeling  of  a  very  different  nature,  for  whilst 
on  another  giraffe  crusade,  he  tells  us,  that — 

"A  white  turban,  that  I  wore  round  my  hunting-cap,  being  dragged  off 
by  a  projecting  bough,  was  instantly  charged  by  three  rhinoceroses;  and 
looking  over  my  shoulder,  I  could  see  them  long  afterwards,  fagging  them- 
selves to  overtake  me." 

Had  the  three  rhinoceroses  taken  into  their  heads  to  charge 
whilst  the  turban  occupied  its  legitimate  position,  our  hero 
would  have  stood  the  chance  of  a  capsize,  the  unpleasant  con- 
sequences of  which,  even  a  friendly  ostriches'  nest  might  not 
have  averted.  So  improbable  a  contingency  as  this,  however, 
we  will  answer  for  it,  never  suggested  itself  to  the  mind  of  the 
Captain :  he  had  on  a  former  occasion  come  off  victorious, 
when  simultaneously  attacked  by  three  rhinoceroses ;  but  in 
that  one  instance,  he  candidly  admits  that  they  were  very 
iron  hie  some. 


AFRICAN  RESEARCHES.  407 

A  rhinoceros  which  one  day  committed  a  most  unpardonable 
act  of  familiarity,  by  bouncing  into  the  midst  of  a  party  of 
three  or  four  of  them,  was  most  unceremoniously  despatched 
by  a  bullet  sent  in  at  his  garret- window ; — a  favorite  method, 
by  the  bye,  with  the  Captain,  of  disturbing  the  meditations 
of  the  Hippopotamus. 

"  Garret- window,"  it  may  be  as  well  to  mention  en  passant, 
is  a  professional  term  for  the  organ  of  vision,  though  in  the 
absence  of  this  explanation  we  fear  Capt.  Harris  will  have 
given  some  of  his  readers  the  erroneous  impression,  that  the 
Hippopotami,  like  the  beavers,  erect  regular  habitations. 

From  the  extraordinary  success  which  attended  the  Cap- 
tain's rifle  in  the  rhinoceros  line,  our  readers  will  readily 
conceive,  without  going  farther  into  details,  that  elephants, 
lions,  alligators,  and  other  descriptions  of  game,  large  and 
small,  had  each  in  their  turn  a  benefit  from  the  grooves  of 
this  formidable  weapon.  He  had  taken  care  to  provide  himself 
at  starting,  with  eighteen  thousand  bullets,  besides  an  abun- 
dance of  uncast  lead ;  and  subsequent  sportsmen,  who  are  in- 
clined to  follow  a  route  so  rich  in  the  harvest  it  offers,  have, 
we  should  suppose,  merely  to  track  the  course  of  the  expedi- 
tion, by  following  up  the  line  of  skeletons  which,  thanks  to 
the  shooting  mania  of  Captain  Harris,  lie  whitening  in  the 
sun  on  the  African  plains. 

A  more  decided  contrast  to  the  work  under  notice  than  that 
presented  by  the  second  on  our  list,  as  to  general  style  and 
character,  cannot  well  be  imagined.  Never  was  there  a  more 
striking  illustration  of  the  way  in  which  impressions,  con- 
veyed by  physical  facts,  are  modified  under  the  influence  of 
individual  temperament  and  preconceived  ideas.  Captain 
Harris  is  a  shrewd,  high-spirited,  daring,  energetic  fellow, 
whose  whole  soul  is  wrapped  up  in  the  subject  on  which  he 
writes.  The  detonating  principle,  and  the  organ  of  propul- 
sion, may  be  detected  in  every  stroke  of  his  pen.  He  looks 
at  the  lions  and  gigantic  African  pachyderms,  as  only  created 
that  he  may  amuse  himself  with  planting  bullets  in  their  gar- 
ret-windows. The  possibility  of  his  being  one  day  honoured 
by  serving  as  a  luncheon  to  his  feline  majesty,  or  as  a  nose- 
ball  to  a  black  rhinoceros,  fertile  as  is  his  imagination,  never 
once  comes  within  the  boundary  of  his  speculations.  Sir 
James  Alexander's  narrative,  if  we  except  the  texts  of  Scrip- 
ture, doggrel  rhymes,  and  Latin  phrases  of  three  words  and  a 
half,  with  which  it  is  copiously  interlarded,  gives  you  the  idea 
of  the  rotation  of  the  waggon-wheel  regulating  the  machin- 
ery by  which  the  passing  events  are  committed  to  paper. — 
Here  and  there  a  jolt,  or  a  run  down  a  declivity,  occasions  a 

Vol.  III.— No.  32.  n.  s.  2  u 


408  AFRICAN  RESEARCHES. 

slight  variation  in  the  moving  power;  but  a  slow,  jog-trot 
pace  is  the  general  order  of  the  day.  All  the  rubbishing  sto- 
ries with  which  the  Namaqua  grannies  send  their  brats  to 
sleep,  are  crammed  into  Sir  James,  who  eagerly  gulps  them 
down,  and,  religiously  taking  them  for  gospel,  sends  them 
forth  in  his  j ournal  for  the  edification  of  his  readers.  Nothing 
in  the  world  would  induce  our  knight  errant  to  bathe  in  the 
Orange  river,  for  fear  of  being  sucked  down  the  horrific  jaws 
of  the  Hippopotamus,  or  swallowed  by  a  "  dread  Leviathan  " 
that  was  reported  to  have  crawled  out  of  the  water  on  one 
occasion,  and  to  have  devoured  a  newly-born  calf.  Nor 
would  he  take  a  solitary  ramble  along  the  luxuriant  banks  of 
this  magnificent  stream,  lest  he  should  be  clawed  hold  of  by 
a  great  dog-faced  baboon,  five  feet  in  height,  covered  with 
long  black  hair,  and  which  he  tells  us  is  infinitely  more  to  be 
dreaded  than  a  lion,  or  a  Boschman's  poisoned  arrow. 

The  following  awkward  adventure  with  one  of  these  hairy 
monsters,  occurred  to  Sir  James's  man-servant. — 

"  One  day,  while  fishing  alone  under  the  trees,  he  was  diverted  by  the 
gambols  of  some  young  baboons  on  the  opposite  cliffs,  when  suddenly  he 
heard  a  loud  '  quah  '  behind  him  :  and  looking  round,  he  saw  a  great  ba- 
boon close  to  him.  Robert  had  no  weapon  to  defend  himself  with.  The 
hairy  monster  cried  '  quah'  again,  when  a  number  of  other  baboons  were 
seen  rapidly  descending  a  neighbouring  hill.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost 
— Robert  snatched  up  a  branch  which  he  found  at  hand,  and  when  the  ba- 
boon was  closing  with  him,  and  showing  his  horrid  teeth,  with  the  intention 
of  biting  him  to  death  in  the  neck,  Robert  struck  desperately  at  his  head ; 
the  baboon  put  up  his  left  arm,  and  received  the  blow  on  it,  and  immedi- 
ately wrested  the  stick  out  of  Robert's  hands,  though  he  was  a  strong  sai- 
lor. Flight  was  now  Robert's  only  chance,  and  he  took  to  his  heels  as  fast 
as  he  could,  followed  by  the  baboon,  who,  though  partly  crippled  by  the 
blow,  still  'quah  quahed'  after  him,  till  Robert  gained  the  open  country, 
and  the  Namaqua  encampment,  from  which  he  had  come,  appeared ; — the 
baboon  then  gave  up  the  pursuit." 

How  gloriously  well  our  travellers  would  have  pulled  to- 
gether, had  they  only  arranged  to  have  united  their  forces 
at  starting  !  The  gallant  Captain  espies  an  elephant  in  the 
distance,  flapping  its  huge  ears,  and  whetting  its  ivories 
against  the  trunk  of  a  tree  ;  and,  without  thinking  it  necessa- 
ry to  say  a  syllable  to  any  one  of  his  party,  shoulders  his  rifle 
and  marches  singly  off,  with  a  determination  to  scrape  ac- 
quaintance with  the  lordly  animal.  If  all  the  hairy  baboons 
in  the  universe  lay  in  his  way,  or  were  crying  "  quah"  behind 
him,  he  would  not  so  much  as  condescend  to  whisk  his  cap  at 
them.  At  forty  yards  distance  he  has  brought  his  piece  to 
bear,  and  covered  the  fatal  spot  behind  the  shoulder  of  the 
noble  beast ;  the  trigger  is  about  to  be  pulled,  when  he  finds 


AFRICAN  RESEARCHES.  409 

that  his  left  foot  is  treading  on  the  tail  of  a  lioness,  and  that  a  fe- 
rocious-looking rhinoceros  is  meditating  a  rush  upon  him  from 
a  bush  on  his  right.  This  position  of  affairs, — "  the  devil  on 
one  side  and  the  deep  sea  on  the  other,"  to  borrow  the  ex- 
pressive language  of  Sir  James, — disturbs  the  nervous  system 
of  the  Captain  about  as  much  as  the  sight  of  a  polecat  and 
hedgehog  would  th  at  of  an  English  grouse-shooter.  He  knows 
that  the  lioness  will  trot  sulkily  off  at  the  report  of  his  rifle, 
and  if  his  black  friend  make  a  lunge  at  him,  he  has  only  to 
pop  down  into  the  long  grass,  and  be  as  safe  as  a  needle  in 
a  hay-stack.  The  chances  are,  that  he  despatches  the  ele- 
phant with  one  barrel,  and  with  the  other  gives  him  a  com* 
panion  in  the  rhinoceros,  to  the  banks  of  the  Stygian  river. 

Sir  James,  in  speaking  of  the  river-horse,  finding  that  his 
own  language  is  not  sufficiently  forcible  to  convey  an  idea  of 
this  terrific  creature,  employs  that  of  the  inspired  volume, — a 
plan  which  we  think  highly  objectionable,  unless  there  were 
unquestionable  evidence  of  the  particular  animal  referred  to 
in  sacred  history,  as  having  "  bones  as  strong  pieces  of  brass, 
and  like  bars  of  iron, "  and  even  then  the  figurative  language 
of  the  Scriptures  is  anything  but  appropriately  introduced. — - 
Captain  Harris's  ideas  as  to  the  formidable  character  of  this 
monster,  may  be  pretty  well  gathered  from  the  following  pas- 
sage. — 

"  Of  all  the  Mammalia  whose  portaits,  drawn  from  ill-stuffed  specimens, 
have  been  foisted  upon  the  world,  Behemoth  has  perhaps  been  the  most  lu- 
dicrously misrepresented.  I  sought  in  vain  for  that  colossal  head — for 
those  cavern-like  jaws,  garnished  with  elephantine  tusk — or  those  ponder- 
ous feet  with  which  '  the  formidable  and  ferocious  quadruped '  is  wont  to 
'  trample  down  whole  fields  of  corn  during  a  single  night ! '  Defenceless 
and  inoffensive,  his  shapeless  carcass  is  but  feebly  supported  upon  shortand 
disproportion ed  legs,  and  his  belly  almost  trailing  upon  the  ground,  he  may 
not  inaptly  be  likened  to  an  overgrown  pig.  The  colour  is  pinkish  brown, 
clouded  and  freckled  with  a  darker  tint.  Of  many  that  we  shot,  the  larg- 
est measured  less  than  five  feet  at  the  shoulder ;  and  the  reality  falling  so 
lamentably  short  of  the  monstrous  conception  I  had  formed,  the  '  River 
Horse,'  or  <  Sea  Cow '  was  the  first,  and  indeed  the  only,  South  African 
quadruped  in  which  I  felt  disappointed," 

We  feel  bound  to  express  our  unqualified  approbation  of 
the  greater  attention  bestowed  by  Sir  James  than  by  Captain 
Harris  upon  the  habits  of  the  animals  which  fell  under  his  no- 
tice, notwithstanding  the  eager  desire  professed  by  the  latter  to 
contribute  to  the  Natural  History  of  the  country  he  was  about 
to  explore.  A  few  such  notices  as  the  following,  scattered 
through  the  pages  of  the  Captain's  narrative,  would  have  more 
than  justified  the  lavish  encomiums  of  the  Quarterly  Review. 


410  AFRICAN  RESEARCHES. 

The  subject  of  these  observations  is  evidently  an  animal  al- 
together new  to  science,  but  which  Sir  James  mistakes  for 
the  black  rhinoceros. 

u  The  black  rhinoceros,  whose  domains  we  seemed  now  to  have  invaded, 
resembles  in  general  appearance  an  immense  hog ;  twelve  feet  and  a  half 
long,  six  feet  and  a  half  high,  girth  eight  feet  and  a  half,  and  of  the  weight 
of  half  a  dozen  bullocks  ;  its  body  is  smooth,  and  there  is  no  hair  seen,  ex- 
cept at  the  tips  of  the  ears,  and  the  extremity  of  the  tail.  The  horns  of  con- 
creted hair,  the  foremost  curved  like  a  sabre,  and  the  second  resembling  a 
flattened  cone,  stand  on  the  nose  and  above  the  eye ;  in  the  young  animals 
the  foremost  horn  is  the  longest,  whilst  in  the  oid  ones  they  are  of  equal 
length,  namely,  a  foot  and  a  half,  or  more :  though  the  older  the  rhinoce- 
ros the  shorter  are  its  horns,  as  they  wear  them  by  sharpening  them  against 
the  trees,  and  by  rooting  up  the  ground  with  them  when  in  a  passion. 

"  When  the  rhinoceros  is  quietly  pursuing  his  way  through  his  favourite 
glades  of  mimosa  bushes,  (which  his  hooked  upper  lip  enables  him  readily 
to  seize,  and  his  powerful  grinders  to  masticate),  his  horns,  fixed  loosely  on 
his  skin,  make  a  clapping  noise  by  striking  one  against  the  other ;  but  on 
the  approach  of  danger,  if  his  quick  ear  or  keen  scent  make  him  aware  of 
the  vicinity  of  a  hunter,  the  head  is  quickly  raised,  and  the  horns  stand 
stiff  and  ready  for  combat  on  his  terrible  front. 

"  The  rhinoceros  is  often  accompanied  by  a  sentinel  to  give  him  warning, 
a  beautiful  green-backed  and  blue-winged  bird,  about  the  size  of  a  jay, 
which  sits  on  one  of  his  horns.  When  he  is  standing  at  his  ease  among  the 
thick  bushes,  or  rubbing  himself  up  against  a  dwarf  tree,  stout  and  strong 
like  himself,  the  bird  attends  him  that  it  may  feed  on  the  insects  which  ei- 
ther fly  about  him,  or  which  are  found  in  the  wrinkles  of  his  head  and  neck. 
The  creeping  hunter,  stealthily  approaching  on  the  leeward  side,  carefully 
notes  the  motions  of  the  sentinel-bird ;  for  he  may  hear,  though  he  cannot 
see,  the  rhinoceros  behind  the  leafy  screen.  If  the  monster  moves  his  head 
slightly  and  without  alarm,  the  bird  flies  from  his  horns  to  his  shoulder, 
remains  there  a  short  time,  and  then  returns  to  its  former  strange  perch ; 
but  if  the  bird,  from  its  more  elevated  position  and  better  eyes,  notes  the 
approach  of  danger,  and  flies  up  in  the  air  suddenly,  then  let  the  hunter 
beware ;  for  the  rhinoceros  instantly  rushes  desperately  and  fearlessly  to 
wherever  he  hears  the  branches  crack. 

"  Thick  and  clumsy  though  the  legs  of  the  rhinoceros  are,  yet  no  man, 
unless  possessed  of  the  powers  of  my  chief  huntsman,  Henri ck  Buys,  can 
hope  to  escape  him  by  fleetness  of  foot  on  open  ground ;  once  he  has  a  man 
fairly  in  his  wicked  eye,  and  there  is  no  broken  ground  or  bush  for  conceal- 
ment, destruction  is  certain.  The  monster,  snorting  and  uttering  occasion- 
ally a  short  fiendish  scream  of  rage,  bears  down  in  a  cloud  of  dust,  tearing 
up  the  ground  with  his  curved  plough-share,  kicking  out  his  hind  legs  in  a 
paroxysm  of  passion,  and  thrusting  his  horns  between  the  trembling  legs  of 
his  flying  victim,  he  hurls  him  into  the  air  as  if  he  were  a  rag,  and  the  poor 
wretch  falls  many  yards  off.  The  brute  now  looks  about  for  him,  and  if 
there  is  the  least  movement  of  life,  he  runs  at  him,  rips  him  open,  and  tram- 
ples him  to  a  mummy  ! " 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Sir  James  did  not  adopt  the  pre- 
caution of  getting  some  judicious  friend,  with  a  knowledge  of 
Zoology,  to  peruse  his  manuscript  before  it  went  through  the 
press.     Here  we  have  the  description  of  an  animal,  that  is 


AFRICAN  RESEARCHES.  411 

certainly  for  the  Jirst  time  introduced  to  the  notice  of  natu- 
ralists, in  size  and  form  resembling  the  rhinoceros,  but  differ- 
ing so  essentially  from  that  genus,  that  we  can  hardly  suppose 
it  to  belong  to  the  same  group.  The  younger  it  is  the  long- 
er its  horns,  and  these  organs  are  consequently  fully  deve- 
loped at  the  period  of  birth.  In  the  rhinoceros,  the  horns  are 
so  firmly  attached  to  the  bones  of  the  cranium,  that  in  the 
adult  animal  it  is  a  good  half  hour's  work  for  a  man  with  an 
axe  to  cut  them  from  the  skull.  In  this  mammal,  which  Sir 
James  erroneously  calls  a  rhinoceros,  the  horns,  it  appears, 
are  moveable,  and  he  supposes  them  to  be  simply  attached  to 
the  skin,  but  since  their  erection  as  defensive  weapons  would 
require  the  operation  of  powerful  muscles,  they  must  neces- 
sarily be  more  deeply  implanted  than  he  imagines. 

In  our  notice  of  the  Report  of  the  expedition  for  exploring 
Central  Africa,  under  Dr.  Andrew  Smith,1  we  had  occasion 
to  quote  a  passage  in  which  this  enterprising  explorer  and 
talented  zoologist  looks  forward  to  the  time  when  mind  and 
matter  shall  alike  proclaim  the  truth  of  Mr.  Swainson's  doc- 
trines, and  African  travellers  find  little  to  gather,  which  does 
not  corroborate  the  contents  of  his  interesting  volumes.  Now 
Mr.  Swainson  has  lately  informed  us,  in  Dr.  Lardner's  'Cabi- 
net Cyclopedia,'  that  in  the  natural  system  the  rhinoceros  and 
cassowary  mutually  represent  each  other,  from  the  circum- 
stance of  both  possessing  a  dark  protuberance  about  the  fron- 
tal region.  Had  Sir  James  fortunately  possessed  a  copy  of 
Mr.  Swainson's  work,  he  must  have  perceived  that  this  crea- 
ture, with  two  dermal  excrescences  of  concreted  hair  which 
produce  a  noise  by  clapping  against  each  other,  was  a  genus 
among  the  Mammalia  representing  the  rattle-snake  among 
the  ophidians.  We  are  fully  aware  that  the  Crotalus  sounds 
its  rattle  when  irritated,  and  has  this  organ  at  the  tail  instead 
of  the  head ;  but  in  the  natural  system  reverse  conditions, 
instead  of  weakening  analogies,  often  serve  to  render  them 
more  striking.  It  would  be  a  most  interesting  point  to  as- 
certain if  any  particular  species  of  "green-backed  and  blue- 
winged  fly  "  holds  sentinal  guard  upon  the  caudal  extremity 
of  the  rattle-snake. 

Among  other  matters  interesting  to  the  naturalist,  Sir  James 
notices,  in  addition  to  the  common  lion,  of  the  usual  light 
brown  colour,  four  others; — one  entirely  black,  with  long  hair; 
a  third  kind,  quite  white ;  a  fourth,  with  the  neck  only  white ; 
and  a  fifth,  with  legs  striped  like  a  tiger.  Had  he  only  pos- 
sessed the  artistical  skill  of  Captain  Harris,  as  displayed  in 

1  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.  Vol.  i.  n.  s.  p.  101. 


412  AFRICAN    RESEARCHES. 

the  beautiful  sketch  which  adorns  the  last  part  of  the  Zoolo- 
logical  Society's  Transactions,  science  might  perhaps  have 
had  the  benefit  of  something  more  than  a  mere  verbal  notice 
of  these  novelties. 

As  a  security  against  lions,  Sir  James  recommends  travel- 
lers to  take  up  their  quarters  close  to  a  colony  of  pig-faced 
baboons ;  though  from  the  experience  of  his  man,  Robert,  we 
should  have  thought  this  would,  in  real  earnest,  be  jumping 
from  the  frying-pan  into  the  fire. 

A  perhaps  less  objectionable  expedient  to  avoid  the  con- 
tingency of  being  made  a  meal  of  by  the  king  of  beasts,  ap- 
pears to  us  to  arise  out  of  the  following  relation  told  by  one 
of  the  hunters  of  the  party, — Henrick. — 

" '  One  night  I  was  asleep  in  my  hut,  when  I  was  awoke  by  a  noise  out- 
side. My  wife  whispered,  *  I  don't  think  that  is  a  wolf ; '  on  which  I  got 
up,  and  went  out  with  a  keree  (or  knobbed  stick)  in  my  hand,  for  I  had  no 
gun  at  that  time.  Below  a  tree  I  saw  a  cow  lying,  and  as  I  went  to  it  a 
large  animal  left  the  cow  and  came  towards  me.  I  stood  my  ground,  and 
called  out,  when  a  lion  (which  the  large  animal  was),  went  off  to  one  side. 
I  went  up  to  the  cow,  and  found  it,  and  another  beyond  it,  dead.  The  first 
had  been  ripped  up,  and  the  calf  only  eaten,  because  the  contents  of  the 
stomach  of  the  cow  had  come  out  of  its  mouth  and  nose,  whilst  the  other 
cow  had  its  neck  twisted  round,  and  its  horns  fixed  in  the  ground,  so  that 
its  mouth  was  kept  in  the  air,  to  prevent  the  same  ejection  of  food  as  in  the 
first  cow.  I  turned  its  mouth  downwards  to  disgust  the  lion,  and  then  went 
to  sleep  again.' 

"  In  Henrick's  word,  during  some  months'  acquaintance,  I  had  implicit 
confidence ;  and  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  lion  may  feel  a  peculiar  dis- 
gust when  the  above  accident  happens,  and  to  prevent  it  could  easily  with 
his  mighty  paws,  fix  the  horns  of  cattle  in  the  ground.  All  this,  if  true,  is 
a  new  and  interesting  fact  in  the  natural  history  of  the  lion." 

So  absorbed  is  our  author  in  the  scientific  interest  attached 
to  this  new  "fact"  in  Natural  History,  as  entirely  to  overlook 
the  real  value  of  discovering,  that  in  the  event  of  a  peculiar 
chain  of  circumstances  arising,  the  lion,  instead  of  treating 
himself  to  his  intended  meal,  has  the  self-denial  to  cut  his 
stick,  and  march  quietly  off.  Subsequent  treaders  in  his 
steps,  however,  will  not  fail  to  appreciate  the  service  rendered 
them  by  Sir  James,  in  the  hint  which  this  piece  of  informa- 
tion affords.  Instead  of  starting  from  the  cape  with  half  a 
waggon-load  of  metal  in  the  shape  of  leaden  bullets,  and  a 
score  or  more  barrels  of  gunpowder,  the  explorer  who  intends 
acting  only  on  the  defensive,  and  not  waging  war  against  every 
animal  that  crosses  his  path,  will  now  provide  himself  with  a 
far  more  simple  and  less  expensive  kind  of  ammunition. — 
His  store-chest  will  have  one  compartment  exclusively  ap- 
propriated to  a  well-known  powder,  extensively  manufactured 


AFRICAN  RESEARCHES.  413 

under  the  name  of  "  tartar  emetic,"  by  a  worshipful  company 
whose  mills  are  situated — not  on  Dartford  Common — but 
within  a  stone's  throw  of  Bridge  St.  Blackfriars ; — equally  to 
be  relied  on  for  the  certainty  of  its  propulsive  operation,  al- 
though in  its  modus  operandi  differing  materially  from  that 
of  its  black  congener.  And  when  the  shades  of  evening  close 
round,  and  the  hungry  roar  of  rhe  prowling  monarch  reverbe- 
rates through  the  sullen  gloom  of  the  African  forest,  the  tra- 
veller, having  administered  a  scruple  dose  to  each  of  the  oxen, 
and  primed  himself  with  a  few  grains  of  this  explosive  mix- 
ture,— feels  that  in  the  possession  of  an  oesophageal  canal, 
nature  has  supplied  him  with  a  tube,  from  the  mouth  of  which 
the  midnight  intrusion  of  the  tyrant  of  the  woods  is  effectu- 
ally repelled, — and  in  peaceful  security  takes  his  siesta,  unbro- 
ken till  the  flush  of  morning,  even  though  the  bristly  whiskers 
of  the  grim  feline  marauder,  should  brush  the  eyebrows  of  the 
unconscious  slumberer. 

Although  Sir  James  does  not  appear  to  have  contributed  so 
largely  as  Captain  Harris,  towards  making  the  rhinoceros  a 
genus  of  by-gone  days,  yet  that  he  now  and  then  had  the  am- 
bition to  follow  in  the  Captain's  wake,  is  evident  by  the  fol- 
lowing passage. — 

"  We  approached  these  dangerous  animals  with  some  caution,  crept  upon 
them,  and  got  two  or  three  flying  shots  at  them ;  but  unless  they  are  taken 
standing,  with  deliberate  aim  at  the  back-bone,  or  behind  the  jaw,  good  halls 
are  thrown  away  upon  them ;  not  that  their  hide,  though  more  than  an  inch 
thick,  is  impenetrable  in  other  places  to  lead  and  pewter  bullets  (hard  and 
heavy),  such  as  mine  were,  but  because  the  rhinoceros  runs  away  with  a 
bushel  of  balls  fired  through  his  ribs.  In  his  side  they  seemed  to  make  no 
more  impression  on  him,  at  the  time  of  receiving  them,  than  so  many  peas 
would,  though  he  may  die  from  them  afterwards.  So  our  two  first  rhino- 
ceroses, being  continually  on  the  move,  escaped  from  us  though  we  tickled 
them  roughly." 

After  the  hairy  baboon  story  in  the  first  part  of  the  nar- 
rative, for  our  hero,  in  vol.  ii.,  to  speak  with  such  perfect 
sangfroid  of  "  tickling  "  a  rhinoceros,  or  taking  "  deliberate 
aim  at  its  back-bone,"  sounds  inexpressibly  ludicrous.  From 
the  top  of  a  pit-fall,  he  possibly  might  so  far  screw  up  his 
courage  as  to  fire  down  upon  the  spinal  region  of  some  unfor- 
tunate beast  impaled  on  a  stake  at  the  bottom ;  but  let  the 
rhinoceros  be  roaming  unfettered  in  his  native  wilds,  with  his 
horns  clapping  one  against  the  other,  and  we'll  answer  for  it, 
one  clickety -click  of  these  dermal  appendages,  or  even  a 
glimpse  of  the  blue- winged  green-backed  sentinel,  would  send 
Sir  James,  and  his  whole  posse  comitatus,  down  on  their  mar- 
row-bones before  you  could  say  "  Jack  Robinson." 


414  AFRICAN  RESEARCHES. 

Although  we  cannot,  like  Captain  Harris,  boast  of  an  initi- 
ation into  the  mysteries  of  powder  and  shot  at  the  early  age 
of  six,  yet,  from  a  moderate  share  of  experience  in  the  use  of 
explosive  weapons,  were  we  ever  placed  in  such  a  predica- 
ment, that  to  save  our  own  bacon,  a  rhinoceros  must  be  de- 
spatched by  a  single  shot,  we  should  certainly  feel  at  a  loss 
which  alternative  to  select,  as  attended  with  the  least  diffi- 
culty of  accomplishment, — that  of  sending  a  bullet  through 
the  back-bone  of  the  animal  when  quietly  browsing  on  the 
mimosa-leaves,  at  a  respectful  distance  of  forty  yards,  or  al- 
lowing it  to  make  its  rush,  and  when  ploughing  with  its  horn 
the  ground  at  our  feet,1  chancing  a  ball  through  one  of  its 
sky-lights. 

Of  the  many  things  which  excited  the  surprise  of  our  au- 
thor in  the  course  of  his  peregrinations,  on  no  occasion  does 
he  express  himself  in  stronger  terms  of  amazement  than  on 
learning  that  it  was  possible  to  make  a  barrel  throw  a  ball 
straight,  when  it  had  previously  shot  crooked.  As  he  has 
stated,  for  the  benefit  of  his  fellow  officers  in  Her  Majesty's 
service,  how  this  piece  of  conjuration  was  brought  about  by 
the  natives,  we  shall  take  the  liberty  of  availing  ourselves  of 
the  information,  for  the  benefit  of  such  of  our  readers,  who, 
being  "  field  naturalists, "  are  necessarily  interested  in  the  art 
of  gunnery. — 

"  This  was  effected  "by  placing  a  second  sight  near  the  breech,  which  was 
raised  or  depressed,  shifted  from  one  side  to  the  other,  and  then  fixed  when 
the  ball  was  found  to  go  straight  to  the  mark." 

We  have  read  few  passages  in  the  present  narrative  with 
more  satisfaction  than  the  following  : — 

"  Here  I  beg  to  remark  that  during  the  whole  journey  nothing  was  kill- 
ed wantonly,  or  that  we  did  not  positively  require,  either  as  an  article  of 
food,  or  as  a  rare  object  of  natural  history.  I  never  could,  and  I  trust  I 
never  shall,  reconcile  myself  to  the  notion  which  some  sportsmen  entertain, 
that  it  is  manly  to  destroy  as  many  animals  as  one  can :  this  thirst  for  blood 
is  discreditable.  The  exploit  of  which  I  know  some  to  boast,  viz.,  killing 
four  elephants  in  one  day,  or  the  same  number  of  Hippopotami,  with  the 
same  gun,  for  mere  sport,  is  surely  not  praiseworthy." 

With  a  keen  relish  for  the  legitimate  sports  of  the  field,  we 
certainly  do  not  envy  the  feelings  of  the  man  who  can  derive 
enjoyment  from  seeing  the  plain  strewn  with  the  carcasses  of 

1  May  we  request  that  Captain  Harris  or  Sir  James  Alexander  would 
have  the  kindness  to  state,  through  our  own  columns,  or  those  of  some  other 
Natural-History  periodical,  what  the  rhinoceros  does  with  its  nose,  when 
at  full  speed,  ploughing  up  the  ground  with  its  horns. 


BRITISH    ASSOCIATION.  415 

elephants,  struggling  in  the  agonies  of  death,  or  amuse  him- 
self with  galloping  after  a  herd  of  giraffes,  and  hearing  the 
balls  from  his  rifle  tell  upon  the  flanks  of  these  most  graceful 
but  defenceless  animals. 

The  favourable  opinion,  however,  which  we  formed  of  the 
sentiments  entertained  by  our  author  towards  the  brute  crea- 
tion, were  somewhat  damped  by  a  remark  in  a  subsequent 
part  of  his  narrative,  in  which  he  tells  us  "  mere  sport,"  as 
well  as  a  desire  to  feed  his  followers,  led  him  to  "  gird  up  his 
loins  for  the  chase,  and  burn  with  desire  to  slaughter  some  of 
the  larger  game." 

Did  our  limits  admit  of  it,  we  might  introduce  to  our  read- 
ers the  history  of  a  cow  with  a  walking-stick,  of  an  ostrich 
that  put  up  its  foot,  and  with  its  great  toe-nail  tore  open  a 
Boschman  from  top  to  bottom,  and  of  a  hairy  pig-faced  ba- 
boon, that  entered  into  the  service  of  a  farmer,  and  faithfully 
served  him  in  the  capacity  of  shepherd ;  but  the  length  to 
which  our  Review  has  extended,  reluctantly  compels  us  to  bid 
the  travellers  adieu. 

An  Appendix  is  attached  to  Sir  James  Alexander's  narra- 
tive, in  which  Messrs.  Ogilby,  Gray  and  Waterhouse  indicate 
the  new  or  rare  zoological  specimens  collected  in  the  course 
of  the  expedition,  and  Prof.  Lindley  those  in  Botany.  Capt. 
Harris  has  also  inserted  at  the  end  of  his  work,  the  admea- 
surements and  description  of  the  specimens  he  shot,  and  re- 
christens  the  Aigoceros  niger,  in  honor  of  its  discoverer,  Aig. 
Harrisii ! 


MAGAZINE  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

AUGUST,  1859. 

It  is  perhaps  hardly  necessary  to  remind  our  readers,  that  the  ninth 
meeting  of  the  British  Aosociation  is  to  be  held  at  Birmingham  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  present  month.  This  Association  contemplates  no 
interference  with  the  ground  occupied  by  other  Institutions.  Its  objects  are, 
— To  give  a  stronger  impulse  and  a  more  systematic  direction  to  scientific 
inquiry,— to  promote  the  intercourse  of  those  who  cultivate  science  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  British  empire,  with  one  another,  and  ivith  foreign  phi- 
losophers,— to  obtain  a  more  general  attention  to  the  objects  of  science,  and 
a  removal  of  any  disadvantages  of  a  public  kind,  which  impede  its  progress. 
Happily  conceived  and  most  successfully  carried  into  operation  has  been 
Vol.  III.— No.  32.  n.  s.       2  x 


416  AFRICAN  RESEARCHES. 

this  union  of  the  cultivators  of  science  in  each  of  its  numerous  depart- 
ments, to  co-operate  in  promoting-  one  common  object, — the  diffusion  and 
advancement  of  knowledge.  It  is  in  the  highest  degree  gratifying  to 
contemplate  the  powers  which,  in  so  brief  a  space,  this  institution  has  ac- 
quired. In  the  comparatively  short  period  of  eight  years,  it  has  appro- 
priated many  thousand  pounds  to  the  immediate  purposes  in  which  it 
had  its  origin  :  whilst  the  locomotive  principle  involved  in  its  constitu- 
tion, by  which  each  of  our  provincial  towns  becomes  in  its  turn  a  centre 
for  diffusing  the  results  consequent  upon  the  researches  of  the  previous 
year,  cannot  fail  to  stir  up  in  different  parts  of  the  kingdom,  a  spirit  of 
observation,  and  give  an  impulse  to  inquiry  that  must  be  attended  with 
the  happiest  consequences. 

There  is  one  subject  on  which  it  may  readily  be  supposed  we  feel  a 
more  than  ordinary  interest,  and  which,  on  the  ground  of  its  being  an 
impediment  to  the  progress  of  science,  might,  unless  previous  circum- 
stances should  render  such  a  step  unnecessary,  fairly  come  under  the  con- 
sideration of  the  meeting  at  Birmingham  :  we  allude  to  the  present  rates 
of  postage.  The  proposed  bill,  if  not  rejected  by  the  House  of  Peers,  will 
indeed  be  a  boon  to  the  editors  of  scientific  journals,  who,  with  perhaps 
treble  the  amount  of  correspondence,  have  not  one  tenth  the  circulation 
enjoyed  by  periodicals  of  a  more  popular  description.  In  its  relations, 
however,  at  large,  to  the  advancement  of  science,  we  are  satisfied  that  the 
establishment  of  a  uniform  low  rate  of  postage,  especially  if  the  example 
were  followed  by  foreign  governments,  would  exercise  an  influence  to  an 
extent  it  is'  perhaps  hardly  possible  to  conceive,  until  the  measure  shall 
have  come  into  actual  operation.  Should  the  question  not  be  disposed  of 
prior  to  the  forthcoming  meeting,  a  petition  in  its  favour  from  so  numer- 
ous and  influential  a  body  as  the  British  Association,  might  probably 
have  weight  with  some  members  of  the  Upper  House,  and  thus  contribute 
to  the  furtherance  of  an  object,  which  every  one,  having  the  interests  of 
science  at  heart,  must  earnestly  wish  to  be  attained 

It  may  perhaps  be  thought  that  our  critique  upon  the  recently-pub- 
lished narratives  of  Captain  W.  C.  Harris  and  Sir  James  Alexander,  oc- 
cupies a  larger  portion  of  our  columns  than  the  merits  of  their  respective 
authors  entitle  them  to  have  received,  when  other  works,  of  real  scientific 
importance,  and  therefore  presenting  a  stronger  claim  on  our  attention, 
are  as  yet  unnoticed  in  our  pages.  In  giving,  however,  so  prominent  a 
place  to  the  works  in  question,  we  have  been  guided  by  the  circumstan- 
ces under  which  they  are  introduced  to  the  British  public, — circumstan- 
ces which,  we  fear,  are  calculated  to  invest  the  contents  of  these  volumes 
with  a  degree  of  consequence  that  is  spuriously  acquired,  and  which,  for 
many  reasons   it  would  be  desirable  to  counteract. 


MINERAL  CONCHOLOGY.  .  417 

Captain  Harris's  discovery  of  the  beautiful  new  species  of  Aigoceros, 
which  has  recently  been  purchased  by  the  British  Museum ;  and  his  draw- 
ing and  description  of  this  noble  antelope,  in  the  last  part  of  the  Zoolo- 
gical Transactions,  have  rendered  his  name  as  a  "  naturalist"  familiar  to 
European  zoologists.  Whilst  yielding  to  him  the  full  share  of  praise  to 
which  he  is  entitled,  for  this  interesting  addition  to  the  Fauna  of  South 
Africa,  we  cannot  think  the  general  aspect  of  his  narrative  justifies  the 
Quarterly  Review,  through  the  medium  of  its  widely  circulating  pages, 
in  holding  up  his  volume,  for  its  zoological  excellencies,  as  a  pattern  to 
future  African  explorers. 

Sir  James  Alexander  (the  author  of  the  second  narrative)  went  out  at 
the  joint  expense  of  the  Government  and  of  the  Geographical  Society ; 
and  though  he  may  not  have  been  puffed  in  the  Quarterly,  the  value  of 
his  discoveries  has  been  acknowledged,  in  the  honor  of  knighthood  being 
awarded  him  on  his  return. 

After  witnessing  the  exciting  scenes  which  must  sometimes  arise  in  pe- 
netrating through  parts  of  the  African  continent  rarely  or  never  previous- 
ly trodden  by  European  footsteps,  we  can  readily  conceive  that  the  ima- 
gination may  become  so  sensible  to  impressions,  as  almost  unconsciously 
to  blend,  in  some  distant  hour  of  retrospection,  the  realities  of  the  jour- 
ney with  the  adventurous  and  oft-repeated  tales  of  the  native  hunters. 
But  he,  who  has  any  sincere  regard  for  the  interests  of  Natural  History, 
will  bear  in  mind  that  the  philosophical  zoologist  is  anxious  to  acquire 
every  possible  information  respecting  the  habits  of  animals  which,  in  com- 
paratively little  known  portions  of  the  globe,  come  under  the  notice  of 
the  traveller  j  and  that  by  the  exercise  of  the  most  scrupulous  fidelity 
in  recording  facts  which  really  pass  under  his  own  immediate  observa- 
tion, he  has  it  in  his  power  essentially  to  aid  the  former  in  the  discri- 
mination of  doubtful  species,  and  in  the  establishment  of  those  genera- 
lizations, which  must  ever  be  the  higher  objects  of  zoological  science. 
We  trust  however  that  in  future  African  narratives,  an  author  will 
not  be  thought  to  have  been  deficient  in  the  use  of  his  eyes,  or  in  his  zeal 
for  Natural  History,  even  though  he  may  not  have  brushed  a  lion  from 
every  bush,  or  heard  the  noise  of  the  clicking  horns  of  the  pseudo  rhino- 
ceros. 

Our  geological  readers  will  be  gratified  to  see,  by  a  communication 
from  Mr.  James  De  Carle  Sowerby,  that  he  has  at  length  determined  on 
the  immediate  continuation  of  the  '  Mineral  Conchology.'  As  we  have 
already  fully  expressed  our  own  opinion  upon  the  general  question  to 
which  his  letter  is  directed,  it  is  unnecessary  that  we  should  now  make 
any  further  allusion  to  the  subject.    We  may  observe,  however,  that  the 


418  MINERAL   CONCHOLOGY. 

foreign  demand, — one  fourth  of  the  entire  number, — is  much  greater  than 
we  should  have  supposed  ;  and  we  are  led  therefore  to  consider  the  rea- 
sons still  more  urgent,  why  this  demand  should  not  he  supplanted  by  a 
continental  edition.  We  think  the  continuation  of  this  work,  and  also 
the  '  Species  Conchyliorum '  by  Mr.  G.  B.  Sowerby,  of  such  importance, 
that  it  would  afford  us  no  slight  satisfaction  if  their  claims  upon  the  re- 
sources of  the  British  Association,  were  to  be  taken  into  consideration  at 
the  Birmingham  meeting. 

We  have  just  received  the  10th  and  12th  livraisons  of  the  '  Poissons 
Fossiles,' — certainly  two  of  the  most  beautiful  which  have  yet  appeared. 
Several  plates  are  appropriated  to  the  Ichthyodorulites  and  the  teeth  of 
Hybodus,  but  there  is  nothing  bearing  upon  the  subject  of  the  supposed 
frontal  spine  in  this  genus.  We  perceive  that  the  letter  addressed  to  us 
by  Prof.  Agassiz,  has  been  lithographed,  and  copies  inserted  in  the  livrai- 
sons of  this  work. 

We  have  much  pleasure  in  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  two  portraits, 
one  of  Mr.  Children,  and  the  other  of  Mr.  Spence,  just  published  by  Mr. 
Raddon,  formerly  a  London  Artist,  but  now  a  resident  of  Bristol.  We 
can  bear  personal  testimony  to  the  faithfulness  of  the  first,  and  we  think 
highly  of  both  as  works  of  art. 

Should  Mr.  Raddon  meet  with  encouragement,  we  understand  that  he 
will  publish  portraits  of  other  distinguished  entomologists. 


Letter  from  Mr..  James  De  Carle  Sowerby,  on  the  subject  of  the 
French  Edition  of  Mineral  Conchology. 

Camden  Toivn,  July  27,  1839. 

Sir, 

It  is  hardly  possible  that  T  should  remain  silent 
after  seeing,  from  the  strictures  you  have  made  on  the  French 
edition  of  my  '  Mineral  Conchology,'  the  great  interest  you 
feel  in  the  cause  of  that  class  of  authors,  whose  works  are  si- 
milar in  character  to  this  publication.  And  feeling  practically 
that  unless  some  protection  be  afforded  them  by  at  least  their 
brother  authors,  and  the  scientific  portion  of  the  public,  they 
must  soon  be  reduced  to  that  small  number  who  are  suffi- 
ciently opulent  to  pay  for  the  satisfaction  they  experience 
in  their  own  minds,  in  being  able  to  contribute  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  knowledge,    I  beg  to  thank  you  for  the  man- 


MINERAL  CONCHOLOGY.  419 

ly  way  in  which  you  have  advocated  what  appears  to  me  to 
be  the  true  and  lasting  interest  of  science, — the  encouragement 
of  original  publications,  in  opposition  to  the  specious  but 
fleeting  advantages  which  cheap  piracies  possess.  Such 
works  only  tend  to  convert  what  would  otherwise  be  a  flow- 
ing stream,  into  a  stagnant  lake,  by  cutting  off  the  springs 
which  had  given  it  life. 

Mons.  Agassiz  has,  however,  proposed  to  revise  and  cor- 
rect the  work  in  question ;  a  proposal  which,  if  earned  fully 
into  effect,  would  certainly  be  beneficial  to  the  study  of  Geo- 
logy :  but  in  many  instances  it  will  be  found  that  his  transla- 
tion perpetuates  the  errors  of  the  original. 

The  following  short  history  of  the  work  will  explain  why 
revision  and  correction  are  necessary,  and  also  account  for 
the  inequalities  (justly  observed  by  M.  Agassiz)  which  occur 
in  the  execution  of  the  different  parts  of  it.  This  statement 
is  not  offered  as  an  excuse  for  the  errors,  many  of  which  have 
been  corrected  in  the  later  volumes,  but  to  show  that  such  er- 
rors were  mostly  unavoidable  at  the  time  the  work  was  in  pro- 
gress, and  also  as  being  likely  to  interest  all  who  take  a  part 
in  the  discussion  you  have  excited. 

The  first  number  of  the  '  Mineral  Conchology '  was  pub- 
lished by  the  late  Mr.  James  Sowerby,  in  June,  1812,  two 
years  before  Lamarck's  i  Systeme'  appeared.  The  author  be- 
ing much  more  partial  to  the  pictorial  department,  referred 
the  principal  part  of  the  text  to  his  two  eldest  sons  (myself 
and  Mr.  G.  B.  Sowerby),  while  he  executed  the  plates  wholly 
himself:  and  he  continued  his  task  regularly,  even  during  a 
long  and  painful  illness,  until  within  three  or  four  days  of  his 
death  in  1822,  when  a  considerable  portion  of  the  fourth  vo- 
lume had  been  published.  For  some  time  previously  to  this 
sad  event,  it  had  fallen  to  my  lot  to  describe  the  whole  of  the 
shells,  and  now  I  was  obliged,  in  addition,  to  engrave  the 
plates,  a  few  only  having  been  done  in  advance  by  my  father. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  sixth  volume,  circumstances  induced 
me  to  close  the  work,  with  a  view  to  commencing  it  again  in 
a  form  more  agreeable  to  the  wishes  of  geologists  ;  and  this 
intention  has  not  been  lost  sight  of,  for  a  continual  expense 
has  been  incurred  in  collecting  new  materials,  and  many 
thanks  are  due  to  my  friends  in  responding  to  my  request ; 
still  however  the  whole  of  the  indexes  are  not  published,  and 
chiefly  because  I  have  been  induced  to  give  up  my  time  to- 
wards forwarding  the  immediate  objects  of  the  leading  geo- 
logists of  England,  by  yielding  them  the  best  assistance  my 
humble  talent  would  permit. 

The  sale  of  the  'Mineral  Conchology'  has  only  been  about 


420  LYCOPODIUM    INUNDAT-UM. 

400  copies,  above  one  fourth  of  which  number  has  been  sent 
abroad.  The  encouragement  therefore  for  carrying  on  the 
work  has  hitherto  been  not  very  great ;  but  your  having  di- 
rected public  attention  so  strongly  to  it,  and  the  anxious 
wishes  of  my  friends,  have  stimulated  me  to  determine  now 
upon  its  immediate  continuation,  which  I  hope  to  effect  in  a 
month  from  this  time. 

I  fear  I  have  said  too  much  about  myself,  but  you  will 
perhaps  excuse  me  if  I  say  a  few  words  in  reference  to  the 
translation.  Mons.  Agassiz  has  not  always  improved  the  ge- 
neric characters  by  the  alterations  he  has  made.    For  instance, 

under  Solen  he  says, "Car.  Gen.  Bivalve longitudinale," 

instead  of  transversely  elongated.  In  Ammonites  the  word 
"dorsal "  is  inserted,  whereas  the  siphon  is  truly  ventral ;  &c. 
Neither  has  he  embodied  all  the  corrections  given  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  work,  indeed  he  seems  not  to  have  consulted 
the  index  in  No.  105  in  any  case.  There  Cassis  is  referred 
to  Cassidaria ;  Modiola  parallela  to  Plagiostoma  elongatum; 
Helicina  to  Rotella;  Helix  carinatus  to  Pleurotomaria,  whe- 
ther correctly  or  not,  may  be  a  question,  but  certainly  it  is 
not  a  Cirrus,  (he  proposes  to  name  it  Cirrus  Sowerby) ;  Ve- 
nus to  Cyprina ;  Murex  to  Fusus ;  and  Vivipara  to  Palu- 
dina :  though  Agassiz  has  introduced  several  of  these  altera- 
tions as  his  own.  Still,  some  of  his  remarks  are  good,  and 
will  not  be  lost  sight  of  by  me. 

I  am,  Sir, 

Your's,  &c. 

J.  D.  C.  Sowerby. 


SHORT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

/  trust  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  in  London  in 
July,  1840 ;  in  the  mean  time  I  hope  I  shall  be  a  little  suc- 
cessful in  procuring  a  few  more  objects  in  Natural  History, 
worthy  the  notice  of  zoologists.  The  stores  I  now  possess 
will  occupy  the  Proceedings  in  the  various  branches  of  Zoo- 
logy, for  many  years  to  come. — H.  Cuming. — Manila,  Nov. 
18,  1838. 

Lycopodium  inundatum  grows  within  a  hundred  yards  of 
the  railway  station  on  Woking  Common. — George  Luxford, 
A.L.S.,  ^c.— London,  July  11,  1839. 


THE  MAGAZINE 

OF 

NATURAL   HISTORY. 


SEPTEMBER,  1839. 


Art.  I. — Extract  from  the  Proceedings  of  the  Zoological  Society,  on  the 
subject  of  the  relation  existing  between  the  Argonaut-shell  and  its  cephalo- 
podous  inhabitant. 

February  26th,  1839. — "  A  highly  interesting  and  valuable  series  of  speci- 
mens of  thePaper  Nautilus  (Argonauta  Argo),  consisting  of  the  animals  and 
their  shells  of  various  sizes,  of  ova  in  various  stages  of  development,  and  of 
fractured  shells  in  different  stages  of  reparation,  were  exhibited  and  com- 
mented on  by  Professor  Owen,  to  whom  they  had  been  transmitted  for  that 
purpose  by  Madame  Jeannette  Power.  Mr.  Owen  stated  that  these  speci- 
mens formed  part  of  a  large  collection  illustrative  of  the  natural  history 
of  the  argonaut,  and  bearing  especially  on  the  long-debated  question  of 
the  right  of  the  cephalopod  inhabiting  the  argonaut-shell  to  be  considered 
as  the  true  fabricator  of  that  shell. 

"  This  collection  was  formed  by  Madame  Power  in  Sicily,  in  the  year 
1838,  during  which  period  she  was  engaged  in  repeating  her  experiments 
and  observations  on  the  argonaut,  having  then  full  cognizance  of  the  na- 
ture of  the  little  parasite  (Hectocotylus,  Cuv.),  which  had  misled  her  in  re- 
gard to  the  development  of  the  argonaut  in  a  previous  suite  of  experiments 
described  by  her  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Giaenian  Academy  for  1836. 

"  As  this  mistake  has  been  somewhat  illogically  dwelt  on,  to  depreciate 
the  value  of  other  observations  detailed  in  Madame  Power's  Memoir,  Mr. 
Owen  observed,  that  it  was  highly  satisfactory  to  find  that  the  most  impor- 
tant of  the  statements  in  that  memoir  had  been  subsequently  repeated  and 
confirmed  by  an  able  French  malacologist,  M.  Sander  Rang.  Mr.  Owen 
then  proceeded  to  recapitulate  these  points. 

"  First,  with  reference  to  the  relative  position  of  the  cephalopod  to  the 
shell,  Madame  Power,  in  her  memoir  of  1836,  describes  the  siphon  as  be- 
ing applied  to  the  part  of  the  shell  opposite  the  involuted  spire.  M.  San- 
der Rang,  who  made  his  observations  on  the  argonaut  in  the  port  of  Algiers, 
after  having  had  cognizance  of  Madame  Power's  experiments,  states,  in 
his  memoir  published  in  Guerins's  *  Magazin  de  Zoologie'  (1837),  that  in 
all  the  argonauts  observed  by  him,  the  siphon  and  ventral  surface  of  the 
cephalopod  were  invariably  placed  against  the  outer  wall  or  keel  of  the 
shell,  and  the  opposite  or  dorsal  surface  of  the  body  next  the  involuted  spire. 
"  Secondly,  with  reference  to  the  relative  position  of  the  arms  of  the  ce- 
phalopod to  the  shell,  and  the  uses  of  the  dorsal  pair  of  arms,  usually  called 
the  "  sails, "  Madame  Power  had  described  these  velated  arms  as  being 
placed  next  the  involuted  spire  of  the  shell,  over  which  they  were  bent,  and 
expanded  forwards  so  as  to  cover  and  conceal  the  whole  of  the  shell,  and 
from  which  they  were  occasionally  retracted  in  the  living  argonaut :  she 
further  made  the  important  discovery  that  these  expanded  membranes  were 
the  organs  of  the  original  formation  and  subsequent  reparation  of  the  shell, 
and  ingeniously  and  justly  compared  them,  in  her  memoir  of  1836,  to  the 
Vol.  III.— No.  33.  n.  s.  2  y 


422  PROF.  OWEN  ON  THE  ARGONAUT. 

two  lobes  of  the  mantle  of  the  cowry.  These  facts  are  described  as  the  re- 
sult of  actual  observation ;  but  Madame  Power,  entertaining  the  common 
belief  of  the  action  and  use  of  the  velated  arms  in  the  sailing  of  the  cepha- 
lopod,  enters  into  considerations  respecting  their  proportional  strength  in 
relation  to  that  hypothetical  office.  The  subsequent  observations  of  M. 
Rang  have  fully  confirmed  the  accuracy  of  Madame  Power's  description 
of  the  relative  position  of  the  so-called  sails  of  the  argonaut  to  the  shell ; 
and  he  has  published  some  beautiful  figures  illustrative  of  this  fact.1 

"  Thirdly,  M.  Rang  confirms  the  discovery  of  Madame  Power  as  to  the 
faculty  possessed  by  the  cephalopod  of  reproducing  its  shell,  but  he  was 
unable  to  preserve  his  captive  argonaut  sufficiently  long  to  witness  the  com- 
plete deposition  of  calcareous  matter  in  the  new  substance  by  which  the 
argonaut  had  repaired  the  fracture  purposely  made  in  its  shell. 

"  There  are  other  observations  in  the  original  memoir  of  Madame  Power, 
as,  e.g.  with  respect  to  the  flexibility  and  elasticity  of  the  living  shell  of  the 
argonaut ;  the  great  extensibility  and  pump-like  action  of  the  siphon  in  lo- 
comotion ;  the  use  of  the  velated  arms  in  retaining  the  shell  firmly  upon 
the  cephalopod ;  the  great  voracity  of  the  argonaut ;  the  constantly  fatal 
results  of  depriving  it  of  its  shell ;  all  of  which  statements  are  of  great  in- 
terest and  novelty  in  the  history  of  this  problematical  mollusc,  and  some  of 
which  likewise  receive  confirmation  in  the  memoir  of  M.  Sander  Rang. 

"  Notwithstanding,  however,  that  so  many  additional  facts  had  been  thus 
brought  to  bear  on  the  relations  subsisting  between  the  argonaut-shell  and 
its  occupant,  Mr.  Owen  observed  that  the  leading  malacologists  who  advo- 
cated the  parasitic  theory,  had  reiterated  their  conviction  of  its  truth ;  and 
even  M.  Rang,  though  evidently  biassed  by  what  he  had  observed  in  favour 
of  the  opposite  view,  yields  so  much  to  the  authority  of  M.  de  Blainville, 
as  to  declare  himself  in  a  state  of  the  most  complete  uncertainty  on  the 
subject ; — '  Nous  nous  trouvons  en  ce  moment  dans  le  plus  complete  incer- 
titude.'— Loc.  cit. 

"  In  this  state  of  the  question  a  collection  of  specimens  of  the  argonauts, 
such  as  Madame  Power  had  submitted  to  the  examination  of  the  Zoologi- 
cal Society,  was  of  the  greatest  importance,  if  impartially  and  logically  con- 
sidered with  reference  to  the  points  at  issue ;  and  Mr.  Owen  stated,  that 
having  studied  this  collection  with  much  caTe,  he  should,  in  the  first  place, 
restrict  himself  to  such  observations  and  arguments  as  would  naturally  flow 
from  an  examination  of  the  specimens  themselves,  apart  from  any  history 
or  statement  with  which  they  had  been  accompanied  when  first  placed  in 
his  hands  by  Madame  Power. 

"  The  collection  of  argonauts, — cephalopods  and  shells, — preserved  in 
spirits,  included  twenty  specimens,  at  different  periods  of  growth,  the  small- 
est having  a  shell  weighing  not  more  than  one  grain  and  a  half,  the  re- 
mainder increasing,  by  small  gradations,  to  the  common-sized  mature  in- 
dividual. 

"  Mr.  Owen's  first  attention  was  directed  to  the  relative  position  of  the 
cephalopod  to  its  shell.  In  every  case  it  corresponded  to  that  which  obtains 
in  the  pearly  nautilus,  the  siphon  and  ventral  surface  of  the  cephalopod  being 
placed  next  the  broad  keel  forming  the  external  wall  of  the  shell,  the  dorsal 
surface  of  the  body  next  the  involuted  spire  or  internal  wall.  In  most  of  these 
specimens  the  velated  arms,  which  are  nearest  the  involuted  spire,  were  re- 
tracted; but  in  some  of  the  larger  examples  they  had  been  admirably  pre- 
served in  a  fully-expanded  and  flexible  state,  and  in  their  natural  position 
as  envelopes  of  the  shell. 


See  No.  2  of  the  Sup.  Plates  to  Mag.  Nat.  Hist— Ed. 


PROF.  OWEN  ON  THE  ARGONAUT. 


423 


"  A  second  fact,  of  considerable  weight  in  the  debated  point  of  the  para- 
sitism of  the  argonaut,  was  afforded  by  this  collection,  viz.,  that  in  ten  of 
the  younger  specimens  there  were  no  ova  in  the  shell,  but  the  body  of  the 
cephalopod  occupied  the  whole  of  the  cavity  of  the  shell,  to  which  it  accurately 
corresponded  inform.  It  was  scarcely  possible,  Mr.  Owen  observed,  to  con- 
template these  specimens  without  deriving  a  conviction  that  the  body  had 
served  as  the  mould  upon  which  the  shelly  matter  had  been  deposited ;  and 
with  reference  to  the  expanded  membranes  of  the  dorsal  arms,  to  which  the 
office  of  calcification  was  assigned  by  Madame  Power  and  M.  Rang,  these, 
it  should  be  remembered,  were,  in  fact,  essentially  productions  of  the  man- 
tle, and  possessed  the  same  structure.  It  was  only  in  the  smaller  specimens, 
however,  that  the  body  filled  the  shell ;  when  the  ovarium  begins  to  enlarge 
the  body  is  drawn  from  the  apex  of  the  shell,  and  the  deserted  place  is  oc- 
cupied chiefly  by  the  mucous  secretion  of  the  animal,  until  the  ova  are  de- 
posited therein. 

"  Mr.  Owen  then  reminded  the  members  present,  that  in  former  discus- 
sions on  the  nature  of  the  argonaut,  he  had  opposed  to  the  parasitic  theory 
an  observation  made  by  himself  on  a  series  of  young  argonauts,  of  a  differ- 
ent species  from  the  Argonauta  Argo,  all  captured  at  the  same  time,  and 
exhibiting  different  sizes  and  degrees  of  growth,  viz.,  the  exact  correspon- 
dence between  the  size  of  the  shells  and  that  of  their  inhabitants,  every  trifling 
difference  in  the  bulk  of  the  latter  being  accompanied  with  proportional  dif- 
ferences in  the  size  of  the  shells  which  they  occupied.1  Madame  Power's 
collection  of  young  argonauts  afforded  the  means  of  pursuing  this  compa- 
rison to  a  much  further  extent,  and  Mr.  Owen  had  not  only  done  so  in  re- 
ference to  their  relative  size,  but  had  also  weighed  the  shell  and  its  inha- 
bitant separately  of  each  specimen,  from  the  smallest  up  to  that  in  which 
the  ov:i  were  fully  developed  in  the  ovarium.  The  following  tabular  view 
was  given  of  the  weights  and  measurements  of  ten  of  the  alternate  speci- 
mens in  this  series. 


A 

% 
18 

B 

gra. 

21 

C 

grs. 

3f 
24 

D 

grs. 

n4 

E 

grs. 

n 

62 

F 

grs. 
lOi 
82| 

G 

grs. 
1655 

H 

grs. 

18 

178 

I 

grs. 

19 

214 

K 

grs 
46 
384 

Weight  of  the  Shell    

Weight  of  the  Inhabitants    . . 

Length  of  the  Shelie   

lin. 
8 

lin. 
11 

lin. 
12 

lin. 
12| 

lin. 
15 

lin. 
22J 

lin. 
23 

lin. 
24J 

lin. 
27 

lin. 
37 

1  Zool.  Trans.  Vol.  ii.  pt.  ii.  p.  115. 

2  In  each  case  the  cephalopod  was  removed  from  the  shell,  and  both  were 
placed  on  blotting-paper,  to  absorb  the  superfluous  liquor ;  due  care  was 
taken  to  weigh  each  specimen  under  conditions  as  precisely  similar  as  pos- 
sible. 

3  The  disproportionate  ratio  in  the  increase  of  the  shell  B  arises  from  the 
additional  portion  of  the  shell  being  thicker  and  heavier  in  proportion  to 
the  previously-formed  part,  than  in  the  subsequent  periods  of  growth,  so 
that  the  increase  of  weight  is  in  a  greater  ratio  than  the  increase  of  size. 

4  Clusters  of  ovisacs  were  conspicuous  in  D  to  the  naked  eye  in  the  ova- 
rium, which  had  already  begun  to  expand  under  the  sexual  stimulus. 

5  The  ovarium  has  now  begun  rapidly  to  enlarge. 

6  This  admeasurement  was  taken  in  a  straight  line,  traversing  the  longest 
diameter  of  the  shell ;  it  was  found  impracticable  to  give  any  constant  ad- 
measurement of  the  cephalopod,  in  consequence  of  the  varying  state  of  con- 
traction and  form  of  its  soft  and  changeable  body. 


424  PROF.  OWEN  ON  THE  ARGONAUT. 

"  Mr.  Owen  stated  that  the  correspondence  in  the  progressive  increase  of 
inhabitant  and  shell,  though  not  strictly  conformable,  was  so  close  as  to 
present,  in  his  opinion,  an  insurmountable  objection  to  the  parasitic  theory. 
In  every  instance  the  inhabitant  of  a  larger  shell  weighed  more  than  that 
of  a  smaller  one,  even  where  the  difference  in  the  weight  of  the  shell  was 
but  half  a  grain ;  while  the  few  irregularities  observed  in  the  progressive 
increase  of  the  two  could  in  each  case  be  accounted  for,  either  by  the  en- 
largement of  the  ovarium,  which  added  to  the  weight,  without  a  propor- 
tional increase  to  the  superficies  of  the  individual ;  or,  on  the  other  hand, 
to  a  more  rapid  increase  in  the  thickness  of  the  shell  at  the  earlier  periods 
of  its  growth,  or  to  a  greater  development  of  the  angular  processes  of  the 
mouth  of  the  shell,  as  an  individual  peculiarity.  In  a  collection  of  young 
parasitic  hermit-crabs  (Paguri),  the  smaller  specimens  are  commonly  seen 
in  shells  of  various  species,  and  frequently  very  disproportionate  bulk ;  the 
contrary  is  the  case  in  the  young  of  the  argonaut.  '  Now  these  young  ce- 
phalopods  (Mr.  Owen  observed)  grow,  like  the  rest  of  the  class,  with  great 
rapidity ;  the  differences  in  the  size  of  many  of  the  young  argonauts  in 
question  corresponded  with  differences  of  age  of  a  few  days  at  the  utmost;' 
so  that,  if  the  accuracy  of  the  above  observations  made  by  Mr.  Owen  on  two 
series  of  two  distinct  species  of  argonaut,  be  admitted,1  '  a  naturalist  enter- 
taining the  parasitic  theory,  must  be  compelled  to  suppose  that  the  young 
Ocythbeov  cephalopodis  engaged  ina  perpetual  warfare  with  the  hypothetical 
nucleo-branchiate  constructor  of  the  argonaut-shell,  which  shell,  to  produce 
the  correspondences  above  described,  the  young  Ocythoe  must  change  two 
or  three  times  a  week,  if  not  every  day.  And  nevertheless,  although  each 
prolific  cephalopod  of  the  argonaut  sends  into  the  world  hundreds  of  little 
ones  that  must  be  so  accommodated,  and  although,  on  the  parasitical  hy- 
pothesis, hundreds  of  the  hypothetical  nucleo-branchiate  constructors  of  the 
argonaut-shell  ought  to  swarm  about  the  port  of  Messina,  where  Madame 
Power  obtained  the  specimens  with  which  she  stocked  her  molluscous  viva- 
rium, and  notwithstanding  that  M.  de  Blainville  has  called  the  special  at- 
tention of  naturalist-collectors  to  the  hypothetical  true  constructor  of  the 
argonaut-shell,  as  a  chief  desideratum  in  Malacology ;  and  lastly,  notwith- 
standing this  hypothetical  nucleo-branchiate  mollusc  ought,  on  M.  de 
Blainville's  theory,  to  be  nearly  allied  to  the  Atlanta  and  Carinaria,  and 
therefore  a  floating  pelagic  species,  generally  to  be  met  with  on  the  surface 
of  the  ocean ; — yet  had  it  still  evaded  the  observation  of  the  numerous  ac- 
tive collectors  engaged  in  exploring  the  zoological  riches  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean in  different  parts  of  its  coasts.' 

"  It  is  in  vain  to  repeat,  with  reference  to  the  non-discovery  of  any  other 
inhabitant  of  the  argonaut  than  the  cephalopod, — '  Ce  que  ne  peut  etre 
range  au  nombre  des  argumens,  parceque  ce  qui  n'as  pas  eu  lieu  jusqu'  a 
un  moment  determine,  peut  se  montrer  le  moment  suivant; '  that '  what  is 
a  fact  at  the  present  moment,  viz.  the  non-discovery  of  the  hypothetical 
true  constructor  of  the  argonaut,  may  be  no  longer  a  fact  at  the  moment 
after.'  Such  an  observation  could  only  possess  argumentative  force  in  the 
absence  of  other  facts  showing  the  high  degree  of  improbability  that  a  float- 
ing pteropod  or  heteropod,  sufficiently  abundant  to  have  supplied  all  the 
argonauts  of  the  Mediterranean  with  their  shells,  could  have  escaped  ob- 
servation.' 

1  They  accord  with  the  statement  of  Poli,  and  with  the  observations  of 
M.  Prevost,  founded  on  a  suite  of  specimens  of  the  argonaut  from  the  size 
of  one  and  two  inches  to  three  or  four  inches.  These  are  quoted  byM.  de 
Blainville  in  his  memoir  of  1837  (p.  10),  but  without  the  deductions  which 
I  have  drawn  from  the  same  facts. 


PROF.  OWEN  ON  THE  ARGONAUT.  425 

"  Mr.  Owen  then  proceeded  to  state  that  he  had  dissected  every  specimen 
in  the  present  collection,  in  which  the  absence  of  ova  in  the  shell  left  the 
sex  doubtful,  and  that  they  all  proved  to  be  females ;  this  fact  rendered  it 
allowable  to  conjecture  that  the  calcifying  brachial  membranes,  and  con- 
sequently the  shell,  might  be  sexual  characters,  and  peculiar  to  the  female. 
But,  he  argued,  k  the  known  paucity  of  males  as  compared  with  females  in 
other  species  of  cephalopods,  rendered  the  conjecture  to  a  certain  degree 
problematical.  Should  it,  however,  be  hereafter  proved  that  the  male  ar- 
gonaut possessed  neither  a  shell  nor  the  organs  for  secreting  it,  this  fact 
would  not  render  the  hypothesis  of  the  parasitism  of  the  female,  which  does 
possess  the  calcifying  membranes,  at  all  the  less  tenable.' 

"  With  respect  to  the  shell  of  the  argonaut,  Professor  Owen  observed  that 
'  any  argument  founded  on  observations  on  the  dried  shells  in  cabinets, 
could  tend  only  to  mislead  the  observer.  Madame  Power's  specimens  hav- 
ing been  recently  collected,  and  preserved  in  alcohol  of  not  too  great  strength, 
manifested  much  of  the  original  transparency  and  elasticity  of  the  living 
shell.  It  was  obvious,  therefore,  that  light  would  act  in  developing  the 
coloured  spots  on  the  contained  body  of  the  argonaut ;  and  this  fact  is  im- 
portant in  reference  to  the  seventh  argument  in  M.  de  Blainville's  memoir 
of  1837,  p.  4.,  in  which  he  asserts  that  '  those  parts  of  molluscs  which  are 
covered  with  a  shell  are  constantly  white  or  colourless,  but  the  mantle  in- 
vesting the  body  of  the  argonaut  is  highly  coloured.'  Now,  if  M.  de  Blain- 
ville's object  had  been  to  prove  that  the  Ocythoe  did  not  inhabit  a  shell  at 
all,  the  force  or  purport  of  this  observation  would  have  been  intelligible ; 
but  the  question  is  not  whether  the  body  of  the  Ocythoe  is  or  is  not  covered 
with  a  shell,  but  whether  it  makes  or  steals  that  shell.  But  perhaps  the 
argument,  founded  on  the  supposed  opacity  of  the  argonaut  shell,  was 
brought  forward  merely  to  prove,  that  up  to  a  certain  period  of  its  exist- 
ence the  Ocythoe  was  naked,  and  that  the  argonaut-shell  was  taken  posses- 
sion of  only  for  some  temporary  purpose,  as  for  ovipositiom  The  observa- 
tions, however,  which  I  published  in  1836  (Cycl.  of  Anat.,  Art.  Cephalopo- 
da, p.  544),  proved  that  the  young  cephalopod  of  the  argonaut  was  provided 
with  a  shell  prior  to  the  period  of  oviposition,  and  that  the  body  entirely 
filled  the  shell  at  that  period.  The  present  collection  still  more  satisfacto- 
rily establishes  the  fact,  that  the  argonaut-shell  is  not  assumed  by  the  ce- 
phalopod for  a  temporary  purpose ;  for  the  shell  which  protects  the  young 
would  be  wholly  inadequate  as  a  nidus  for  the  ova  of  the  mature  animal ; 
and  for  what  purpose,  then,  on  the  parasitic  theory,  is  the  shell  assumed  by 
the  cephalopod  before  its  ovarium  has  received  the  stimulus  of  sexual  de- 
velopment ? ' 

"  In  Madame  Power's  recently-collected  specimens  the  shell,  after  a  few 
hours'  soaking  in  water,  regained  so  much  of  its  original  flexibility  as  to 
demonstrate  its  power  of  varying  its  form  with  the  varying  bulk  arising 
from  the  respiratory  and  locomotive  actions  of  the  inhabitant.1 

"  The  inductions,  therefore,  which  the  present  collection  of  argonauts  of 
different  ages  and  sizes  legitimately  sustained,  were  in  exact  accordance 
with  Madame  Power's  belief  that  the  cephalopod  was  the  true  constructor 

1  In  M.  de  Blainville's  Letter  on  the  Parasitism  of  the  Argonaut  (1837), 
the  following  assertion  is  offered  as  the  tenth  argument: — '  La  mode  de  lo- 
comotion et  de  respiration  de  ces  animaux  par  la  contraction  et  la  dilata- 
tion alternatives  du  sac,  ne  permet  pas  d'admettre  qu'il  y  ait  adherence  de 
la  peau  avec  la  coquille,  a  moins  que  de  supposer  que  celle-ci  soit  flexible 
et  elastique,  et  suive  tous  les  mouvemens  de  celle-la,  ce  qui  est  bien  loin 
de  la  verite. ' 


426  PROF.  OWEN  ON  THE  ARGONAUT. 

of  the  shell,  while  no  contradictory  inference  had  heen,  or  could  be,  dedu- 
ced from  an  examination  of  the  specimens  themselves. 

"  With  reference  to  the  second  suite  of  specimens,  viz.  the  ova  of  the 
argonaut  in  different  stages  of  development,  Mr.  Owen  entered  into  a  de- 
tailed account  of  the  new  and  interesting  facts  which  they  revealed.  In 
the  ova  most  advanced,  the  distinction  of  head  and  body  was  established ; 
the  pigment  of  the  eyes,  the  ink  in  the  ink-bladder,  the  pigmental  spots  on 
the  skin,  were  distinctly  developed  ;  the  siphon,  the  beak, — which  was  co- 
lourless and  almost  transparent, — and  the  arms,  were  also  discernible  by  a 
low  microscopic  power;  the  arms  were  short  and  simple;  the  secreting 
membranes  of  the  shell  were  not  developed,  and  of  the  shell  itself  there  was 
no  trace. 

"  In  the  second  memoir  of  1838,  published  by  Madame  Power,  it  is  stat- 
ed that  the  young  argonaut  is  excluded  from  the  egg,  as  such,  but  naked, 
twenty-five  days  after  oviposition,  and  that  in  ten  or  twelve  days  more  she 
discovered  that  they  had  formed  their  little  shell.  Mr  Owen  regretted 
that  there  were  no  specimens  in  the  present  collection  exhibiting  the  com- 
mencing formation  of  the  shell ; — these  were  still  a  desideratum  :  but  he 
proceeded  to  say,  that  the  observations  on  the  development  of  the  ova  of  the 
Mollusca  in  general,  which  science  possessed,  would  be  greatly  overstated 
if  one  per  cent,  of  the  known  species  of  Mollusca  were  allowed  to  have  been 
subjected  to  such  examination ;  he  could  not  therefore  admit,  or  indeed 
understand,  the  philosophy  of  regarding  the  period  of  the  development  of 
a  mere  dermal  production,  like  the  shell,  as  being  subject  to  so  precise  a 
law,  that  its  non-appearance  in  an  embryo-mollusc,  prior  to  its  exclusion 
from  the  egg-covering,  was  to  be  considered  proof  positive  that  such  mol- 
lusc should  never  thereafter  have  the  power  of  secreting  a  shell.  Now  it 
was  evident,  from  the  observation  of  Madame  Power's  specimens,  indepen- 
dently of  any  statements  respecting  them,  that  the  expanded  membranes  of 
the  dorsal  pair  of  arms  are  not  formed  until  the  development  of  the  embryo 
has  far  advanced :  if,  therefore,  these  membranous  arms  be,  as  Madame 
Power  states,  the  organs  of  the  secretion  of  the  shell,  that  shell  may  not  be 
formed  until  after  the  exclusion  of  the  young  argonaut. 

"  The  proof  that  the  velated  arms  possess,  like  the  expansions  of  the 
mantle  of  the  Cyprcea,  a  calcifying  power,  was  afforded  by  the  third  series 
of  specimens  on  the  table  of  the  Society.  These  consisted  of  six  shells  of 
the  argonaut,  from  which  Madame  Power  had  removed  pieces  of  shell  while 
the  argonauts  were  in  life  and  vigour,  in  her  marine  vivarium.  One  of  the 
shells  had  been  removed  from  the  animal  ten  minutes  after-  the  fracture ; 
another  argonaut  had  lived  in  the  cage  two  months  after  being  subjected 
to  the  experiments :  the  remaining  specimens  exhibited  intervening  periods 
between  the  removal  of  a  portion  of  the  shell  and  its  reparation.  The  frac- 
tured shell  first  described  had  the  breach  repaired  by  a  thin,  transparent, 
membranous  film ;  the  piece  removed  was  taken  from  the  middle  of  the 
keel.  In  a  second  specimen  calcareous  matter  had  been  deposited  at  the 
margins  of  the  membrane,  where  it  was  attached  to  the  old  shell.  In  a 
third  specimen,  in  which  a  portion  of  the  shell  had  been  removed  from  the 
keel,  about  two  inches  from  the  mouth  of  the  shell,  the  whole  breach  had 
been  repaired  by  a  calcareous  layer,  differing  only  in  its  greater  opacity  and 
irregularity  of  form  from  the  original  shell.  In  the  specimen  longest  re- 
tained after  the  fracture,  a  portion  had  been  removed  from  the  margin  of 
the  shell ;  here  the  new  material  next  the  broken  edge  presented  the  opa- 
city characteristic  of  the  repairing  substance,  but  the  transition  of  this  sub- 
stance into  the  material  of  the  shell,  subsequently  added  in  the  ordinary 
progress  of  growth,  was  so  gradual,  in  the  resumption  in  the  repairing  ma- 
terial of  the  ordinary  clearness  and  striated  structure  of  the  shell,  that  it 


PROF.  OWEN  ON  THE  ARGONAUT.  427 

was  impossible  to  doubt  but  that  the  reparation,  as  well  as  the  subsequent 
growth,  had  been  the  effeets  of  the  same  agent.  The  repaired  parts  of  the 
shell  re-acted  precisely  like  the  ordinary  shell  with  nitric  acid. 

"  Mr.  Owen  then  observed  that  the  specimens  submitted  to  the  meeting 
by  Madame  Power,  possessed  in  themselves  the  means  of  confirming  or 
refuting  her  theory  of  the  formative  organs  of  the  shell  of  the  argonaut ; 
for  if  the  shell  were  secreted,  as  in  gasteropods  &c,  by  the  edge  of  the  man- 
tle covering  the  body,  the  new  material  by  which  the  breaches  of  the  shell 
had  been  repaired,  should  have  been  deposited  on  the  inside  of  the  frac- 
tured edge ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  was  clearly  obvious  in  two  of  the  spe- 
cimens, that  the  new  material  had  been  laid  on  upon  the  outside  of  the 
fractured  part — as  it  must  have  been,  supposing  the  vela  or  membranous 
arms  to  be  the  calcifying  organs. 

"  Mr.  Owen  then  recapitulated,  as  follows,  the  evidence  which,  indepen- 
dently of  any  preconceived  theory  or  statement,  could  be  deduced  from  the 
admirable  collection  of  Argonauta  Argo,  due  to  the  labours  of  the  accom- 
plished lady  who  had  contributed  so  materially  to  the  elucidation  of  a  prob- 
lem which  had  divided  the  zoological  world  from  the  time  of  Aristotle. 

"  1st.  The  cephalopod  of  the  argonaut  constantly  maintains  the  same  re- 
lative position  in  its  shell. 

"  2nd.  The  young  cephalopod  manifests  the  same  concordance  between 
the  form  of  its  body  and  that  of  the  shell,  and  the  same  perfect  adaptation 
of  the  one  to  the  other,  as  do  the  young  of  other  testaceous  molluscs. 

"  3rd.  The  young  cephalopod  entirely  fills  the  cavity  of  its  shell  ;  the 
fundus  of  the  sac  begins  to  be  withdrawn  from  the  apex  of  the  shell  only 
when  the  ovarium  begins  to  enlarge  under  the  sexual  stimulus. 

"  4th.  The  shell  of  the  argonaut  corresponds  in  size  with  that  of  its  in- 
habitant, whatever  be  the  differences  in  the  .latter  in  that  respect.  ('  The 
observations  of  Poli,  of  Prevost,  and  myself,  on  a  series  of  Argonauta  rufa 
before  cited,  are  to  the  same  effect.') 

"  5th.  The  shell  of  the  argonaut  possesses  all  the  requisite  flexibility  and 
elasticity  which  the  mechanism  of  respiration  and  locomotion  in  the  inha- 
bitant requires ;  it  is  also  permeable  to  light. 

"  6th.  The  cephalopod  inhabiting  the  argonaut  repairs  the  fractures  of  its 
shell  with  a  material  having  the  same  chemical  composition  as  the  original 
shell, and  differing  in  mechanical  properties  only  in  being  a  little  more  opake. 

u7th.  The  repairing  material  is  laid  on  from  without  the  shell,  as  it 
should  be  according  to  the  theory  of  the  function  of  the  membranous  arms 
as  calcifying  organs. 

"  8th.  When  the  embryo  of  the  argonaut  has  reached  an  advanced  stage 
of  development  in  ovo,  neither  the  membranous  arms  nor  shell  are  deve- 
loped. 

"  9th.  The  shell  of  the  argonaut  does  not  present  any  distinctly  defined 
nucleus. 

"  Mr.  Owen  finally  proceeded  to  consider  the  validity  of  the  best  and 
latest  arguments  advanced  in  favour  of  the  parasitism  of  the  cephalopod 
of  the  argonaut,  and  commenced  with  those  published  in  the  Proceedings 
of  the  Zool.  Society  for  1836,  p.  122. 

"Mr.  Gray  states,  1st.  'The  animal  has  none  of  those  peculiarities  of 
organization  for  the  deposition,  formation,  and  growth  of  the  shell,  nor 
even  the  muscles  for  attaching  it  to  the  shell,  which  are  found  in  all  other 
shell-bearing  molluscs  ;  instead  of  which,  it  agrees  in  form,  colour,  and 
structure  with  the  naked  molluscs,  especially  the  naked  cephalopods.' 

"  To  this  statement  it  need  only  be  replied,  that  the  cephalopod  of  the 
argonaut  possesses  two  membranous  expansions,  having  the  same  structure 
as  the  calcifying  processes  of  the  mantle  in  the  testaceous  molluscs,  and 


428  l'KOF.  OWEN  ON  THE  ARGONAUT. 

which  Madame  Power  and  M.  Sander  Rang  compare  to  the  lohes  of  tlic 
mantle  of  Cyprcea ;  and  that  the  cephalopod  in  question,  instead  of  agree- 
ing in  structure  with  the  naked  cephalopods,  differs  from  them  precisely 
in  the  presence  of  conspicuous  and  largely-developed  organs,  which  present 
the  closest  correspondence  in  form  and  structure  with  the  calcifying  mem- 
branes of  the  cowries  and  other  testaceous  molluscs. 

"2ndly.  Mr.  Gray  asserts,  '  that  the  shell  of  the  argonaut  is  evidently 
not  moulded  on  the  body  of  the  animal  usually  found  in  it,  as  other  shells 
are.' 

"  This  assertion,  like  the  preceding,  is  directly  opposed  to  the  fact.  But 
at  the  time  when  it  was  recorded  in  our  Proceedings,  Mr.  Gray  had  proba- 
bly not  examined  the  young  argonaut.  Yet  the  analogy  of  other  Testacea 
might  have  indicated  to  him  that  it  was  essential  to  see  the  young  mollusc 
before  the  degree  of  correspondence  between  the  animal  and  its  shell  could 
be  definitively  pronounced  upon.  Most  shell-bearing  gastropods,  like  the 
nautilus  and  argonaut,  withdraw  their  bodies  in  the  progress  of  growth 
from  the  contracted  apex  by  which  their  shell  commenced,  and  differ  ac- 
cordingly in  form  from  that  of  the  original  cavity  of  their  shell.  The 
mode  in  which  the  vacated  part  of  the  shell  is  dealt  with  in  different  mol- 
luscs is  extremely  various,  and  reducible  to  no  common  law ;  in  the  genus 
Magilus,  e.  g.  it  is  solidified  :  in  some  species  of  Helix,  Bulinus,  and  Ceri- 
thium,  the  deserted  part  of  the  shell,  after  being  partitioned  off,  is  decolla- 
ted :  in  the  Nautilus,  &c,  it  is  camerated.  Was  it  at  all  improbable  that 
in  the  argonaut  some  other  condition  of  the  vacated  spire  of  the  shell  should 
be  manifested  ?  Why  should  it  not  be  made  subservient  to  the  generative 
economy  of  the  species  ?  Yet,  because  it  is  neither  solidified,  decollated, 
nor  camerated,  it  is  argued  in  the  third  place,  that  the  argonaut  shell  must 
have  been  secreted  by  some  other  mollusc  than  the  cephalopod  usually 
found  in  it. 

"  4thly.  Mr.  Gray  observes,  ■  the  young  shell  of  the  j  ust-hatched  animal, 
which  forms  the  apex  of  the  shell  at  all  periods  of  its  growth,  is  much  larg- 
er (ten  times)  than  the  eggs  contained  in  the  upper  part  of  the  cavity  of 
the  argonaut.'  The  argument  here  founded  on  a  comparison  of  the  size 
of  the  supposed  nucleus  of  the  argonaut-shell  with  that  of  the  ovum  of  the 
Ocyth'6e,h&s  been  quoted  with  approbation  by  M.  de  Blainville  ;  but  grant- 
ing that  the  shell  of  a  testaceous  mollusc  is  always  formed  before  the  em- 
bryo is  excluded  from  the  ovum,  (which,  as  I  have  already  shown,  is  a 
postulate,  and  not  an  established  law)  the  force  of  an  argument  for  the 
parasitic  theory,  based  on  this  postulate,  wholly  depends  upon  another  as- 
sumption, viz.  that  the  ovum  of  a  mollusc  never  enlarges  after  it  has  quit- 
ted the  parent.  Now,  the  first  observation  which  the  promulgator  of  this 
argument  had  the  opportunity  of  making  on  one  of  our  commonest  littoral 
Testacea — the  whelk,  proved  to  him  that  the  molluscous  ovum  in  that  spe- 
cies does  enlarge  after  exclusion,  and  Mr.  Gray  was  subsequently  compelled 
to  admit '  that  the  size  of  the  nucleus  would  not  offer  any  difficulty  with 
respect  to  the  Ocythoe  being  the  maker  of  the  shell  which  it  inhabits.1' 

"  Whether  the  other  arguments  founded  by  Mr.  Gray  upon  the  form  of 
the  body,  and  the  want  of  perfect  adaptation  or  adhesion  of  the  body  to  the 
shell,  &c,  are  unanswerable,  as  that  experienced  Conchologist  states  that 
he  considers  them  to  be,  must  depend  upon  the  degree  of  weight  which  the 
objections  above  advanced  are  allowed  to  carry. 

"  With  respect  to  the  conclusions  as  to  the  parasitism  of  the  Ocythoe, 
drawn  from  observing  the  relation  of  the  cephalopod  to  its  shell,  their  in- 


1  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  New  Scries,  1837,  p.  248. 


PROF.  OWEN  ON  THE  ARGONAUT.  429 

sufficiency  depends  upon  the  circumstance  that  in  forming  them  the  condi- 
tion of  the  mature  argonaut  has  heen  considered  as  applicahle  to  every 
period  of  its  life,  and  the  arguments  Nos.  1  and  2  being  founded  upon 
that  supposition,  thereby  fall  to  the  ground.  In  the  argument  for  the  pa- 
rasitic theory  deduced  from  the  development  of  the  argonaut-shell,  a  gene- 
ral rule,  applicable  to  an  extensive  primary  division  of  the  animal  kingdom, 
is  assumed  from  the  result  of  extremely  scanty  observations,  which  are  al- 
together inadequate  to  its  establishment. 

"'In  the  Proceedings  of  the  Zoological  Society  for  1837,  Mr.  Charles- 
worth  proposed  an  argument  in  favour  of  the  parasitism  of  the  Ocythoe, 
which  has  the  merit — not  possessed  by  those  above  discussed — of  being 
founded  on  the  observation  of  a  new  fact  in  the  natural  history  of  the  ar- 
gonaut, viz.  that  breaches  in  the  shell  were  repaired  by  a  substance  agree- 
ing in  every  respect  with  the  original  shell.  Mr.  Charlesworth  has,  however, 
since  admitted  that  this  fact  is  not  valid  as  evidence  of  the  parasitism  of 
the  cephalopod ;  and  it  is  now  proved  that  the  transparent  film  observed  by 
M.  Rang  to  be  deposited  by  the  Ocythoe  over  the  fracture  of  the  argonaut- 
shell,  would  have  been  converted  into  a  true  shelly  material  if  the  subject 
of  his  experiment  had  survived  for  a  longer  period. 

"  *  M.  d'Orbigny,1  on  the  other  hand,  derived  from  his  observations  of  the 
Argonauta  Mans,  made  during  his  voyage  to  South  America,  a  belief  in  the 
fallacy  of  the  parasitic  theory ;  the  principal  argument  of  novelty  which  he 
adduces  is  founded  on  the  integrity  of  the  delicate  and  flexible  margins  of 
the  shell  in  which  the  supposed  parasite  was  lodged.  M.  de  Blainville  has 
refused  his  assent  to  the  validity  of  this  argument,  on  the  grounds  that  the 
rightful  owner  of  the  argonaut-shell  might  have  been  very  recently  expelled 
from  the  specimens  described  by  M.  d'Orbigny.  As  I  have  elsewhere2  con- 
sidered this  objection  I  shall  not  dwell  further  upon  it,  but  merely  observe 
that  the  experiments  of  Poli  and  Ranzani,  deduced  by  M.  d'Orbigny  in 
evidence  of  the  formation  of  the  shell  in  ovo,  are  more  than  suspicious,  and 
are  inadequate  to  enforce  a  conviction  of  the  truth  of  the  non-parasitic  theory. 

" '  The  more  recent  arguments  of  M.  de  Blainville3  in  favour  of  the  pa- 
rasitism of  the  argonaut,  repose  partly  on  statements  which  are  not  based  on 
facts,  and  partly  on  the  interpretation  of  actual  facts.  The  false  facts  are 
the  following:  1st.  That  the  same  species  of  cephalopod  is  not  always  found 
in  the  same  species  of  shell.  2nd.  That  the  natural  position  of  the  animal 
in  the  shell  varies,  the  back  of  the  animal  being  sometimes  next  the  outer 
wall  of  the  shell,  sometimes  next  the  involuted  spire.  3rd.  That  the  ani- 
mal does  not  occupy  the  posterior  part  of  the  shell— (this  being  true  of  the 
more  mature  animal  only).  4th.  That  the  form  of  the  animal  and  of  its 
parts  offers  no  concordance  or  analogy  with  the  shell.  5th.  That  the  shell 
is  too  opake  to  have  permitted  the  influence  of  light  in  the  development  of 
the  coloured  pigment  in  the  mantle  of  the  cephalopod  of  the  argonaut. — 
6th.  That  it  is  very  far  from  being  true  that  the  argonaut-shell  possesses 
the  flexibility  and  elasticity  requisite  to  harmonize  with  the  locomotive  and 
respiratory  movements  of  the  animal.  7th.  That  the  animal  suffers  no  ap- 
pearance of  inconvenience  when  deprived  of  its  shell.  8th.  That  a  cepha- 
lopod has  been  discovered  in  the  Sicilian  seas  like  that  which  inhabits  the 
argonaut,  but  without  a  shell. 

"  'With  respect  to  the  first  six  of  these  statements,  it  need  only  to  be  ob- 
served that  they  are  abundantly  disproved  by  the  series  of  specimens  now 
on  the  table. 


1  Voyage  dans  l'Amerique  Meridionale,  Mollusques,  p.  10. 
2  Zool.  Trans",  vol.  ii.  p.  114.      3Ann.  d'Anat.  et  de  Physiol.  Mai,  1837. 
Vol.  III.— No.  33.  n.  s.  2  z 


430  PROF.  OWEN  ON  THE  ARGONAUT. 

"  'As  to  the  seventh  statement,  its  value  will  be  manifest,  when  the  ac- 
count given  by  Mr.  Cranch,  on  which  it  is  founded,  is  carefully  analysed 
and  considered.  Mr.  Cranch's  observations,  as  quoted  by  Dr.  Leach,  amount 
simply  to  this: — 'When  the  cephalopod  (Argonauta  hians,  Solander,  or 
Ocythoe  Cranchii,  Leach)  was  adhering,  with  the  vela  retracted,  to  the  side 
of  the  vessel  of  sea-water  in  which  it  was  placed,  the  shell  could  be  remov- 
ed; '  in  other  words,  there  was  no  muscular  adhesion.  '  In  this  state  of 
captivity  some  of  the  cephalopods  lost  the  power  of  retaining  hold  of  the 
shell ;  one  which  had  thus  left  its  shell  lived  several  hours,  and  showed  no 
desire  to  return.' 

"  'Now  had  the  Ocythoe  been  a  parasite, — supposing  that  it  had  ever  be- 
fore obtained  its  shell  by  placing  its  body  in  one  ready-made, — and  had  it 
been  in  the  habit  of  repeating  this  act  during  its  whole  period  of  growth, 
as  it  must  have  done  to  produce  the  concordance  in  size  which  the  obser- 
vations of  Poli,  Prevost,  Madame  Power,  and  myself,  establish  as  a  general 
fact ; — then  the  probability  would  have  been  greater  that  the  cephalopod 
would  have  returned  to,  and  so  manoeuvred  as  to  regain  possession  of,  its 
shell :  the  observation  of  such  a  fact  would  have  told  as  strongly  for  the 
parasitic  theory  as  the  phenomena  witnessed  by  Mr.  Cranch  testify,  in  my 
opinion,  against  it.  I  have  repeated  Mr.  Cranch's  experiment  with  a  true 
parasite, — the  common  hermit-crab  of  our  coasts ;  and  I  would  invite  any 
naturalist  to  remove  a  parasitic  Pagurus  from  its  shell,  and  place  it,  with  the 
empty  shell,  in  a  basin  of  sea-water,  and  see  whether  the  parasite  will  manifest 
no  desire  to  return  his  body  into  its  accustomed  hiding  place.  In  my  experi- 
ments, the  Pagurus  lost  no  time  in  regaining  possession  of  its  shell.  As 
Mr.  Cranch's  argonaut  survived  four  hours  without  showing  the  least  dispo- 
sition to  return  to  its  shell,  instead  of  concluding  therefrom  that  it  had  stol- 
en it,  I  infer  that  such  a  mode  of  acquiring  a  shell  was  totally  foreign  to 
its  instincts  and  economy, 

" '  Madame  Power  states  that  the  constant  result  of  depriving  the  argo- 
naut of  its  shell,  is  a  gradual  loss  of  vital  power* and  ultimate  death  within 
a  few  hours  at  furthest.  The  experiment  of  M.  Sander  Rang  was  followed 
by  the  same  result. 

'"With  respect  to  the  eighth  statement,  I  must  say  that  the  weakness  of 
the  side  of  the  question  advocated  by  M.  de  Blainville  is  clearly  betrayed 
by  the  dubious  notice  of  the  Ocythoe  by  M.  Rafinesque  having  been  pressed 
into  the  service  of  the  parasitic  theory  in  the  disguise  of  an  established  fact. 
M.  Rang1  informs  us,  that  the  entire  description  of  the  much  talked-of 
Ocythoe,  as  given  by  its  discoverer,  is  as  follows: — 'Appendices  tentacu- 
laires  au  nombre  de  huit,  les  deux  superieures  ailes  interieurement,  a  su- 
^oirs  interieurs,  pedoncles,  reunis  par  l'aile  laterale,  sans  aucune  membrane 
a  leur  base.'  And  amongst  other  just  observations  on  the  inadequacy  of 
this  meager  indication,  to  the  support  of  the  theory  that  the  cephalopod  of 
the  argonaut  naturally  existed  without  its  shell,  and  was  identical  with  the 
Ocythoe  of  Rafinesque,  M.  Rang  adds  that  the  description  of  the  Ocythoe 
above  cited  is  equally  applicable  to  any  of  the  species  of  Octopus  to  which 
M.  Ferussac  has  applied  the  term  iVSliferes.i 

" '  I  now  come  to  the  consideration  of  the  arguments  for  the  parasitism  of 
the  cephalopod  of  the  argonaut,  founded  by  M.  de  Blainville  on  undoubt- 
ed or  admissible  facts.  The  first  of  these  arguments  reposes  on  the  often- 
repeated  statement  of  the  absence  of  any  organ  for  muscular  adhesion  in 
the  cephalopod  of  the  argonaut.  I  confess,  that  when  I  discovered  the  ce- 
phalopod of  the  Nautilus  to  be  fixed  to  its  shell  by  two  strong  muscles,  and 


1  Guerin's  Magazin,  p.  31, 


PROF.  OWEN  ON  THE  ARGONAUT.  431 

that  the  corresponding  muscles  in  the  argonaut  were  very  feebly  developed, 
and  lost  in  the  mantle,  the  absence  of  analogy  between  the  two  cephalo- 
pods  inclined  me,  in  1832,  to  consider  as  probable  the  parasitic  theory ; 
subsequently,  however,  the  consideration  of  the  absence  of  muscular  adhe- 
sion in  the  Carinaria,  and  of  any  adhesion  at  all  in  the  Annelides  which 
secrete  shells,  deprived  this  argument  of  much  of  its  force. 

" '  Secondly,  M.  de  Blainville  observes  that  '  the  muscular  integument 
of  the  body  of  the  cephalopod  is  not  thinner  than  that  of  the  naked  species, 
contrary  to  that  which  exists  in  all  conchyliferous  molluscs.'  But  what 
mollusc,  we  may  ask,  has  its  whole  body  covered  with  a  shell  so  delicate,  so 
transparent,  so  flexible  and  elastic,  as  is  the  shell  of  the  living  argonaut?1 

" '  The  dorsal  border  of  the  mantle  is  not  free,'  observes  M.  de  Blainville. 
Granted :  and  this  would  be  undoubtedly  strong  proof  that  the  cephalopod 
of  the  argonaut  did  not  secrete  its  shell,  if  it  were  not  provided  with  other 
organs  for  the  purpose.  In  the  pearly  nautilus,  on  the  other  hand,  which 
has  no  veliferous  arms,  the  dorsal  border  of  the  mantle  is  so  produced  that 
it  can  be  extended  from  the  involuted  spire,  which  it  habitually  covers, 
over  the  whole  exterior  of  the  shell,  just  as  the  argonaut  invests  its  shell 
with  the  transparent  films  of  the  dorsal  pair  of  arms :  the  analogy  between 
these  two  testaceous  cephalopods  is  perfect,  as  regards  their  relative  posi- 
tion to  the  shell,  but  does  not  extend  to  their  organs  of  secreting  or  of  ad- 
hering to  the  shell.2 

"'  The  animal  does  not  occupy  the  posterior  part  of  its  shell.  This  I 
have  ranged  in  the  category  of  false  facts,  because  the  statement  is  only 
applicable  to  the  young  animal.  But  granting  it  were  true,  as  well  might 
we  argue  the  Helix  decollata  to  be  a  parasite,  because  it  does  not,  like  Ma- 
gilus,  retain  and  fill  with  shelly  secretion  the  deserted  spire  of  its  shells  ; 
or  that  Magilus  was  a  parasite  because  it  did  not  secrete  septa  at  regular 
distances,  like  the  Nautilus,  or  vice  versa,  as  argue  the  argonaut  to  be  a 
parasite  because  it  fills  its  vacated  spire  with  mucus  and  with  eggs.' 

"  Finally,  Mr.  Owen  proceeded  to  state  in  detail  the  points  which  still 
remained  to  be  elucidated  in  the  natural  history  of  this  most  interesting 
mollusc.  Among  other  experiments  he  suggested  that  the  young  argonaut 
should  be  deprived  of  one  of  the  velated  arms,  and  preserved  in  a  marine 
vivarium,  with  the  view  to  determine  the  influence  which  such  mutilation 
might  have  on  the  future  growth  of  the  shell :  but  in  proposing  further  ex- 
periments, and  while  admitting  that  the  period  of  the  first  formation  of  the 
shell  yet  remained  to  be  determined,  Mr.  Owen  stated  that  he  regarded  the 
facts  already  ascertained  to  be  decisive  in  proof  that  the  cephalopod  of  the 
argonaut  was  the  true  fabricator  of  its  shell." 


*M.  d'Orbigny  truly  states,  "  Les  coquilles  de  1 'argonaut  n'ont  pas  la 
contexture  vitreuse  des  carinaires  et  des  atlantes ;  elles  sont,  au  contraire, 
demi-cornees,  flexibles ;  et  nous  n'en  trouvons  l'analogue  dans  aucun  autre 
des  mollusques." — Loc.  cit.  p.  11. 

2"  Messrs.  de  Blainville  and  Gray  conceive  me  to  be  in  error  in  the  po- 
sition I  have  assigned  to  the  pearly  nautilus  in  its  shell,  but  their  argu- 
ments on  this  point  are  based  on  the  same  hasty  generalization  that  has  led 
to  the  hypothesis  of  the  parasitism  of  the  argonaut.  Judging  from  the  ana- 
logies which  have  been  cited  in  support  of  their  views,  it  would  have  been 
equally  reasonable  to  have  called  in  question  the  accuracy  of  the  relative 
position  which  I  have  assigned  to  the  soft  parts  of  Terebratula  and  Orbi- 
cula,  viz.,  with  the  ven'tral  surface  applied  to  one  valve,  and  the  dorsal  sur- 
face to  the  other,  because  in  the  lamellibranchiate  bivalves  one  valve  cor- 
responds to  the  right,  and  the  other  to  the  left,  side  of  the  animal. 


432         GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH  EAST   OF  DORSETSHIRE. 


Art.  II. — Illustrations  of  the  Geology  of  the  South  East  of  Dorset- 
shire.   By  The  Rev.  W.  B.  Clarke,  A.M.,  F.G.S. 

{Continued  from  page  401). 

Having  taken  up  thus  much  space  with  the  pebbles  contain- 
ed in  the  conglomerate,  I  now  proceed  with  an  examination 
of  the  western  side  of  Studland  Bay,  and  shall  follow  the 
course  of  the  shore  northwards. 

From  the  end  of  the  chalk  the  cliff  continues  a  little  far- 
ther to  the  west,  but  in  a  recess  or  nook  more  backward  than 
the  general  direction  of  the  chalk,  where  the  beds  composing 
it  are  nearly  altogether  hidden  by  an  accumulation  of  fallen 
masses,  and  a  profusion  of  vegetation,  which,  however,  is  de- 
cidedly such  as  to  mark  a  chalky  substratum.  Indeed,  chalk- 
plants  are  there  in  great  abundance  and  perfection ;  so  that 
we  may  conclude  that  the  surface  of  the  chalk  is  not  much 
obscured  by  other  soils.  At  22  paces,  however,  from  the 
chalk,  there  is  a  mottled  clay  under  the  cliffs — and  at  82  pa- 
ces beyond,  the  east  and  west  line  terminates. 

The  following  measurement  will  give  the  character  of  the 
cliff  from  the  nook  where  the  junction  of  the  plastic  clay  beds 
and  the  chalk  cliffs  takes  place. 

Station  No.    1,    73  paces,  path  up  the  cliff,  (white  sand), 
boat-house.    (White  sand), 
yellow  sand  at  bottom  of  cliff, 
road. 

crack  through  the  cliff  from  W.  to  E. 
gate. 

yellow  clay  begins, 
end  of  clay, 
blue  clay. 

end  of  clay.  (Cave  in  the  sand  above), 
red  sand. 
Red  Rock  end. 

In  the  above  enumeration,  where  no  mention  is  made,  the 
intermediate  substance  is  sand  of  various  degrees  of  hardness, 
and  changing  from  white  and  yellow  to  red  and  brown. 

The  clays  also  and  sands  all  rise  from  under  each  other, 
being  stratified  at  an  angle  of  about  24°,  dipping  to  the  north. 
At  station  4  there  is  a  layer  of  chalk,  embedded  in  earth  and 
sand,  apparently  a  natural  deposit,  immediately  over  the- sea 
beach  (which  consists  of  chalk-flints  and  masses  of  ferrugin- 
ous sand  rock),  but  I  am  unable  to  account  for  it,  as  it  does 
not  look  like  an  accidental  or  a  designed  accumulation  of  arti- 
ficial materials,  but  like  a  natural  one. 


2, 

87 

y> 

3, 

108 

», 

4, 

124 

5» 

5, 

141 

»» 

6, 

132 

» 

7, 

100 

J5 

8, 

28 

J> 

9, 

17 

J» 

10, 

20 

5> 

11, 

22 

*> 

12, 

23 

J» 

13, 

23- 

-24 

STUDLAND. 


433 


The  following  diagram  (fig.  50)  shows  the  appearance  of 
the  coast,  and  the  localities  mentioned  in  the  preceding  mea- 
surement. 


Coast  from  the  Chalk  to  the  Red  Rock,  Studland  Bay. 

1,  Chalk.  2,  Sand.  3,  Conglomerate,  based  on  arched  iron  stone.  4,  Boat-house. 

5,  Raised  beach  ?  6,  Ravine  leading  to  Studland.  7,  Red  Rock  end.  8,  Clay, 

yellow  sand,  mottled  sand,  ferruginous  sand,  bright  red  and  yellow  sand. 

At  B  and  C,  fig.  50,  (stations  5  and  6  of  the  enumeration) 
— also  marked  in  the  map  between  C  and  Red  Rock  end, — 
the  arrows  point  out  the  occurrence  of  two  cracks  through  the 
cliffs,  up  which  there  is  entrance  to  the  village  of  Studland. 
The  appearance  of  these  cracks  from  the  beach,  and  also  from 
the  sea  off  Old  Harry,  is  shown  in  figs.  51  and  52.  It  is  very 
evident  that  they  are  not  mere  excavations  of  the  sand,  but 
produced  by  the  action  which  caused  the  inclination  of  the 
beds. 

Cracks  in  the  Studland  Sand-cliffs. 


2^^§L 


Plan  of  the  ravines. 


The  same  seen  from  the  sea. 

Now,  that  marked  C  is  the  outlet  of  a  deep  ravine  which 
traverses  the  beds  of  sand  and  clay,  and  in  the  bottom  of  which 
in  winter,  runs  a  little  stream  of  water,  which  finds  its  way 
through  it  to  the  sea.  But  this  stream  has  not  excavated  the 
openings,  which  must  have  been  produced  by  a  rent  of  great 
violence,  as  the  banks  are  nearly  perpendicular,  and  the  top 
not  much  wider  than  the  bottom.  It  is  the  first  of  the  four 
similar  rents,  which  occur  along  this  shore,  and  which  are  of 


434    GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH  EAST  OF  DORSETSHIRE. 

precisely  the  same  character  as  the  chines  of  the  coast  be- 
yond Poole  Head,  and  of  the  back  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  al- 
though of  less  importance  as  a  feature  of  landscape. 

There  is  another  feature  also  which  marks  the  character  of 
these  cracks,  as  well  as  the  chines, — they  are  all  vertical  on 
the  side  opposite  the  chalk.  The  other,  which  is  in  the  sup- 
posed line  of  descent  from  the  chalk,  slopes  to  the  crack. — 
Thus  the  slope  at  Studland  is  to  the  north ;  that  on  the  coast 
of  Poole  Bay  to  the  east :  this  exactly  agrees  with  theory. 

At  the  approach  to  the  termination  of  the  cliff,  known  as 
the  Red  Rock,  the  sands  assume  a  lively  yellow  and  red  colour, 
closely  resembling  those  of  Alum  Bay,  and  are  mottled  in  a 
variety  of  forms,  the  thickness  of  the  beds  being  about  25  feet. 
Mr.  Lyell  has  mentioned  "  concentric  stains "  upon  these 
sands,  "  exactly  imitating  the  transverse  and  oblique  sections 
of  trunks  of  trees." — (G.  T.  ii.  283).  These,  however,  are  not 
mere  '  stains]  but  were  produced  by  different-coloured  parti- 
cles of  sand  evidently  collected  around  a  nucleus,  just  as  they 
might  be  formed  round  a  stone,  or  any  other  small  object,  on 
the  present  sea-beach,1  and  are  a  portion  of  the  solid  sub- 
stance of  the  rock  itself,  which  has  been  formed  by  the  hard- 
ening of  the  collected  sand.  The  stratification  is  very  perfect, 
but  the  rock  (for  such  it  may  be  called)  has  been  subjected 
to  some  after-action,  since  the  consolidation  of  the  beds ;  for 
the  strata  are  traversed  by  lines  in  an  opposite  direction, 
which  divide  the  rock  (without  separation)  into  superficial 
parallelograms ;  these  lines  ranging  through  the  c  concentric' 
curves,  and  occasionally  exhibiting,  on  a  minute  scale,  all  the 
characteristics  of  a  fault, — or  rather,  perhaps,  of  a  shifted  mi- 
neral vein.  In  figs.  53,  53  a,  53  b,  53  c,  without  attending 
very  minutely  to  the  picturesque  or  proportional  effect,  I  have 
represented  the  bedding  lines  and  joints ;  and  below,  one  of 
the  shifts  or  faults,  which  occurs  just  above  the  opening  hol- 
lowed by  the  sea,  together  with  some  of  the  concentric  curves 
and  a  fault  in  the  sand-rock,  near  the  church  at  Studland. 


1  All  sandstones,  of  whatever  geological  age,  exhibit  similar  concentric 
curves.  In  the  new  red  this  is  particularly  exemplified,  and  as  one  good 
example  is  sufficient,  I  would  mention  the  columns  of  the  porticoes  of  that 
very  magnificent  building,  the  Custom-house  at  Liverpool,  which  striking- 
ly illustrate  the  subject.  The  rock  from  which  they  are  built  was  quarried 
near  the  town.  So  also  the  old  red  sand-stone,  and  the  grey-wacke,  occa- 
sionally show  equally  striking  examples.  Various  instances  of  curves  which 
were  produced  round  a  nucleus,  are  traceable  in  the  stones  quarried  for 
pavement  or  building  materials  in  Shropshire,  Hereford  and  Monmouth- 
shire, and  may  be  well  seen  in  the  pavement  at  Ludlow  and  Leominster, 
especially  in  Church  street  in  the  latter  town. 


STUDLAND. 


435 


Studland  Bed  Kock. 

1,  Strata  lines  2,  Joints.  3,  Concentric  curves. — (53  6). 

Se  e  fig.  53a. 


Double  shift  in  the 
joints  at  6,  fig.  53, 
magnified. 


Joints  in  the  sand  rock  behind  Stud- 
land  Church.  The  joints  are 
lighter  coloured. 

The  shore  is  strewed  with  fallen  masses  of  the  rock,  which 
are  exceedingly  hard ;  and  this  is  also  the  case  with  the  sur- 
face of  the  sand  throughout  nearly  all  the  cliff,  for  inscriptions 
made  in  1809,  were  quite  fresh  and  perfect  in  1837  ;  so  that 
it  does  not  decay  rapidly  from  atmospheric  causes.  At  the 
extremity  of  the  Red  Rock,  and  in  the  fallen  masses,  there 
are  a  great  number  of  cylindrical  tubes,  corresponding,  as  Mr. 
Lyell  observes,  with  those  of  the  Isle  of  Wight  and  Sussex, 
but  of  which  he  offers  no  explanation.  They  are,  certainly, 
extremely  curious,  but  I  think  the  circumstance  is  capable  of 
solution.  On  turning  round  the  end  of  the  Red  Rock,  which 
projects  a  little  beyond  the  rest  of  the  coast,  the  surface  of 
the  cliff,  in  a  corner  facing  the  north,  is  seen  perforated  by 
these  tubes,  many  of  them  of  enormous  length,  and  all  tra- 
versing the  rock,  not  perpendicular  to  the  strata,  but  to  the 
horizon.  In  two  or  three  instances,  these  tubes  occur  in  a 
sort  of  groove  (fig.  54),  which  descends  the  whole  cliff;  and 
on  examining  them,  the  interior  is  found  to  be  coated  with  a 
hard  oxidized  crust,  the  sand  on  each  side  appearing  as  if  it 
had  been  sucked  downwards  towards  the  tubes.     It  would, 


430 


GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH  EAST  OF  DORSETSHIRE. 


North  side  of  the  Red  Rock. 
1,  Tubes  in  fallen  masses.  2,  Tubes  in  grooves  in  the  rock. 


thence,  appear,  that  they  were  produced  by  the  action  of  wa- 
ter, probably  rain  water,  which  had  filtered  down  and  through 
the  sand  when  softer,  and  coated  the  surface  of  its  channel 
with  minute  particles  of  iron  washed  out  of  the  sand.  I  am 
not  altogether  theorising  here,  for  on  examining,  last  winter, 
a  cutting  made  through  Booker's  Hill,  near  Lytchett,  (where 
the  strata  are  plastic  clay  sands),  I  found  that  the  rain  had 
dripped  down  the  surface  of  the  banks  of  the  new  road,  and 
had  entangled  in  its  descent  particles  of  sand,  in  such  a  way 
as  to  have  formed  tubes  exactly  similar  to  those  at  Studland, 
through  which  (of  course,  near  the  surface  of  the  section)  the 
water  had  run  away  without  spreading.  I  cannot  but  con- 
jecture, therefore,  that  such  was  the  origin  of  the  tubes  at 
Studland,  though  their  date  must  have  been  long  prior  to  the 
present  order  of  things,  yet,  clearly,  since  the  rock  had  as- 
sumed its  present  inclined  position.  If  this  explanation  be 
held  insufficient,  we  must  then  have  recourse  to  electrical 
agency,  and  it  might  be  easy  to  find  traces  of  minute  veins 
which  seem  to  have  traversed  the  rock,  and  which  would  jus- 
tify the  belief  of  some  electrical  or  magnetic  influence  subse- 
quent to,  or  contemporaneous  with,  the  mechanical  changes 
that  have  affected  it.  Only,  in  this  case,  however  similar  the 
tubes  may  be  to  the  fulgorites  which  are  formed  by  lightning 
in  the  sands  of  Prussia,  the  vertical  direction  of  the  tubes 
would  not  accord  with  that  of  the  supposed  electric  veins  and 
threads,  and  it  seems  scarcely  probable  that  such  a  develop- 
ment of  electrical  agency  should  have  taken  place,  either 
here  or  at  Shanklin.  On  the  whole,  therefore,  I  am  inclined 
to  believe,  that  these  cylindrical  tubes  are  merely  rain-chan- 


STTJDLAND. 


437 


nels. »  The  spot  where  they  so  thickly  occur  is  represented 
by  the  letter  A,  at  the  extremity  of  the  cliff  in  the  following 
section  (fig.  55),  and  the  continuation  of  which  is  seen  in  fig. 
56. 

From  the  Red  Rock  to  the  Preventive  Station. 
55 


Red  Rock. — Yellow  sandstone  rock.  2,  Red  sand  rock.  3,  Red  clay  and  sand. 

4,  Indigo  clay,  with  lignite,  18  feet.  5,  Yellow  sands  and  clays. 


1,  Sand  hills.  2,  Ravine.  3,  Clay  and  yellow  sand.  4,  Chalk  Downs. 

5,  Yellow  sand  and  sandstone.  6,  Preventive  house. 

The  bearing  indicated  by  the  arrow  is  S.  W.  by  W. 

1  The  cylindrical  tubes  of  the  Isle  of  Wight  are  capable  of  being  separated 
from  the  green  sand  in  which  they  occur,  but  the  tubes  of  Studland  can- 
not be  separated ;  they  are  evidently  portions  of  the  sand-rock  itself,  where- 
as the  Isle  of  Wight  tubes  appear  to  be  casts  of  some  vegetable  body. — 
Such  also  appeare  to  be  the  case  with  certain  calcareous  tubes  in  the  Main 
Island  of  the  Bermudas.  These,  however,  occur  in  beds  of  blown  sand, 
and  owe  their  calcareous  incrustation  to  the  infiltration  of  water,  bringing 
down  calcareous  matter  with  it.  "  The  calcareous  tubes,"  says  Lieut.  Nel- 
son, "  are  very  generally  found  throughout  the  islands,  apparently  aggre- 
gated around  grass  or  small  roots,  as  nuclei,  which  have  subsequently  de- 
cayed. They  have  almost  always  an  earthy  matter  running  down  the  axis. 
Beds,  nay  strata,  of  these  tubular  deposits,  may  be  found  in  various  parts, 
as  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Tobacco  Bay,  near  St.  George's,  and  in  the 
bank  a  little  to  the  westward  of  Harris'  Bay,  where  the  cliffs  commence ; 
though  nowhere  to  such  an  extent  as  at  Ireland  Island,  between  Bombay 
and  the  south-west  point,  where  the  stratum  is  about  four  feet  thick,  and 
corresponds  to  a  similar  formation  on  Skinner's  or  Tate's  Island. 

"  The  cliffs  to  the  westward  of  Elbow  Bay  are  curiously  perforated  to  a 
great  extent  by  similar  tubular  holes ;  but  they  are  there  detached  from  each 
other,  and  are  generally  vertical  and  much  larger." — On  the  Geology  of  the 
Bermudas ;  by  R.  J.  Nelson,  Esq.  Lieut.  R.E.  in  G.  T.  v.  101.  the  lat- 
ter example  best  suits  the  case  of  the  Studland  tubes. 

Vol.  III.— No.  33  n.  s.  3  a 


438  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH  EAST  OF   DORSETSHIRE. 

The  composition  of  the  beds  is  shown  on  the  diagrams. — 
The  upper  part  of  the  cliff  contains,  in  the  red  sand,  which  is 
various  in  hue,  and  very  thin  bedded,  nodules  of  white  pipe- 
clay, which  were  evidently  washed  thither  from  a  lower  or 
distant  bed,  during  the  formation  of  the  upper  beds  They 
are  all  water- worn,  and  vary  in  size  from  a  pea  to  a  nine- 
pound  shot ;  the  joints  of  the  rock  have  passed  through  them 
as  constituent  portions  of  the  mass,  but  there  is  an  ochreous 
deposit  of  a  brighter  hue  round  their  outline,  as  if  the  parti- 
cles of  iron  in  the  depositing  water,  in  settling,  aggregated 
round  them.  Such  examples  as  these  explain  the  formation 
of  the  darker  lines  in  sand-stone  rocks. 

Respecting  the  lignite  bed  (4  in  fig.  55)  which  occurs  here 
in  connection  with  red  sand,  it  may  be  observed,  that  it  well 
represents  the  character  of  all  the  lignite  beds  in  the  district, 
— the  enveloping  substance  being  an  unctuous  indigo-colored 
clay  when  moist,  and  drying  to  a  brown  black, — the  particles 
of  wood  then  appearing  as  if  they  had  been  charred.  They 
are  extremely  minute,  and  seem  to  be  the  relics  of  some 
aquatic  plant  or  Juncus,  together  with  the  bark  and  seed-ves- 
sels of  a  species  of  pine,  but  it  is  frequently  impossible  to 
detect  a  portion  sufficiently  large  to  discover  to  what  it  actu- 
ally belonged.  A  similar  bed  on  the  other  side  of  Poole  Bay, 
not  far  from  Bourne  Mouth,  I  found  to  contain  the  seed-ves- 
sels and  wood  of  a  pine.  Here  the  masses  of  fallen  clay  and 
sand  have  heaped  up  a  considerable  quantity  of  debris  along 
the  base  of  the  cliffs,  and  furze-bushes  and  sand  occupy  the 
space  intermediate  between  it  and  the  entrance  to  Studland, 
which  is  by  a  road  that  passes  up  another,  though  smaller, 
rent  in  the  cliff,  on  each  side  of  which  there  are  good  trans- 
verse sections  of  the  beds  of  sand  traversed  by  faults,  and 
strata-lines,  and  joints,  on  a  small  but  very  instructive  scale. 
From  this  rent  to  another,  just  238  paces  more  to  the  north- 
west, the  cliffs  of  sand  are  obscured  by  vegetation,  and  are 
defended  below  by  a  wide  beach,  occupied  by  the  beginning 
of  the  dunes  or  sand-hills,  which  stretch  across  to  the  entrance 
of  Poole  Harbour,  and  on  the  other  side  of  that  entrance,  as 
far  as  Poole  Head.  Of  these  hills  of  blown  sand,  mention 
will  be  made  in  the  proper  place. 


(To  be  continued.) 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.  439 


Art.  III. — On  the  Anatomy  of  the  Lamellibranchiate  Conchiferous 
Animals.     By  Robert  Garner,  Esq.,  F.L.S. 

(Continued  from  Page  304.) 
REPRODUCTIVE  SYSTEM. 

Reproduction  in  these  animals  was  supposed,  by  some  of 
the  ancient  naturalists,  to  take  place  by  a  spontaneous  gene- 
ration, without  the  existence  of  ova ;  but  this  idea  has  now 
been  justly  exploded.  Some  modern  naturalists  have  main- 
tained, that  amongst  bivalve  species,  some  individuals  are 
male  and  others  female.  Leuwenhoek1  inferred  this,  as  did 
also  M.M.  Prevost  and  Dumas;2  and  that  the  ova  of  the  fe- 
male, after  their  rejection,  required  to  be  fecundated  by  the 
fluid  of  the  male.  Mery3  supposes  the  existence  of  male  and 
female  organs  in  every  individual,  but  that  an  union  of  two 
individuals  is  required  for  impregnation.  But  there  appears 
every  reason  to  believe  that  there  is  no  difference  in  the  indi- 
viduals, as  to  sex,  and  that  the  ova  are  discharged  from  the 
ovaries  in  a  state  fit  to  develope,  without  the  necessity  of  the 
contact  of  any  vivifying  fluid ;  or,  in  other  words,  that  they 
are  fecundated  before  they  leave  the  ovaries,  by  testes  which 
must  be  conjoined  with  those  organs.  No  distinct  male  or- 
gans appear  to  be  present.  Perhaps  Home,4  who  mentions 
their  existence,  has  mistaken  the  excretory  organs  for  them, 
as  have  many  other  anatomists.  From  what  the  author  has 
observed  in  the  Modioli  and  My  Mi,  he  believes  that  the  or- 
gans called  ovaria  do,  at  certain  periods,  secrete  the  seminal 
fluid,  which  impregnates  the  ova  contained  in  them,  and  is 
then  discharged  as  an  excretion  by  the  oviducts. 

These  ovaries  are  always  voluminous,  containing  immense 
numbers  of  ova.5  They  are  not  always  circumscribed,  but 
their  ramifications  vegetate,  as  it  were,  into  different  parts  of 
the  body.  Though  two  oviducts  are  developed,  the  ovaria 
are  not  always  distinct  from  each  other,  and  sometimes,  as  in 
the  Pecten,  all  the  ova  appear  to  be  discharged  by  one  ovi- 
duct alone.  When  the  foot  is  imperfectly  developed,  the  ova 
at  certain  periods  are  seen  to  distend  the  mantle,  as  in  Myti- 
Ins,  Modiola,  Lithodomus,  Hiatella,  &c.  In  the  oyster  they 
are  found  externally  on  each  side  of  the  liver,  and  also  form 

1  Arcana  Naturae.  2  Annales  des  Sci.  Nat.  vol.  vi. 

3  Mem.  Acad.  Sciences.  1701.  4  Lectures  on  Comp.  Anatomy. 

5  Poli  says  the  ovaries  of  a  single  oyster  contain  1 ,200,000  ova. 


440  ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 

a  triangular  process,  situated  between  the  muscle  and  the 
branchiae.  This  last  is  the  part  we  see  alone  developed  in 
the  Pecten  and  Spondylus.  When  the  foot  is  large,  the  ova 
are  contained  in  it,  and  do  not  extend  into  the  other  parts. — 
The  orifices  of  the  short  oviducts  vary  in  situation,  but  are 
always  in  connection  with  the  excretory  organs,  as  has  been 
mentioned  above.  In  the  oyster,  according  to  Home,  they 
open  under  the  mouth,  *  but  in  the  Anomia  they  open  farther 
back,  between  the  branchiae.  In  Cardium,  Solen,  Pholas, 
Psammobia,  Mactra,  Venus,  Venerupis,  My  a  and  many 
others,  they  open  by  papillae  at  the  posterior  part  of  the  foot 
into  the  excretory  organs.  In  Unio,  Modiola,  Mytilus,  Li- 
thodomns,  Hiafella,  and  some  others  perhaps,  the  orifices  of 
the  eviducts  do  not  open  into  these  organs,  and  are  more  or 
less  distant  from  their  outlets.  The  ratio  of  these  differences 
appears  to  be  the  situation  of  the  ovaries.  The  ovaries  are 
scarcely  visible  at  some  periods  :  when  developed,  they  often 
present  an  agreeable  arborescent  appearance.  The  animals, 
in  such  a  state,  are  considered  in  season  as  articles  of  food. z 
The  ova  leave  the  oviducts  at  different  periods  of  the  year  in 
different  species  ;  this  however  generally  takes  place  in  spring 
or  at  the  commencement  of  summer.  Poli  asserts  that  some 
species  discharge  their  ova  more  than  once  in  the  year.  The 
ova  are  contained  in  the  ovaria,  enveloped  by  membranes, 
each  of  which  contains  several.  At  an  uncertain  time  before 
their  discharge,  a  milky  fluid  makes  its  appearance  in  the  ova- 
ries, and  is  itself  ejected  from  the  oviducts  some  time  before 
the  ejection  of  the  ova.  When  this  fluid,  which  is  often  of  a 
light  pink  colour,  is  examined  with  a  lens,  it  is  seen  to  con- 
sist of  minute  oval  bodies,  not  more,  perhaps,  than  the  four 
thousandth  part  of  an  inch  long,  swimming  in  a  fluid,  and 
having  a  very  perceptible  motion.  With  a  lens  of  upwards 
of  the  twentieth  of  an  inch  focus,  these  appear  simply  oval 
bodies,  without  appendages  of  any  sort.  Minute  species  of 
Vibrio  abound  in  this  fluid,  and  these,  becoming  entangled 
with  the  oval  bodies,  sometimes  give  the  latter  the  appear- 
ance of  having  appendages.3     Before  the  appearance  of  this 

1  Home,  Croonian  Lecture. 

2  It  is  extraordinary  that  muscles  should  have  a  poisonous  effect  on  some 
persons  at  certain  times,  whilst  occasionally  they  may  eat  them  with  impu- 
nity;  and  other  persons  will  partake  of  the  muscles  which  appear  so  perni- 
cious in  certain  states  of  the  system,  without  any  bad  effects.  It  appears 
to  be  quite  unknown  to  what  this  pernicious  property  may  be  owing ;  it  has 
Q&en  caused  death.  See  Orfila,  Moehring,  Rondeau,  Burrows,  and  Fodere. 

3  Though  the  author  calls  in  question  the  facts  recorded  by  such  observ- 
ers as  MM.  Prevost  and  Dumas,  with  considerable  hesitation,  he  is  inclin- 
ed to  think,  with  M.  Raspail,  that  they  have  mistaken  the  vibratile  parts  of 
other  organs  for  seminal  animalcules  in  these  animals. 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.  441 

fluid  the  ova  are  small,  they  soon,  however,  from  its  influence, 
enlarge,  and  the  vitellus  becomes  coloured  by  the  secretion. 
The  ova  are  of  different  figures  in  different  species.  In  the 
Unto  they  are  round,  about  the  seventieth  of  an  inch  in  dia- 
meter, consisting  of  a  firm  shell,  containing  a  colourless  fluid, 
in  which  swims  a  globular  yolk.  A  more  transparent  spot  is 
seen  on  the  yolk ;  this  appears  to  become  prominent,  to  en- 
large, and  to  be  developed  into  the  young  muscle. 

A  remarkable  difference  exists  in  bivalves  as  to  the  dispo- 
sal of  the  ova  when  ejected  from  the  oviducts.  In  the  gene- 
rality they  are  immediately  discharged  from  all  further  con- 
nection with  the  parent,  along  with  the  respired  water  &c. — 
In  a  few  species  the  ova,  escaping  from  the  oviducts,  remain 
for  a  time  in  the  spaces  left  in  the  interior  of  the  branchice 
(oviducts  of  Home)  by  the  want  of  apposition  in  the  mem- 
branes which  form  them.  This  is  the  case  in  the  TJnio  and 
Anodonta,  in  which  the  ova  may  be  found  for  several  months 
in  the  external  branchice  after  leaving  the  ovaria,  distending 
these  organs  in  a  remarkable  manner.  It  is  curious  that  they 
are  never  found  in  the  internal  branchice,1  along  the  edge  of 
which  they  may  be  seen  to  be  conveyed,  enveloped  in  mucus, 
from  the  oviducts  to  the  openings  which  are  the  posterior  ter- 
minations of  the  internal  interbranchial  spaces.  They  are 
not  found  in  these  organs  after  the  approach  of  spring,  being 
discharged  by  the  anal  orifice.  In  the  ova,  taken  from  the 
branchice  at  different  periods,  we  find  different  appearances. 
In  some  we  see  merely  the  cicatricula  described  above,  up- 
on the  yolk ;  in  others  we  see  the  yolk  disappearing  between 
the  valves  of  the  animal,  and  becoming  smaller  and  of  a  reti- 
culated appearance  on  its  superficies.  It  is  in  this  stage  that 
the  rotation  of  the  embryo  within  its  ovum,  which  has  often 
been  noticed,  may  be  witnessed.  The  rotation  varies  in  quick- 
ness ;  perhaps,  when  most  lively,  there  are  seven  or  eight 
volutions  in  a  minute.  The  valves  are  developed,  and  the 
animal  has  the  power  of  opening  and  shutting  them  before  it 
leaves  the  shell.  At  length  the  ova  crack,  and  the  young 
muscles  are  found  free  in  the  branchice  adhering  by  a  byssus.2 
These  have  been  considered  to  be  merely  parasitical  animals 
by  Rathke,  who  makes  of  them  a  new  genus  under  the  name 


1  Bojanus  says  lie  has  found  them  in  the  internal  branchice.  In  a  valu- 
able and  learned  paper  "by  Blainville  (Ann.  Sci.  Nat.  vol.  xiv.),  the  author 
gives  an  account  of  all  that  has  been  done  as  to  the  anatomy  of  the  gene- 
rative organs  of  bivalves ;  and  of  that  paper,  as  well  as  of  the  Bibliography 
in  the  Malacologie,  the  author  has  availed  himself. 

2  Called  umbilical  vessels  by  Koelreuter  and  Mangili. 


442  ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 

of  Glochidium.  He  is  followed  in  this  opinion  by  Jabobson, ■ 
who  considers  their  appearance  and  structure  to  preclude  the 
possibility  of  their  being  the  young  of  the  animal  in  which 
they  are  found.  The  valves  are  different  in  shape,  being  tri- 
angular, with  the  ligament  at  the  short  straight  side,  the  other 
two  sides  terminating  in  a  point,  at  which,  in  each  valve,  we 
see  a  process  of  membrane,  dentated  on  its  exterior  surface. 
Two  pointed  processes  also  appear  projecting  from  the  inner 
surface  of  the  valves.  There  is  no  foot  developed,  and  the 
muscles  are  situated  on  the  dorsal  edge  of  the  valves,  and  al- 
low them  to  be  opened  to  a  great  extent.  On  inspecting  a 
very  young  Unio  we  see  the  valves  commenced  by  triangular 
nuclei,  of  the  same  shape  as  described  above  in  the  embryo ; 
and  it  is  by  the  greater  development  of  the  posterior  extremi- 
ty of  the  valves,  that  they  gain  the  form  of  the  full-grown 
muscle.  The  membranes  at  the  points  of  the  valves  may  be 
incipient  branchiae  and  tentacles,  the  other  processes  are  pro- 
bably the  nuclei  of  the  teeth  of  the  valve.  Home  does  not 
seem  to  have  known  the  true  oviducts,  as  he  considers  the 
interlaminar  spaces  of  the  branchiae  to  be  such.  Bojanus 
considers  the  branchiae  as  uteri,  or  receptacles  for  the  ova. — 
Joerg1  calls  the  internal  branchiae  ovaria,  and  the  external 
ones  testes.  The  Anodonta  anatina  and  An.  cygnea  are  both 
viviparous,  as  well  as  the  Uniones,  though  Draparnaud,3  on 
the  authority  of  Poiret,  denies  that  the  former  is  so.  In  the 
different  species  of  Cyclas  we  find  from  ten  to  twenty  of  the 
young,  some  very  minute,  others  much  larger,  situated  in  the 
internal  branchiae  on  each  side.  They  are  discharged  one  by 
one,  when  they  attain  about  the  sixth  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 
The  oviducts,  in  the  Cyclas,  open  over  these  internal  bran- 
chiae, and  they  are  only  accessible  to  the  water  from  behind, 
as  are  the  external  ones  of  the  Unio.  Three  or  four  of  these 
young  animals  are  inclosed  in  a  membranous  case,  but  the 
largest  are  found  separate.  They  sometimes  also  adhere  by 
a  byssus  to  different  parts  of  the  body  of  the  parent.  Turton4 
says  that  in  the  month  of  June  he  has  found  the  old  animals 
of  the  Kellia  rubra  containing  about  twelve  perfectly  formed 
young  ones ;  the  author  knows  of  no  other  instances  than 
those  mentioned,  of  viviparous  bivalves.  Some  species  seem 
to  employ  the  foot  for  fixing  the  ova. 

In  no  case  are  the  ova  discharged  by  the  mouth, i  or  by  the 
anus.6     Nor  is  there,  in  those  which  are  viviparous,  any  duct 

'See  paper  by  Blainville,  Ann.  Sci.  Nat.  vol.  xiv. 

2  Meckel,  Comp.  Anat.  par  Jourdain,  vol.  i.  3  Hist,  ties  Molliisques. 

4  Fleming,  Brit.  Animals.  5  Treviranns,  Zeitschrift.  vol.  i. 

6  Cams,  Lehrbuoh,  vol.  ii. 


ANATOMY  OF  THE  LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.  443 

or  canal  leading  from  the  ovaria  to  the  cavities  of  the  bran- 
chics.  Cams,  though  incorrect  in  the  opinions  formerly  pub- 
lished by  him  on  this  subject,  has,  ^n  another  work,  ascer- 
tained the  true  anatomy  and  functions ;  and  the  author  can 
vouch  for  his  accuracy,  as  he  has  obtained  nearly  the  same 
results. 

DISEASES  AND  PARASITICAL  ANIMALS, 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  circumstances  relating  to  these 
animals  is  the  generation  of  pearls:1  the  subject  has  been 
treated  of  by  Home  and  many  other  writers.  These  calcare- 
ous concretions  appear  to  be  generally  formed  around  abor- 
tive ova,  as  was  known  to  Pliny.  The  most  beautiful  ones 
are  obtained  from  the  Meleagrina  margaritifera,  which  in- 
habits the  Indian  seas.  The  interior  of  this  shell  likewise 
furnishes  the  nacre,  or  mother  of  pearl.  Pearls  of  value  are 
likewise  occasionally  obtained  from  the  Unto  margaritifera, 
a  British  species.  Pearls  are  also  common  in  other  bivalves, 
as  in  the  Anodontce,  Pholades  &c,  but  are  never  of  any  beauty. 

Numerous  parasites  inhabit  the  bodies  of  the  Lamellibran- 
chiata.  Baer2  has  described  many  of  those  of  the  fresh 
water  species,  but  has  often  considered  vibratile  parts  of  the 
animal  to  be  such.3  His  Aspidogaster  conchicola  is  very 
common  in  the  pericardium,  secreting  organs,  &c,  of  the 
JJnio  and  Anodonta.  The  author  found  the  ovaria  of  an 
Anodonta  enormously  distended  with  parasitical  ova,  which, 
ruptured,  were  each  found  to  contain  several  young  individu- 
als of  a  species  of  Distoma.  The  Nnmmulella  of  Cams  ap- 
pears to  be  produced  by  the  rolling  upon  itself  of  a  branchial 
particle.  The  Peripheres  conchilis  spermatica  of  the  same 
author,  abounds  in  the  branchice.  Many  other  animalcules 
are  also  found.  In  the  ovaria  of  another  Anodonta  the  author 
found  a  parasite  in  the  different  stages  of  its  growth.  In  the 
mature  state  its  body  is  more  or  less  cylindrical  in  shape,  but 
varying  much  at  the  will  of  the  animal ;  at  one  extremity  are 
two  long  appendages,  which  are  spiniferous  at  their  termina- 
tion, and,  in  some  individuals  have  a  row  of  round  bodies  at- 
tached to  one  side,  for  part  of  their  length  ;  these  appendages 
are  contracted  with  great  rapidity,  and  are  then  very  short. 

1  Vogt, '  De  Causa  Margaritarum,'   Nov.  Act.  Acad.  Nat.  Cur.  vol.  viii. 

2  Nov.  Act.  Acad.  Nat.  Cur.  vol.  xiii.  The  author  has  only  seen  the  ex- 
tracts from  the  papers  of  Baer  in  the  Bull,  des  Sci.  Nat.  and  in  the  Zoo- 
logical Journal. 

3Raspail,  Isis,  1827,  &c.  See  also  Gaillon,  '  Sur  les  Animalcules  des 
Huitres,'  Mem.  Acad.  Rouen,  1820. 


444  FOSSIL  QUADRUMANOUS  REMAINS  IN  SUFFOLK. 

There  is  an  opening  by  a  prominent  circular  lip,  between 
these  appendages.  A  contraction  separates  the  part  on  which 
are  situated  the  opening  and  appendages  from  the  rest  of  the 
body.  There  appears  to  be  another  opening  at  the  opposite 
extremity  of  the  animal. 


Atr.  TV. — Letter  from  S.  V;  Wood,  Esq.,  late  Curator  to  the  Ge- 
ological Society,  announcing  the  discovery  of  Fossil  Quadrumanous 
Remains,  near  Woodbridge,  Suffolk. 

13  Bernard  St.,  Aug.  21,  1839. 

Sir, 

Hearing  from  Mr.  Lyell  that  a  mammiferous  tooth 
had  been  obtained  by  Mr.  Wm.  Colchester,  from  a  clay-pit 
at  Kingston,  near  Woodbridge,  I  was  naturally  desirous  of 
visiting  the  spot,  which  T  did,  not  without  a  slight  hope  of 
finding  something  more,  or  at  least,  of  inducing  a  farther 
search  to  be  undertaken.  The  bed  in  which  the  tooth  was 
found  lies  immediately  beneath  a  stratum  of  blue  clay,  which 
is  used  by  Mr.  Colchester  in  making  bricks;  but  as  the  digging 
and  working  are  only  carried  on  during  the  winter,  I  was 
fearful  that  little  could  be  done  before  that  period.  Hearing 
however  from  one  of  the  men  that  a  heap  of  sand,  lying  near 
the  pit,  had  been  thrown  aside  from  those  beds,  I  prevailed 
on  Mr.  Colchester,  who  was  with  me,  to  employ  a  boy  to  sift 
and  search  it,  thinking  it  would  probably  yield  something  for 
the  trouble,  having  myself,  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes, 
found  several  fishes1  teeth  upon  the  surface.  I  am  happy  to 
say  that  I  have  since  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Colchester, 
accompanied  by  a  fossil,  of  which  the  annexed  /^^  57 

engraving  (fig.  57)  is  a  faithful  representation. 
The  specimen  has  been  examined  by  Mr. 
Owen,  who  has  kindly  undertaken  to  give  his 
opinion  respecting  it,  in  a  paper  to  accompa- 
ny the  present  communication. 

As  this  is  the  first  notice  of  a  quadrumanous  animal  having 
been  found  in  England,  it  is  of  great  importance  correctly  to 
ascertain  the  age  of  the  bed  to  which  it  belongs ;  the  fossil 
itself  contains  sufficient  internal  evidence  to  remove  all  doubt 
of  its  genuineness,  as  it  has  not  the  least  appearance  that  a 
recent  tooth  would  have  assumed,  conceiving  such  to  have 
been  accidentally  introduced  into  the  heap,  even  if  Mr. 
Owen's  determination  of  its  extinct  character  were  not  a  war- 
rant for  its  originality.     I  received  with  it  one  or  two  frag- 


FOUND  NEAR  WOODB RIDGE,  SUFFOLK.         445 

ments  of  bone,  not  yet  satisfactorily  identified ;  numerous 
fishes'  teeth,  of  the  genus  Lamna ;  and  a  specimen  of  Turbi- 
nolia.  The  teeth  possess  the  sharpness  of  recent  specimens, 
and  were  probably  quietly  deposited  in  their  present  locality, 
but  the  coral  has  undergone  so  much  bouldering  as  to  destroy 
its  character,  and  defy  identification. 

The  bed  whence  these  remains  were  obtained  is  a  whit- 
ish sand  beneath  a  stratum  of  tenacious  blue  clay,  situated 
by  the  side  of  the  river,  about  a  mile  from  Woodbridge,  in  a 
parish  commonly  called  Kyson.  This  clay  may  be  traced 
beneath  the  crag  not  more  than  twenty  yards  from  the  pit, 
and  is  a  continuation  of  the  same  bed  which  extends  over  a 
large  portion  of  the  eastern  side  of  the  county  of  Suffolk. — 
Sections  of  this  clay,  with  overlying  crag,  may  be  seen  at 
Sutton,  Bawdsey,  Felixstow,  &c;  and  although,  in  all  my 
searching  for  fossils  I  have  never  been  able  to  detect  a  single 
shell  in  the  clay  deposit,  the  Septarice  which  are  dredged  up 
off  Harwich  contain  shells  that  have  been  identified  with 
those  of  the  London  clay :  and  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  as 
part  of  the  bed  connecting  this  clay  at  Felixstow  and  Wal- 
ton-on-the-Naze,  there  is  little  doubt  of  its  belonging  to  the 
eocene  period ;  but  at  Kyson,  which  is  one  of  the  western  li- 
mits of  the  crag,  the  beds  become  more  irregular,  and  the 
shells  are  much  comminuted ;  and  at  Hasketon,  scarcely  two 
miles  further  westward,  the  clay  assumes  a  different  charac- 
ter, being  mixed  with  the  detritus  of  the  older  rocks.  I  have 
there  picked  up  shells  of  the  Echini  filled  with  chalk.  The 
only  doubt  respecting  the  bed  at  Kingston  would  be  whether 
it  could  at  all  belong  to  that  extensive  diluvial  deposit  which 
approaches  so  near ;  as  this  fossil  certainly  belongs  to  some 
quadrumanous  animal,  there  is  no  formation  to  which  it  could 
be  so  appropriately  assigned  as  that  of  the  London  clay, — the 
tropical  character  of  the  Fauna  as  well  as  of  the  Flora  of  that 
period,  being  such  as  to  justify  an  assumption  of  a  warmer 
climate,  quite  suitable  to  the  existence  of  our.  Macacus. — 
However,  I  have  given  you  the  particulars  of  its  discovery, 
and  I  consign  the  details  to  abler  hands. 

I  am,  &c. 

S.  V.  Wood. 

Editor  of  the  Magazine  of 
Natural  History. 


Vol.  III.— No.  33.  n.  s.  3  b 


446  FOSSIL  QUADRUMANOUS  REMAINS 

Description  of  the  Fossil  mentioned  in  the  preceding  Letter.  By 
Rtchard  Owen,  Esq.,  Hun  terian  Professor  at  the  Royal  College 
of  Surgeons. 

The  fossil,  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  discovery 
of  which  are  above  described,  was  submitted  to  me  for  exa- 
mination by  Mr.  Wood,  and  it  was  with  peculiar  interest  and 
gratification  that  I  found  it  to  present  unequivocal  evidence 
that  it  was  a  part  of  the  skeleton  of  a  true  quadrumanous 
species.  It  consists  of  the  alveolus  of  the  last  molar  of  the 
right  side  of  the  lower  jaw,  with  the  anterior  part  of  the  base 
of  the  coronoid  process,  and  the  tooth  entire,  in  its  place. — 
The  crown  of  the  tooth  presents  five  tubercles,  the  four  ante- 
rior ones  being  arranged  in  two  transverse  pairs,  the  fifth 
forming  the  posterior  heel  or  *  talon.'  This  conformation  of 
the  crown  of  the  last  molar  of  the  lower  jaw,  is  characteristic, 
as  is  well  known,  of  two  families  of  catarrhine  or  Old  World 
monkeys — the  Se?nnopithecidce,  including  Semnopithecus  and 
Colobus,  and  the  Macacidae,  including  Macacus,  Cynocepha- 
lus,  and  Papio* 

In  the  Semnopitkecidae  the  fifth  tubercle  or  talon  is  large 
but  simple.  In  most  of  the  Macacidae  it  presents  two  cusps, 
the  outer  one  being  much  larger  than  the  inner  one.  This 
character  is  well  marked  in  the  fossil,  which  induces  me  to 
refer  it  to  the  lower  group,  or  Macacida ;  and  after  a  close 
comparison  with  several  recent  species,  it  appears  to  me  to 
come  nearest  to  the  true  macacques. 

But  the  fossil  exhibits  the  following  differences  from  the 
recent  Macaci.  The  whole  tooth  is  rather  narrower  in  pro- 
portion to  its  length  :  the  transverse  ridge  at  the  anterior  part 
of  the  tooth,  crossing  the  base  of  the  two  anterior  tubercles, 
is  a  little  more  prominent,  and  passes  more  obliquely  from 
the  outer  to  the  inner  side  :  the  second  transverse  ridge  unit- 
ing the  first  pair  of  tubercles,  rises  nearer  to  their  summits. 
The  portion  of  jaw  is  more  compressed  than  the  corresponding 
part  of  the  jaw  in  the  recent  Macaci ;  (compare  fig.  58,  b)  : 
the  internal  wall  of  the  socket  of  the  tooth  is  flatter  and  much 
thinner ;  (this  character  of  the  fossil  is  well  shown  in  fig.  58,  c): 
the  ridge  on  the  outer  side  of  the  alveolus,  which  forms  the 
commencement  of  the  anterior  margin  of  the  coronoid  pro- 
cess, begins  closer  to  the  tooth,  (as  is  shown  in  figs.  57  and 
58,  a).  These  characters  are  sufficiently  important  and  well- 
marked  to  establish  the  specific  distinction  of  the  macacque 
to  which  the  portion  of  jaw  belongs,  and  are  the  more  valu- 
able as  corroborating  the  evidence  already  adduced  in  proof 
that  the  fragment  in  question  is  a  true  fossil  of  the  stratum 
in  which  it  was  discovered. 


FOUND  AT  WOODBRIDGE,  SUFFOLK. 


447 


Fig.  57  (p  444)  is  a  view  of  the  fossil  showing  the  outer  side  of  the  tooth  and  jaw,  natural  size 
Fig.  58  A  is  the  same  view,  magnified  two  diameters. 

B  is  a  view  of  the  fossil  looking  down  upon  the  grinding  surface  of  the  tooth,  similarly 
magnified.    It  does  not  show  distinctly  the  inner  small  cusp  of  the  '  talon '  or  hinder 
tubercle. 
C.    A  view  of  the  fossil  from  the  inner  side,  magnified  two  diameters. 

Fossil  remains  of  Quadrumana  have  been  discovered  with- 
in a  recent  period  in  the  tertiary  formations  of  India,  of  the 
South  of  France,  and  of  the  Brazils. 

The  Indian  remains,  discovered  by  Messrs.  Baker  and  Du- 
rand,  and  those  subsequently  found  by  Messrs.  Falconer  and 
Cautley,  have  been  referred  to  a  species  of  Semnopithecus, 
as  large  as  the  Entellus,  and  consequently  exceeding  consi- 
derably the  present  fossil  in  size. 

The  portions  of  fossil  quadrumanous  lower  jaw  discovered 
by  M.  Lartet  in  the  South  of  France,  indicate  a  species  of 
Hylobates,  rather  smaller  than  the  Syndactylies,  but  nearly 
allied  to  that  species. 

The  South  American  extinct  quadrumanes,  discovered  by 
M.  Lened  in  the  basin  of  the  Rio  des  Velhas,  it  is  interesting 
to  find,  are  referable  to  a  form  peculiar  to  the  New  World,  and 
are  most  nearly  allied  to  the  genus  Callithrix ;  but  the  ex- 
tinct species  are  more  than  double  the  stature  of  any  of  those 
which  exist  at  the  present  day. 

Not  only  therefore  is  the  fact  of  the  existence  of  quadru- 
manous mammals  at  the  tertiary  periods  of  the  earth's  history 
demonstrated,  but  we  have  evidence  that  four  of  the  modifi- 
cations of  the  quadrumanous  type  at  present  recognized  were 
in  being  at  that  remote  epoch  :  that  is  to  say,  the  tail-less  ape 
(Hylobates),  the  gentle,  vegetable-feeding  semnopithecque, 
distinguished  by  its  complicated  stomach ;  the  more  petu- 
lant and  omnivorous  macacque,  and  the  platyrrhine  Colli- 
thrix.     Lastly,  we  have  the  interesting  fact  established,  that 


448  PORTION  OF  AN  OPOSSUM'S  JAW 

the  Quadrumana  were  formerly  distributed  over  parts  of  the 
earth's  surface,  which  at  the  present  day,  are  so  far  altered  as 
regards  the  climate  and  vegetable  productions,  as  to  be  unfit 
for  their  existence. 


Art.  V. — Illustrated  Zoological  Notices.     By  Edward  Charles- 
worth,  F.G.S.  &c. 

(  Continued  from  page  353 .) 

1 .  On  the  discovery  of  a  Portion  of  an  Opossum's  Jaw  in  the  London  Clay, 

near  Woodbridge,  Suffolk. 

2.  On  some  Fossil  Teeth  of  the  Genus  Lamna,from  the  same  deposit. 

A  visit  to  the  county  of  Suffolk,  made  within  the  last  few 
days,  has  put  me  in  possession  of  some  fossil  remains  from 
the  spot  in  which  the  fragment  of  an  extinct  macacque  has 
been  procured  by  Mr.  Wood ;  and  as  the  subject  is  one  of 
the  highest  interest,  I  am  anxious  that  the  additional  infor- 
mation which  1  have  obtained  should  accompany  the  impor- 
tant communication  made  by  that  gentleman  to  the  present 
number  of  the  Magazine  of  Natural  History. 

I  believe  it  was  in  the  early  part  of  1837,  that  Mr.  William 
Colchester,  of  Ipswich,  who  had  then  recently  directed  his 
attention  to  the  fossils  of  the  crag,  showed  me  the  molar  tooth 
of  some  small  mammiferous  animal,  which  had  been  taken 
from  a  clay-pit  near  Woodbridge,  quarried  for  the  purpose  of 
making  bricks.  From  the  character  of  the  tooth  I  saw  at  once 
that  it  could  not  be  referred  to  any  of  our  indigenous  quad- 
rupeds, though  I  was  unable  from  recollection  to  determine 
the  genus,  or  even  family,  to  which  it  probably  belonged. — 
As  the  tooth  was  associated  with  those  of  sharks,  and  the 
quarry  in  the  London  clay  district,  Mr.  Colchester  supposed 
it  to  be  a  London  clay  fossil ;  and  upon  going  over  with  him 
to  visit  the  spot,  I  saw  no  reason  for  suspecting  the  deposit  to 
be  of  more  recent  date,  except  the  then  unprecedented  fact  of 
mammiferous  remains  occurring  so  low  down  in  the  tertiary 
series.  Aware  of  the  important  nature  of  the  fact,  assum- 
ing our  estimate  of  the  age  of  the  bed  to  be  correct,  Mr, 
Colchester  offered  to  place  the  fossil  at  my  disposal,  in  the 
event  of  my  being  inclined  to  record  the  circumstances  of  its 
discovery  in  the  Magazine  of  Natural  History.  I  should  cer- 
tainly have  done  so  at  the  time,  had  I  not  felt  that  before 
announcing  so  novel  a  fact  in  the  history  of  English  tertiary 
Geology,  there  were  reasons  which  called  for  a  most  careful 
examination  of  such  sources  of  fallacy  as  might  be  present. 
The  visit  which  I  paid  to  the  quarry  was  a  very  hurried  one, 


DISCOVERED  AT  WOODBRIDGE.  449 

and  as  the  crag  was  not  here  resting  upon  the  surface  of  the 
clay,  the  evidence  which  would  have  been  decisive — that  of 
immediate  superposition,  was  absent.  The  clay  itself  was 
destitute  of  fossils,  and  its  thickness  was  not  greater  than 
that  which  may  be  sometimes  seen  in  far  more  recent  argil- 
laceous deposits  in  Suffolk  and  Essex,  and  which  deposits 
might  readily  be  confounded  with  the  London  clay,  in  the 
absence  of  organic  remains.  In  addition  to  this,  I  remarked 
that  the  sharks'  teeth,  at  that  time  the  only  fossil  remains 
found  with  the  mammiferous  tooth,  were  quite  as  character- 
istic of  the  crag  as  of  the  London  clay,  being  all  of  small 
size,  and  of  the  forms  which  are  common  to  both  deposits. — 
These  reasons  made  me  determine  to  postpone  a  notice  of 
this  interesting  specimen,  until  I  should  have  satisfied  my- 
self, as  far  as  possible,  as  to  the  antiquity  of  the  stratum  in 
which  it  was  imbedded.  Nearly  three  years,  however,  have 
now  elapsed  since  its  discovery  was  communicated  to  me, 
and  during  the  hasty  visits  that  I  have  subsequently  paid  to 
that  part  of  the  country,  having  never  put  my  original  inten- 
tion into  execution,  or  applied  to  Mr.  Colchester  for  the  spe- 
cimen, it  was  handed  over  to  Mr.  Lyell  on  one  of  his  late 
excursions  to  Suffolk,  and  I  believe  will  be  noticed  by  him 
at  the  Birmingham  meeting  of  the  British  Association. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  present  month  I  received  from  Mr. 
Wood  the  fossil  remain  which  forms  the  subject  of  the  joint 
communication  from  himself  and  Professor  Owen ;  and  as  the 
discovery  of  an  extinct  quadrumanous  animal  greatly  added 
to  the  importance  of  no  error  being  committed  with  regard  to 
the  supposed  age  of  the  bed, — for  the  purpose  of  setting  at 
rest  any  doubt  that  might  still  have  lingered  in  my  own  mind, 
I  devoted  a  morning  a  few  days  since  to  the  examination  of 
the  spot.  After  thoroughly  exploring  the  geological  features 
presented  by  the  beds  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the 
place,  I  think  the  quarry  may,  without  any  hesitation,  be  as- 
signed to  the  age  of  the  London  clay.  Several  quarries  of 
crag  occur  within  half  a  mile  distance ;  and  on  crossing  the 
river  you  have,  a  little  nearer  the  town,  a  section  of  the  clay 
and  superimposed  crag,  similar  to  that  exhibited  by  the  coast 
line  at  Walton  and  Felixstow. 

The  annexed  sketch,  fig.  59,  without  its  being  drawn  to  any 
very  accurate  scale,  will  convey  an  idea  of  the  probable  sec- 
tion which  the  beds  of  clay  and  crag  would  exhibit  on  either 
side  the  Deben,  the  presumed  length  of  the  section  being 
three  miles. 


450  PORTION  OF  AN  OPOSSUM'S  JAW 


London  Clay.  London  Clay. 

I  was  much  disappointed  in  this  last  visit  to  the  quarry  to 
find  that  the  stratum  of  sand  in  which  the  fossils  are  found 
was  not  exposed,  owing  to  its  lying  below  the  clay,  and  the 
small  quantity  required  in  manufacturing  the  bricks.  Some 
of  the  sand  however  had  been  laid  aside,  and  was  being  sifted 
by  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  workmen,  who  picked  out  the 
sharks'  teeth,  which,  with  about  three  or  four  per  cent,  of 
fine  shingle,  formed  the  residuum.  The  teeth  were  plentiful 
enough,  but  I  could  not  detect  the  slightest  fragment  of  a 
shell.  The  foreman  told  me  that  they  had  sunk  about  ten 
feet  into  the  sand,  without  passing  through  it.  It  would  be 
desirable  to  ascertain  at  what  depth  the  chalk  is  there  met 
with,  but  this  point  I  had  not  the  means  of  determining : 
probably  it  is  not  far  below  the  surface,  and  this  sand  may 
perhaps  separate  the  chalk  from  the  overlying  clay. 

Upon  my  calling  on  Mr.  Colchester,  I  found  that  he  had 
been  so  fortunate  as  to  have  added  to  his  previous  discoveries 
that  of  the  interesting  fragment  represented  at  fig.  60,  con- 


fa)    Portion  of  the  lower  jaw  of  the  fossil  Opossum,  enlarged  one  half, 
(ft)    View  of  the  crown  of  the  tooth,  twice  the  natural  size ;  (seen  from  within). 

sisting  of  a  portion  of  the  right  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw  of  an 
opossum,  in  which  one  of  the  false  molars  is  happily  retain- 
ed. The  tooth  in  its  symmetrical  form,  united  with  the  in- 
dication of  an  anterior  as  well  as  posterior  heel  or  talon,  does 
not  agree  with  any  species  of  didelph  with  which  I  have  as 
yet  been  able  to  compare  it,  but  I  think  no  doubt  can  be  en- 
tertained of  the  generic  or  family  affinities  indicated  by  the 
characters  which  it  exhibits.  Judging  from  the  empty  alve- 
oli on  either  side,  the  tooth  appears  to  be  the  one  immediate- 
ly succeeding  the  true  molars :  its  posterior  tubercle  is 
strongly  developed,  and  divided  longitudinally  by  a  prominent 
ridge,  the  continuation  of  which  forms  the  posterior  edge  of 
the  body  of  the  tooth.  At  the  base  of  the  anterior  root  of 
the  tooth  the  opening  of  &  for  amen  is  seen,  on  the  outer  surface 
of  the  bone. 


DISCOVERED  AT  WOODBRIDGE.  451 

It  is  unnecessary  to  offer  any  comments  on  the  interest  of 
the  additions  now  made  to  the  extinct  Fauna  of  this  island, 
by  the  discovery  of  Quadrumana  and  marsupials  in  the  Lon- 
don clay.  These  additions  probably  constitute  only  the 
commencement  of  a  series  of  discoveries,  which  will  be 
brought  to  light  in  the  same  quarter  ;  as  Mr.  Colchester,  who 
holds  the  quarry,  has  made  arrangements  for  the  careful  ex- 
amination of  all  the  sand  which  shall  be  subsequently  remov- 
ed. The  connection  of  this  enquiry  with  the  subject  of  M. 
d'Orbigny's  papers  in  the  Journal  of  the  French  Academy, 
and  the  Bulletin  of  the  Geological  Society,  should  not  be 
overlooked.  It  seems  as  though  the  phenomena  in  the  pre- 
sent case  would  admit  an  inference  very  similar  to  that  which 
he  drew  from  an  examination  of  the  beds  above  the  chalk  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Meudon,  and  respecting  which  he  re- 
marks,— "  Qu'il  existe,  a  la  partie  inferieure  de  Targile  plas- 
tique,  des  caracteres  nouveaux  demontrant  surtout  que  divers 
genres  de  mammiferes  vivaient  a  Tepoque  ou  cet  etage  s'est 
forme." 


H 


a  &  d)    Teeth  ofLamna  agreeing  in  form  with  species  abundant  in  the  London  clay  &  red  crag. 
b)    Tooth  probably  of  the  same  genus,  but  of  an  undescribed  species,  provided  with  quadrate 
lateral  denticles. 
Tooth  of  Lamna  with  two  pairs  of  denticles. 

A  tooth,  of  which  the  form  probably  depends  upon  its  situation  having  been  near  the  ter- 
mination of  the  series. 

I  selected  a  few  of  the  sharks'  teeth  found  in  this  deposit, 
from  several  hundred  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Colchester,  for 
the  purpose  of  illustration.  I  believe  all  yet  discovered  may 
be  referred  to  the  genus  Lamna,  and  to  species  which  occur 
in  both  the  crag  and  London  clay,  so  that  at  present  the  iden- 
tification of  the  bed  from  the  evidence  furnished  by  organ- 
ic remains,  must  be  looked  upon  as  a  desideratum.  The  teeth 
of  the  genus  Otodus,  though  not  uncommon  in  the  London 


45*2  FOSSIL  PLANTS  OF  BRITAIN. 

clay  of  Suffolk,  have  not  been  noticed  in  the  present  deposit, 
whilst,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are  no  traces  of  the  genus 
Carcharias  to  favor  the  opinion  of  its  age  agreeing  with  that 
of  the  crag.  The  average  size  of  one  hundred  teeth,  if  com- 
pared with  the  same  number  from  the  Harwich  cliffs,  will  be 
found  about  one  third  smaller.  Their  colour  and  general  as- 
pect corresponds  most  closely  with  the  appearance  presented 
by  the  small  sharks'  teeth  from  Malta,  and  some  of  the  con- 
tinental tertiary  deposits,  and  presents  a  singular  contrast 
to  those  found  in  the  red  crag,  or  the  ordinary  beds  of  the 
London  clay  formation.  As  Mr.  Wood  has  remarked,  they 
do  not  appear  to  have  been  subjected  to  the  slightest  boul- 
dering,  a  circumstance  satisfactorily  established  by  the  per- 
fect condition  of  the  lateral  denticles. 


Art.  VI. — A  Systematic  Catalogue  of  the  Fossil  Plants  of  Britain. 
By  John  Morris  Esq. 

The  study  of  fossil  Botany,  equally  interesting  and  impor- 
tant as  any  other  branch  of  Natural  History,  is  rendered  more 
difficult  in  consequence  of  those  parts  which,  in  a  recent 
state,  afford  the  most  ready  means  of  generic  distinction,  be- 
ing rarely  preserved :  however,  Botanists,  well  acquainted 
with  the  structure  of  existing  vegetation,  have,  by  an  atten- 
tive examination  of  the  best- preserved  portions,  been  enabled 
to  decipher  many  of  the  characters  of  the  ancient  Flora.  In 
the  present  catalogue  I  have  included  not  only  the  fossilized 
remains  peculiar  to  Britain,  but  many  of  the  more  interesting 
specimens  which  have  hitherto  been  found  only  in  continen- 
tal deposits.  The  general  arrangement  of  the  greater  portion 
of  this  catalogue,  as  well  as  the  generic  characters,  have  been 
adopted  from  the  views  entertained  in  the  works  of  Messrs. 
Lindley  and  Hutton,1  Witham,  Brongniart,2  Sternberg,3  &c, 
and  for  the  cryptogamic  part,  more  especially  the  Filices,  to 


1Iindl.  and  Hutt.  '  The  Fossil  Flora  of  Great  Britain,'  by  Lindley 
and  Hutton.     London  :  1831—1836. 

2  Brong.  Prod.  '  Prodrome  d'une  Histoire  des  Vegetaux  Fossiles, »  par 
M.  A.  Brongniart.     Paris:  1828. 

Brong.  Hist.     '  Histoire  des  Vegetaux  Fossiles.'     Paris :  1828. 

3  Sternb.  '  Versuch  einer  geognostich-botanischen  Darstellung  der  Flo- 
ra der  Vorwelt,'  C.  von  Sternberg.  Leipsie  and  Prague :  parts  i. — iv.  tab. 
1—58,  1820 ;  parts  v.  and  vi.  tab.  1—26,  1833. 


FOSSIL  PLANTS  OF  BRITAIN.  453 

a  valuable  memoir  lately  published  by  Prof.  Goppert,1   as 
well  as  to  some  suggestions  of  Professor  and  Mr.  G.  Don. 

PLANTM  CRYPTOGAM1CM. 

Confervites,  Brongn. 
Filaments  simple  or  branched,  divided  by  internal  partitions. 

Conf.fasciculata,  Brong.  Hist.  tab.  1,  fig.  1.  Chalk,  Lewes, 
Steyning,  Norwich.  Chalk  marl,  Hamsay,  Isle  of  Born- 
holm. 

Conf. .     Mant.  Geol.  Suss.  tab.  9,  fig.  12.     Chalk, 

Lewes. 

Fucoides,  Brongn.      {Algacites,  Schloth.) 

Frond  continuous,  never  articulated,  usually  not  symmetrical  or  subcy- 
lindrical,  simple,  or  oftener  branched,  naked,  or  more  commonly  leafy ;  or 
membranous,  entire,  more  or  less  lobed,  with  no  ribs  or  imperfectly  marked 
ones,  which  branch  in  an  irregular  manner,  and  never  anastomose. 

Fuco.  Brongniarti,  Mant.  tab.  9,  fig.  1.     Chalk,  Lewes. 

Targioni,  Brong.   Hist.  tab.  4,  fig.  2.     Upper  green 

sand,  Bignor,  Sussex. 

furcatus,  Brong.  Hist.  tab.  5,  fig.  1.    Stonesfield  slate, 


Stonesfield,  Oxon. 

arcuatus,  Lindl.  and  Hutt.  ;ii.  tab.  185.     Ool.  shale, 

Gristhorpe  Bay. 

granulatus,  Brong.  Lias,  Lyme  Regis.     Boll, 

Wurtemburg. 

Mant.  Geol.  Suss,  page  83.    Gault,  Norlington, 


Blechingly. 

T ympanophora,  Lindl. z 

Tymp.  simplex,  Lindl.  and  Hutt.  iii.  tab.  170  A.     Low.  ool. 

shale,  Cloughton  Wyke,  Scarborough. 
racemosa,  Lindl.  and  Hutt.  iii.  tab.  170  B.     Low.  ool, 

shale,  Cloughton  Wyke. 

Chondrites,  Sternb. 

Frond  cartilaginous,  filiform,  dichotomously  branched,  branches  cylin- 
drical ;  compressed  in  the  specimens. 

Chond.  trichomanoides,  Gopp.  page  268,  tab.  30,  fig.  2  b. — 
Coal  measures,  Attendorf. 

1  Gopp.  '  Systema  Filicum  Fossilium,'  H.  R.  Goppert.  Novorum  Ac- 
tomm  Academiae  Csesariae  Leopoldino-Carolinae  Naturae  Curiosorum  Sup. 
vol.  xvii.  1836. 

2  Generic  characters  not  determined. 

Vol.  III.— No.  33.  n.  s.  3  c 


454  FOSSIL  PLANTS  OF  BRITAIN. 

FUNGI. 

Excipulites,  Gopp. 

Sessile,  naked,  and  cup-shaped ;  perithecia  horny,  nearly  closed,  and  fi- 
nally opening  with  a  rounded  entire  mouth. 

Excip.  Neesii,  Gopp.  page  262,  tab.  36,  fig.  4.  Coal  mea- 
sures, Waldenburg,  Silesia. 

Polyporites,  Lindl. 

Polyp.  Bowmanni,  Lindl.  and  Hutt.  i.  tab.  65.  Coal  mea- 
sures, Denbighshire. 

No  fossil  Hepatica  or  Musci  at  present  known  in  England. 

FILICES. 

Ferns,  the  stems  only  known, 
Caulopteris,  Lindl. 

Stem  cylindrical,  closely  marked  by  large,  oblong,  convex,  uneven  scars, 
wider  than  the  tortuous  depressed  spaces  that  separate  them. 

Caul,  punctata,  Gopp.  page  449.  Lepidodendron  puncta- 
tum,  Sternb.  part  i.,  page  13,  tab.  4  &  8,  fig.  2.  Coal 
measures,  Kauritz,  Bohemia. 

primceva,  Lindl.  and  Hutt.  tab.  42.     Sigillaria  Lind- 

leyi,  Brong.     Coal  measures,  Radstock,  Bath. 

Phillipsii,  Lindl.  and  Hutt.  tab.  140,  page  161.     Coal 

measures,  Camerton,  Somerset. 

Singeri,  Gopp.  tab.  41,  fig.  1,  2.     Sandstone,  Giers- 

dorf,  Silesia. 

Karstenia,  Gopp. 

Caudex  even,  covered  by  cicatrices  which  are  arranged  in  a  spiral  man- 
ner ;  cicatrices  orbicular,  convex,  and  teated  in  the  centre,  each  girded  by 
an  elevated  or  flattish  ring,  and  often  destitute  of  any  ring. 

Kars.  omphalostigma,  Gopp.  tab.  33,  fig.  1.  Coal  measures, 
Charlottebrunn,  Silesia. 

mammillaris,  Gopp.  tab.  33,  fig.  4,  5.    Coal  measures, 

Charlottebrunn. 

Cottjsa,  Gopp. 

Stem  even,  probably  ascending,  clothed  by  the  lower  parts  of  the  stipes, 
which  are  disposed  spirally. 

Cot.  danceoides,  Gopp.  page  452  ;  Jager,  tab.  7,  fig.  6.  Keu- 
per,  Stuttgard. 


FOSSIL  PLANTS  OF  BRITAIN.  455 

Tubicaulis,  Cotta. 

Stem  composed  of  larger  and  smaller  tubiform  fasciculi,  and  surrounded 
by  a  brown  sufficiently  conspicuous  tunic ;  the  larger  tubes  converging, 
distant,  inclosing  vescicles,  and  surrounded  by  the  smaller  tubes,  which  are 
arranged  without  any  order ;  the  vescicles  in  a  transverse  section  of  the 
stem  presenting  a  regular  form. 

Tubie.  dubius,  Cotta,1  page  25,  tab.  1,  fig.  3,  4;  Gopp.  page 

456.     Locality  unknown. 
1 primarius,  Cotta,  tab.  1,  fig.  1,  2 ;  Gopp.  page  454. 

Endogenites  solenites,  Spreng.  page  32.     Red  sandstone, 

Freyburg. 

ramosus,  Cotta,  tab.  3,  fig.  1 — 3;  Gopp.  page  455. 

solenites,  Cotta,  tab.  2,  fig.  1,  2,  3;  Gopp.  page  454. 

(Endogenites,  Spreng.)     Red  sandstone,  Freyburg. 

Psaronius,  Cotta. 

Fasciculi  parallel,  seated  on  the  stem,  and  surrounded  by  brown  conspi- 
cuous tunics,  which  are  either  cylindrical  or  tubular,  or  wider,  resembling 
a  copula  ;  these  last  are  filled  by  a  thick  cellular  tissue,  the  former  con- 
taining small  angular  columns. 

Psar.  Asterolithus,  Cotta,  page  29,  tab.  4,  fig.  1 — 4.  Endo- 
genites Asterolithus,  Spreng.  page  33,  fig.  1  ;  Starry  stone, 
Parkinson,  i.  tab.  8,  fig.  3 — 6;  Gopp.  page  456.  Neue 
Paka,  Bohemia. 

Helmintholithus,  Cotta,  page  31,  tab.  5,  fig.  1,  tab.  6, 

fig.  1 — 3,  tab.  7,  fig.  1, 2;  Endogenites  Psarolithus,  Spreng. 
page  37,  fig.  5;  Parkinson,  i.  page  410,  tab.  8,  fig.  1,  2,  5, 
7 ;  Gopp.  page  457.  Red  sandstone,  Chemnitz,  in  Sax- 
ony.    Neue  Paka,  Bohemia. 

Ad.  Brongniart  considers  the  affinity  of  Psaronius  to  arborescent  ferns 
as  very  doubtful,  and  that  its  internal  structure  is  more  analogous  to  the 
base  of  the  stem  of  some  gigantic  and  arborescent  Lycopodium,  the  two 
species  above  named  being  only  different  portions  of  it ;  Psar.  Hehnintho- 
lithus  representing  the  fibro-vascular  axis  of  the  stem  of  the  Lycopocliacea;, 
the  Psar.  Asterolithus  corresponding  to  the  exterior  cellular  tissue  of  the 
same  stems.     Hist,  des  Veget.  Foss.  ii.  pp.  bl — 67. 

Porosus,  Cotta. 

Stem  covered  with  tube-formed  fascicles  of  vessels,  which  are  conspicu- 
ous in  the  cuticle,  the  inner  part  filled  with  a  porous  mass  destitute  of 
structure. 

Por.  communis,  Cotta,  page  39,  tab.  8,  fig.  1 — 3;  Gopp.  page 

458.     Dresden  and  Chemnitz. 
marginatus,  Cotta,  page  41,  tab.  8,  fig.  4,  5;  Gopp.  page 

458.     Locality  unknown. 

1  Die  dcndrolithen  in  Beziehung  auf  ihren  inneren  Bau  von  C.  B.  Cot- 
ta, Dresden,  1832. 


456  fossil  plants  of  britain. 

Endogenites. 

End.  erosa,  Mant.  Geol.  South  East  Eng.  page  236,  tab.  1, 
fig.  4,  5,  7.     Hastings  sand,  Tilgate,  &c. 

striata,  Lindl.  and  Hutt.  tab.  227  A.     Coal  Measures, 

England. 

This  genus  has  been  placed  here  on  the  authority  of  M.  Brongniart,  who 
considers  it  has  more  affinity  to  the  arborescent  ferns  than  to  the  palms. 

The  fronds  only  known. 

VARIABLE  FERNS. 
BOCKSCHIA,  Gopp. 

Fronds  stemless?  fan-shaped,  with  parallel  veins;  fertile  fronds  with 
5  or  7  plaits,  sterile  flat.  Sori  oblong,  in  two  rows,  seated  on  the  plaits, 
which  are  bluntly  triangular. 

Bocks,  flabellata,  Gopp.  tab.  1,  fig.  1,  2.  Coal  measures, 
Waldenburg,  Silesia. 

Pachypteris,  Brong. 

Fronds  pinnate  or  bipinnate ;  leaflets  entire,  coriaceous,  ribless  or  one- 
ribbed,  contracted  at  the  base,  not  adherent  to  the  midrib. 

Pach.  lanceolata,  Brong.  Prod,  page  50;  Brong.  Hist.i.  page 
168,  tab.  45,  fig.  2  ;  Gopp.  tab.  1,  fig.  4;  Sternb.  part  v. 
and  vi.,  page  55.  Sphenopteris  lanceolata,  Phillips,  tab. 
10,  fig.  6.     Oolite  shale,  Saltwick,  Yorkshire. 

ovata,  Brong.  Prod,  page  50;  Hist.  i.  page  168,  tab. 

45,  fig.  2 ;  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.,  page  55  ;  Gopp.  page 
180.  Neuropteris  Icevigata,  Phillips,  tab.  10,  fig.  9.  Oo- 
lite shale,  Saltwick,  Yorkshire. 

Anomopteris,  Brong. 

Fronds  pinnate ;  leaflets  linear,  entire,  somewhat  plaited  transversely  at 
the  veins,  marked  with  a  midrib  ;  veins  simple,  perpendicular,  curved. — 
Fructification  of  doubtful  form. 

Anom.  Mougeotii,  Brong.  Prod,  page  50 ;  Ann.  Sci.  Nat.  vol. 
xv.  page  439 ;  Hist.  i.  page  257,  tab.  79  —81  ;  Gopp.  tab. 
1,  fig.  5.     Gres  bigarre,  Sulz-les-bains,  Wapelonne. 

DANJEACEM,  Gopp. 

Fronds  pinnate,  veins  transverse.  Sporangia  adnate  to  the  lower  sur- 
face, approximating  to  the  margin,  and  opening  by  a  fissure. 

Glockeria,  Gopp. 

Frond  pinnate.  Sporangia  oval,  seated  on  the  secondary  veins  at  the 
margin  of  the  frond,  and  probably  dehiscing  longitudinally. 


FOSSIL  PLANTS  OF  BRITAIN.  457 

Clock,  marratoides,  Gopp.  tab.  39,  fig.  2,  3.     Coal  measures, 
Charlottebrunn,  Silesia. 

Dan^ites,  Gopp. 

Sporangia  linear,  parallel,  seated  on  the  forked  secondary  veins ;  indusi- 
um  doubtful. 

Dan.  asplenioides,  Gopp.  tab.  19,  fig.  4,5.    Coal  measures, 
Charlottebrunn. 

GLEICHENIEjE,  Gopp. 
Frond  pinnate  or  bi-pinnate.     Sporangia  3 — 6  angled. 

Gleichenites,  Gopp. 
Frond  forked,  pinnate.    Fructification  unknown. 

Glei.  Linkii,  Gopp.  tab.  2,  fig.  1.     Coal  measures,  Charlotte- 
brunn, Silesia. 

Neesii,  Gopp.  tab.  3,  fig.  1,  2.     Fetid  limestone,  Otten- 

dorf,  Bohemia. 

artemisicefolius,  Gopp.  page  184.  Sphenopteris,  Sternb. 

part  iv.  page  15,  part  v.  and  vi.  page  58 ;  Brong.  Hist.  i. 
page  136;  a,  tripartitus,  Sternb.  part  iv.  tab.  54,  fig.  1  ; 
$,  dichotomus,  Brong.  Hist.  tab.  46 ;  y,  minor,  Brong.  Hist, 
tab.  47.  a,  Coal  measures,  Yawdon,  Northumberland ;  B 
and  y,  Newcastle. 

crithmifolius,  Gopp.  page  185.     Sphenopteris,  Lindl. 

and  Hutt.  i.  tab.  46,  page  46  ;  Sphen.  dichotoma,  Sternb. 
part  v.  and  vi.  jS,  affinis;  Sphen.  affinis,  Lindl.  and  Hutt. 
i.  tab.  45;  Sternb.  loc.  cit.  Coal  measures,  Bensham,  Bur- 
die  house. 

neuropteroides,  Gopp.  page  186,  tab.  4,  5.  Greywacke, 


Landshut,  Silesia. 

ASTEROCARPUS,1  G6pp. 

Frond  bi-pinnate.  Sporangia  3  or  4,  adhering  by  their  sides,  appearing 
altogether  like  a  3-  or  4-celled  capsule. 

Ast.  Sternbergii,  Gopp.  page  188,  tab.  6,  fig.  1 — 4.     Coal 

measures,  Saarbruck. 
lanceolatus,  Sternb. ;  Gopp.  page  382.    Keuper,  Rhein- 

dorf,  near  Bamberg. 
heterophyllus,  Sternb. ;    Gopp.    page    382.       Keuper, 

Rheindorf. 

(To  be  continued.) 

1  Should  a  closer  inspection  of  these  fossils  prove  that  the  stellate-like 
capsule  is  rather  an  ideal  than  a  true  form,  they  may  more  probably  be- 
long to  Cyatheites,  the  disposition  of  the  sori  resembling  the  recent  genus 
Cyathea ;  the  stellate  appearance  being  produced  by  the  pressure  they  have 
subsequently  undergone. 


458  PENSILE  NEST  OF  A  BRITISH  WASP. 


Art.  VII. — Notes  on  the  Pensile  Nests  of  British  Wasps.      By  W. 
E    Shuckard,  Esq.,  Librarian  to  the  Royal  Society,  V.P.E.S.,  &c. 

At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Entomological  Society  Mr.  Barraud 
exhibited  the  small  nest  of  a  wasp,  which  had  been  found 
near  Croydon,  built  in  a  sparrow's  nest,  and  attached  to  the 
feathers  within  it.  The  smallness  of  the  nest,  and  of  the  tier 
of  cells,  as  well  as  the  peculiar  material  of  which  it  appeared 
composed,  led  to  a  discussion,  the  tendency  of  which  seemed 
to  support  the  opinion  that  it  was  most  probably  the  nest  of 
Polistes, — a  social  wasp  not  yet  found  in  this  country ;  but 
if  not  of  Polistes,  yet  certainly  of  some  new  species  not  yet 
determined  or  known.  Feeling  curious  about  it,  I  obtained 
the  nest  to  examine,  and  the  following  is  the  result  of  my  in- 
spection of  it. 

The  nest  consists  of  three  shells,  with  a  space  about  a 
line  wide  between  each,  viz.,  the  rudiments  of  a  basal  ex- 
ternal one,  commenced  in  a  spiral  direction,  the  widest  por- 
tion of  which  is  about  half  an  inch  only.  The  enveloping 
one,  which  gives  the  form  to  the  nest,  and  is  ovate,  about  an 
inch  and  a  half  long,  and  an  inch  broad  at  its  widest  diame- 
ter, and  has  a  circular  aperture  at  its  apex,  rather  more  than 
4  of  an  inch  across.  Within  this  case,  at  the  base,  there  is 
the  commencement  of  another  spiral  one,  which  at  its  widest 
part  laps  laterally,  scarcely  farther  than  the  base  of  the  cells ; 
and  within  this,  in  the  centre,  is  placed  the  tier  of  cells,  ori- 
ginating from  a  common  pedicle,  consequently,  as  usual,  the 
central  ones  are  the  most  advanced  in  structure :  altogether 
there  are  fifteen  perfect  hexagons,  the  central  ones  being 
nearly  four  lines  deep,  and  all  a  little  more  than  two  lines  in 
diameter. 

The  nest  appears  to  be  constructed  of  the  agglutinated  par- 
ticles of  a  soft  white  wood,  probably  willow,  very  imperfectly 
triturated,  which  gives  it  externally  a  rough  granulated  ap- 
pearance. It  is  sprinkled  with  black  specks,  arising  perhaps 
from  the  intermixture  of  more  decayed  portions  of  the  wood, 
and  is  of  a  very  fragile  texture. 

The  nature  of  the  material,  and  its  unfinished  execution, 
as  well  as  the  situation  in  which  it  was  found,  appear  to  me 
to  be  its  only  peculiarities,  and  I  must  necessarily  consider  it 
merely  an  accidental  deviation  in  material  and  locality  from 
the  usual  nests  of  the  Vespa  Britannica  of  Leach,  one  of 
which  is  in  my  possession,  and  differs  only  in  the  following 
particulars.     I  must,  however,  premise,  that  I  am  sure  of  the 


PENSILE  NEST  OF  A  BRITISH  WASP.  459 

identity  of  the  wasp,  as  the  builder  of  my  nest,  for  the  female 
was  captured  within  it. 

Mine  is  more  globular,  and  about  an  inch  in  diameter  eve- 
ry way ;  it  also  consists  of  three  shells,  the  internal  one  how- 
ever envelopes  it  entirely,  excepting  the  aperture  for  egress, 
which  is  of  the  same  width  as  the  above ;  the  second  shell 
also  is  entire,  and  extends  to  the  plane  of  the  mouth  of  the 
inner  one ;  the  external  one  is,  as  above,  also  merely  rudimen- 
tal,  and  constructed  only  on  one  side,  and  at  its  widest  part  is 
about  the  same  size  as  the  former.  The  tier  of  cells  within 
is  in  about  the  same  state  of  advancement  as  the  preceding, 
and  consists  of  only,  apparently,  eleven  cells, — also  perfect 
hexagons,  and  of  the  same  diameter.  Its  substance  is  a  highly 
elaborated  papier  machee,  of  a  brilliant  silvery  grey  colour, 
smooth,  and  worked  spirally,  and  in  consistence  it  is  much 
tougher  than  the  above. 

It  was  found  suspended  from  the  roof  of  a  summer  house 
at  Hoxton,  and  given  to  me  by  Mr.  Norman.  The  following 
is  the  description  of  the  wasp  taken  with  it,  and  which  I  con- 
sider to  be  the  Vespa  Britannica  of  Leach. 

It  is  eight  lines  and  a  half  long.  Expansion  of  the  wings 
fifteen  lines  :  diameter  of  abdomen  three  lines. I  Back  cover- 
ed with  long  yellowish  pubescence  :  the  clypeus,  inner  edge 
of  the  eyes  as  far  as  their  emargination,  a  patch  behind  the 
eyes  at  their  apex,  a  quadrate  anteriorly  emarginate  mark  be- 
tween the  antennae,  the  basal  joint  of  the  latter  in  front,  and 
the  mandibles, — all  yellow ;  the  thorax  has  a  broad  line  on 
each  side  of  the  pro-thorax,  a  small  spot  on  each  side,  be- 
neath the  origin  of  the  superior  wings,  and  two  large  semi- 
circular marks  on  the  scutellum, — yellow.  The  abdomen  is 
yellow,  with  the  base  of  the  first  to  the  fourth  segments  black, 
rather  broader  in  the  centre,  where  it  is  augulated ;  on  the 
second  to  the  fourth  segments  there  is,  on  each  side,  an  ob- 
scure spot,  separated  from  the  black  basal  band :  the  legs  are 
yellow,  with  the  coxae,  trochanters,  and  base  of  the  femora, 
black.  The  wings  are  obscure,  anteriorly  fuscescent,  and 
their  nervures  pitchy. 

The  situation  in  which  the  first  nest  was  found,  is  certain- 
ly very  singular.  The  wasp  must  have  concluded  the  spar- 
row's nest  deserted,  or  may  it  have  confided  in  its  means  of 
defence  ?  But  I  have  no  doubt,  as  I  have  said  above,  that  it 
is  merely  an  accidental  deviation,  in  structure  and  locality, 
from  the  ordinary  nests  of  the  Vespa  Britannica. 

1 1  give  these  dimensions  particularly  to  show  the  relative  sizes  of  the 
wasp  and  of  her  nest. 


460  FOSSIL  SHELLS  OF  THE  CRAG. 

There  are  two  British  wasps  which  suspend  their  nests  in 
exposed  situations ; — the  one  above,  and  the  Vespa  Holsatica, 
Fab.  The  nest  of  the  latter  is,  however,  much  larger,  usually 
about  the  size  of  a  man's  head,  or  somewhat  smaller.  These 
are  of  a  firm  texture,  and  are  attached  to  shrubs ;  in  the  north 
they  frequently  occur  in  gardens,  fixed  to  gooseberry-bushes. 
As  to  the  number  of  wasps  which  are  natives  of  this  country, 
I  much  doubt  if  there  are  as  many  as  cabinets  are  made  to 
contain,  from  their  being  separated  according  to  the  markings 
of  the  abdomen ;  for  I  have  myself  taken  three  of  these  vari- 
eties, going  in  and  out  of  one  nest :  but  I  shall  shortly  pub- 
lish the  facts  which  I  have  collected  upon  this  subject,  and 
my  opinions  as  to  their  specific  identity  and  diversity,  will  be 
strengthened  by  differences  of  structure  as  well  as  of  mark- 
ings, and  indeed  I  strongly  suspect  that  the  Vespa  Holsatica 
and  Vespa  Britannica  are  identical. 

31,  Robert  St.,  Chelsea, 
July  15th,  1839. 


Art.  VIII.— On  the  Fossil  Shells  of  the  Crag.    By  S.  V.  Wood, 
Esq.  late  Curator  to  the  Geological  Society  of  London. 

In  publishing  the  following  additions  to  the  British  tertiary 
fossils,  some  reason  should  be  assigned  for  classing  under 
one  genus  such  diversity  of  forms  as  is  here  represented,  and 
which  might  otherwise  have  been  distributed  among  four  pro- 
posed genera,  viz.,  Bullcea,  Bulla,  Bullina,  Bullinula.  It 
was  my  intention  so  to  have  arranged  them,  but  upon  exami- 
nation I  found  the  gradations  from  the  depressed  and  hidden 
spire  to  one  that  is  highly  elevated,  to  be  so  minute  and  al- 
most imperceptible,  that  I  knew  not  where  to  admit  the  one 
character  and  reject  the  other.  Mr.  G.  B.  Sowerby,  in  his 
*  Genera  of  Recent  and  Fossil  Shells,'  No.  39,  has  united 
Bullcea  and  Bulla,  at  the  same  time  remarking  the  changes 
from  one  to  the  other  to  be  so  gradual,  that  a  distinct  gener- 
ic line  of  separation  cannot  be  drawn  between  them,  and 
thinks  the  union  of  the  two  genera  to  be  fairly  warranted.  I 
fully  concur  in  this  opinion,  and  in  my  present  descriptions 
have  only  given  the  genus  a  little  more  extension,  so  as  to 
include  shells  whose  spires  are  quite  visible,  and  more  ele- 
vated than  those  which  have  generally  been  restricted  within 
the  limits  of  Lamarck's  generic  character. 

The  discordance  among  conchologists  respecting  the  boun- 
dary line  between  different  genera,  is  a  subject  of  little  im- 


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FOSSIL  SHELLS  OF  THE  CRAG.  461 

portance  to  the  geologist,  the  permanent  establishment  of 
species  being  all  that  is  required  for  the  purpose  of  identifi- 
cation ;  but  upon  this  point  it  is  certainly  to  be  regretted  that 
there  should  be  any  dispute,  and  until  we  are  well  acquainted 
with  a  shell  in  all  its  varieties  and  monstrosities,  this  must 
and  always  will  be  the  case.  The  following  are  all  the  Bul- 
lae belonging  to  the  crag  that  I  have  seen ;  the  descriptions 
will  always  be  given  from  my  own  specimens,  unless  when 
otherwise  expressed. 

Bulla  quadrata,  Nob.     Suppl.  PI.  No.  vii.  fig.  1. 

Shell  quadrangular,  finely  striated,  aperture  wide,  outer  lip  nearly  straight, 
inner  lip  folded  back,  muscular  impression  marginal.  Apex  depressed  > 
visible.     Length  j,     diameter  Tf  of  an  inch. 

Coralline  crag,  Sutton. 

Only  one  perfect  specimen  of  this  pretty  shell  has  fallen 
into  my  hands,  therefore  I  presume  it  rare ;  a  few  imperfect 
ones  have  assisted  me  in  drawing  up  its  character.  The 
quadrate  form  of  the  outer  lip  renders  this  shell  very  distinct, 
and  not  liable  to  be  confounded  with  any  other  species.  A 
slight  compression  round  the  upper  part  of  the  body-whorl 
takes  a  little  from  the  straight  line  of  the  outer  lip,  which  is 
much  expanded ;  the  inner  lip  is  not  only  folded  back,  form- 
ing a  small  umbilicus,  but  leaves  an  elevated  ridge  inwards, 
which  produces  a  flattened  depression  on  that  side.  Muscu- 
lar impression  large  and  conspicuous ;  stria  fine,  numerous, 
and  diverging. 

I  have  included  this  very  expanded  shell  among  the  Bulla 
for  the  reasons  above  stated,  conceiving  the  expansion  of  the 
aperture  alone,  to  be  insufficient  for  generic  distinction. 

Bulla  catenata,  Nob.     Fig.  2. 

Shell  obovate,  spire  depressed,  visible,  aperture  large,  lip  arcuated,  vertex 
truncated,  inner  lip  projecting:  sub-umbilicated,  striated,  sfrk  numer- 
ous, ornamented  ;  muscular  impression  indistinct.  Length  £,  diameter 
^  of  an  inch. 

Coralline  crag,  Sutton. 

Two  or  three  specimens  only  are  in  my  possession,  one  of 
which  is  sufficiently  perfect  to  exhibit  all  the  characters  above 
described.  The  elegant  chain- like  markings  that  ornament 
this  shell  are  similar  to  those  of  Bulla  catena,  but  in  other 
respects  it  differs  from  the  description  of  that  species.  The 
inner  lip  stands  prominently  forward,  causing  a  depression  be- 
hind it ;  the  outer  one  is  sharp  and  arcuated,  which  gives  an 
oval  contour  to  the  shell.     The  upper  part  of  the  outer  lip  is 

Vol.  III.— No.  33.  n.  s.      3d 


46*2  FOSSIL  SHELLS  OF  THE  CRAG. 

truncated,  leaving  the  spire  visible,  though  depressed,  with  a 
slight  compression  around  the  upper  part  of  the  body-whorl. 
The  whole  marked  with  strice  diverging  from  the  summit. 

Bulla  dilatata,  Nob.     Fig.  3. 

Shell  subcylindrical,  vertex  truncated,  spire  depressed,  visible,  aperture 
large,  expanding  towards  the  base ;  striated,  strice  diverging,  muscular 
impression  large.    Length  f,  largest  diameter  7|  of  an  inch. 

Coralline  Crag,  Sutton. 

The  spire  is  visible  although  depressed,  the  upper  part  of 
the  whorls  convex,  producing  a  deep  suture  or  subcanal  round 
the  vertex.  The  aperture  is  much  expanded,  showing  the 
muscular  impression  imperfectly  divided,  being  deeply  seated 
around  the  base,  and  slightly  visible  along  the  edge  of  the 
outer  lip,  and  again  deeply  impressed  at  the  upper  part. — 
The  striae  are  visible  at  the  apex,  running  round  the  convo- 
lutions of  the  shell,  but  diverging  towards  the  base,  where 
they  are  almost  at  right  angles  with  those  above.  Under  a 
lens  it  shows  externally  a  very  elegant  chain-like  appearance, 
produced  by  small  oval  depressions,  similar  to  those  of  Bul- 
la catenata :  it  has  a  slight  depression  behind  the  thickened 
edge  of  the  inner  lip,  running  to  the  base. 

A  recent  shell  from  the  coast  of  Bute,  given  to  me  by  Mr. 
Lyell,  is  perfectly  identical  with  the  above ;  but  in  its  recent 
state  is  beautifully  transparent,  the  chain-like  strice  being  vi- 
sible on  the  inside. 

Bulla  lignaria,  Auct.     Fig.  4. 
Shell  ovate,  thin,  spirally  striated,  vertex  depressed,  aperture  wide. 
Coralline  Crag,  Ramsholt  and  Sutton. 

Four  or  five  entire  specimens,  with  a  few  fragments  suffi- 
cient to  allow  of  a  careful  comparison,  have  enabled  me  to 
decide  upon  the  identity  of  this  shell  with  the  well-known  re- 
cent species.  Nothing  that  I  could  imagine  to  be  the  testa- 
ceous gizzard,  or  even  a  part  of  it,  has  ever  come  under  my 
observation.  I  have  only  one  fragment  from  the  red  crag, 
but  its  tenuity  is  ill  adapted  to  withstand  the  bouldering  of  a 
littoral  deposit,  and  also  its  comparative  rarity  in  the  coral- 
line crag  may  account  for  its  non-appearance  in  the  upper 
bed. 

Bulla  ventrosa,  Nob.     Fig.  5. 

Shell  ovate,  globose,  striated,  spire  concealed,  aperture  suboval,  extending 
to  the  apex,  narrow  above,  expanding  towards  the  base,  umbilicated. — 
Length  7|,  diameter  ^  of  an  inch. 

Coralline  crag,  Sutton. 


FOSSIL  SHELLS  OF  THE  CRAG.  463 

A  shell  figured  by  Brown,  in  his  Illustrations  of  British 
Conchology,  called  Diaphana  Candida,  pi.  38,  fig.  13,  14, 
somewhat  resembles  this  in  outline,  but  the  spire  is  visible  ; 
and  as  there  is  no  accompanying  description,  little  can  be  said 
respecting  it.  The  inner  lip  is  slightly  folded  back,  forming 
behind  it  a  small  umbilicus,  and  the  outer  one  expanding 
towards  the  base,  forms  a  compression  round  the  upper  part 
of  the  whorl,  a  character  not  unusual  in  many  species  of  this 
genus.  The  aperture  diverges  from  the  upper  part,  assuming 
a  suboval  shape.  Externally  striated,  and  the  outer  lip  thick- 
ened, behind  which  is  seen  the  muscular  impression. 

Bulla  conulus,  Desh.     Fig.  6. 

Bulla  conulus,  Deshayes,  Coq.  Foss.  des  Env.  de  Par. ;  pi.  5,  fig.  34, 36. 

Shell  ovato-conical,  striated,  columella  subuniplicated,  aperture  linear,  base 
dilated,  spire  hidden.     Length  \,  diameter  £  of  an  inch. 

Coralline  Crag,  Sutton. 

This  is  one  of  the  few  eocene  shells  found  in  this  deposit. 
I  presume  it  to  be  identical,  according  to  Deshayes'  figure 
and  description,  except  that  he  says  "  basi  tenuissime  stria- 
ta," whereas  the  crag  shell  (when  not  eroded)  is  striated  all 
over.  There  is  a  shell  figured  by  Brown,  called  Volvaria 
pellucida,  which  may  perhaps  be  the  same,  but  according  to 
the  figure  the  upper  part  is  too  much  truncated. 

Bulla  concinna,  Nob.     Fig.  7. 

Shell  subcylindrical,  spirally  striated,  apex  concealed,  aperture  linear, 
slightly  gaping  at  the  base,  inner  lip  at  the  lower  part  folded  over  an 
umbilicus.     Length  §  of  an  inch,  diameter  f  of  its  length. 

Coralline  Crag,  Sutton. 
All  my  specimens  have  the  outer  lip  broken,  but  the  shell 
is  very  distinct  in  many  points.  It  is  shorter  and  more  gib- 
bous than  Bulla  cylindracea,  with  the  aperture  wider.  The 
distinct  lines  of  growth  cut  the  deep-seated  striae  at  right 
angles,  giving  the  shell  a  pretty  cancellated  appearance ;  the 
rounded  volutions  of  the  upper  part  of  the  shell  produce  a 
funnel-shaped  umbilicus  in  the  place  of  the  spire,  and  the 
fold  of  the  inner  lip  forms  a  distinct  umbilicus  at  the  base. — 
Twenty  specimens  of  the  shell  present  not  the  least  variation. 

Bulla  cylindracea.     Fig.  8. 

Bulla  cylindracea,  Montague,  Test.  Brit.  tab.  7,  fig.  2. 
„     convoluta,     Min.  Con.  tab.  464. 

Shell  cylindrical,  spirally  striated,  aperture  linear,  narrow,  vertex  imibili- 
eatcd.     Length  I  an  inch. 


464  FOSStL  SHELLS  OF  THE  CRAG. 

Coralline  Crag,  Sutton.     Abundant. 

In  Montague's  description  of  this  shell  it  is  stated  to  be 
smooth,  with  considerable  gloss,  as  it  is  also  in  Fleming's 
British  Animals,  p.  293 ;  no  mention  is  made  of  its  having 
stria.  Nine  out  of  ten  of  those  from  the  crag  are  so  much 
eroded  as  not  to  show  them,  but  they  are  very  visible  in  per- 
fect specimens ;  this,  however,  is  the  case  with  the  recent 
shells,  it  is  only  in  some  specimens  that  the  strice  can  be  there 
seen.  The  recent  shell  appears  in  general  to  be  rather  more 
cylindrical,  but  it  corresponds  in  all  other  respects. 

Bulla  subtruncata,  Nob.      Fig.  9. 

Shell  cylindrical,  smooth,  aperture  linear,  slightly  expanded  at  the  base, 
vertex  depressed,  visible.    Length,  ^,  diameter  -^  of  an  inch. 

Coralline  Crag,  Sutton. 

This  differs  from  the  young  of  Bulla  cylindracea  (for  which 
perhaps  it  might  be  mistaken)  in  having  the  spire  visible  al- 
though depressed ;  it  has  a  slight  contraction  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  body,  which  gives  an  apparent  expansion  to  the 
lower  part  of  the  outer  lip.  The  whorls  are  carried  rather 
above  the  spire,  causing  it  to  be  depressed,  but  distinctly  vi- 
sible ;  outer  lip  nearly  straight ;  no  striae  to  be  seen  in  any 
of  my  specimens,  however,  that  may  be  from  erosion  or  de- 
composition. 

It  appears  intermediate  between  Bulla  cylindracea  and 
Bulla  obtusa,  differing  from  the  former  in  having  the  spire 
visible,  and  from  the  latter  in  being  longer  and  more  slender. 
I  am  induced  to  consider  it  a  distinct  species,  having  twenty 
specimens  presenting  the  same  characters ;  there  is  a  possi- 
bility of  its  being  the  young  of  cylindracea,  with  a  visible 
spire,  only  that  shell  is  never  contracted  in  its  whorls. 

Bulla  obtusa.     Fig.  10. 

Bulla  Regulbiensis,  Turt.  Linn.  iv.  p.  351. 

„     minuta,  Woodward,  Geol.  of  Norf.  tab.  3,  fig.  3. 

Shell  subcylindrical,  aperture  linear,  widening  at  the  pillar,  outer  lip  slight- 
ly incurved,  vertex  elevated,  obtuse.     Length,  tj,  diameter  ^  of  an  inch. 

Mammaliferous  Crag,  Bramerton. 

This  shell,  I  believe,  is  peculiar  to  the  newest  bed,  at  least 
I  have  never  seen  it  from  either  the  red  or  coralline  crag. — 
The  spire  of  the  fossil  does  not  appear,  from  the  few  speci- 
mens I  have  seen,  to  be  quite  so  elevated  as  that  of  the  recent 
shell. 


FOSSIL  SHELLS  OF  THE  CRAG.  4G5 

Bulla  olivula,  Nob.     Fig.  11. 

Shell  cylindrical,  smooth,  aperture  linear,  spire  elevated,  ohtuse,  separating 
line  canaliculated  ?    Length  j,  diameter  ^  of  an  inch. 

Coralline  Crag,  Sutton. 

Unfortunately  among  thirty  specimens  of  this  shell  which 
I  have  found  at  the  above  locality,  not  more  than  one  pos- 
sesses the  spire,  and  that  not  in  the  most  perfect  state  ;  there- 
fore 1  give  the  characters  with  some  degree  of  uncertainty. — 
The  specimen  which  is  least  mutilated  has  a  small  canal  run- 
ning round  the  apex,  at  the  juncture  of  the  upper  part  of  the 
body-whorl,  similar  to  that  which  gives  a  character  to  the 
genus  Oliva.  The  specimens  are  much  eroded  at  that  part, 
(a  circumstance  not  unusual  in  the  slender  covering  of  the 
sutures  in  many  of  the  crag  shells),  independently  of  which 
there  appears  a  small  canal  remaining  where  the  covering  is 
in  parts  perfect. 

A  shell  of  the  same  size  from  China,  in  the  possession  of 
Mr.  G.  B.  Sowerby,  much  resembles  this  in  having  an  elevat- 
ed obtuse  spire,  with  a  canal  around  it,  but  it  has  a  fold  up- 
on the  lower  part  of  the  inner  lip  that  I  do  not  observe  in  the 
crag  species.  It  differs  from  Oliva  in  not  having  a  plicated 
columella,  and  in  wanting  the  notch  at  the  base,  peculiar  to 
that  genus.  It  more  resembles,  and  may  hereafter  prove  the 
same  as  Bulla  terebellata,  pi.  1,  fig.  8,  9, 10,  Dubois,  Conch. 
Foss.  du  Plat.  Wolhyni-Podolien ;  but  a  comparison  with  the 
shell  is  necessary  for  such  decision. 

Three  or  four  shells  of  this  kind  are  figured  by  Brown  in 
his  Illustrations  of  British  Conchology,  pi.  38,  but  as  they  are 
without  descriptions,  it  is  impossible  to  say  whether  they  are 
intended  for  representations  of  shells  in  their  natural  size  or 
magnified.  If  they  be  faithfully  represented,  they  present 
some  intermediate  forms,  and  show  the  very  gradual  elevation 
of  the  spire,  which  renders  it  so  difficult  to  separate  the  spe- 
cies, and  will,  I  hope,  afford  additional  evidence  to  justify  me 
in  retaining  all  these  shells  (now  figured)  in  the  above  Lin- 
nean  genus. 

With  the  exception  of  Bulla  lignaria  all  the  figures  are 
enlarged,  but  the  natural  dimensions  of  the  specimens  are 
indicated  by  an  annexed  cross. 


466  TEETH  OF  MASTODON. 

SHORT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

Teeth  of  the  Mastodon. — I  have  great  pleasure  in  sending 
you  a  cast  from  the  molar  in  my  possession,  which  I  imagine 
to  belong  to  Cuvier's  species  of  the  narrow -toothed  Mastodon. 
I  have  had  the  cast  painted  as  nearly  as  possible  to  the  color 
of  the  original,  which  is,  as  you  will  see,  nearly  perfect,  and 
weighs  three  pounds  and  three  quarters,  good  weight ;  it  was 
dredged  up  off  Easton  Cliff,  Suffolk,  in  June,  1839,  between 
two  and  three  miles  from  land. 

The  half  of  a  molar  of  a  Mastodon,  which  was  found  last 
year  on  the  beach  at  Sizewell,  and  is  in  my  collection,  had 
every  appearance  of  the  crag  adhering  to  it,  which,  with  the 
beautiful  dark  Vandyke  colour  of  these  two  fossils,  the  pecu- 
liar characteristic  of  crag  osseous  remains, — induces  me,  since 
my  conversation  with  you  on  this  subject,  to  adopt  your  opin- 
ion that  these  teeth  were  originally  from  the  crag ;  and  in  fur- 
ther evidence,  all  the  teeth,  and  fragments  of  teeth,  of  the 
Mastodon,  which  have  been  found,  are  from  the  mammalifer- 
ous  or  Norwich  crag. 

Till  within  the  last  five  years  it  was  doubted  whether  the 
remains  of  the  Mastodon  had  been  discovered  in  England ;  I 
therefore  think  it  as  well  to  state  the  order  in  which  these 
teeth  have  been  found,  and  their  number,  as  near  as  I  can  re- 
member, and  by  whom  discovered.  One  tooth,  figured  by 
Dr.  Wm.  Smith,  found  at  Whitlingham.  One  presented  to 
the  Geological  Society  by  the  Rev.  J.  Gunn,  found  at  Hors- 
tead.  A  fragment  found  by  the  late  Mr.  Woodward,  of 
Norwich,  at  Bramerton.  An  interesting  fragment  found  at 
Bramerton,  which  I  presented  to  the  Norwich  Museum.  One 
found  by  Mr.  Fitch,  in  Thorpe  pit,  near  Norwich.  ■  Two  others 
found  by  myself  at  Bramerton.  Two  by  Mr.  Wigham,  both, 
I  believe,  from  Postwick.  A  fragment  found  by  myself  at 
Easton,  now  in  the  collection  of  the  Geological  Society. — 
And  one  from  Easton  cliff,  of  which  I  send  you  a  sketch,  but 
which  I  could  not  preserve  owing  to  its  rotten  condition. — 
This  last  was  fixed  in  a  large  portion  of  the  jaw ;  and,  with 
the  two  marine  ones  in  my  cabinet,  makes  a  total  of  thirteen. 
The  tooth  found  by  Mr.  Fitch,  and  the  two  by  Mr.  Wigham, 
are  particularly  interesting  from  their  perfect  condition ;  and 
the  large  marine  one  in  my  possession,  although  not  quite 
perfect,  is  a  splendid  specimen. — H.  Alexander. — Southwold, 
Juhj  19th,  1839. 

1  A  second  very  perfect  tooth  has  lately  been  obtained  by  Mr.  Fitch,  from 
the  crag,  near  Norwich. — Ed. 


RARE  BIRDS. — FIELDFARES  BREEDING  IN  ENGLAND.       467 

Capture  of  rare  Birds. — To  the  instances  of  the  rose-co- 
loured pastor  mentioned  by  Mr.  Yarrell,  I  have  to  add  another 
(in  mature  plumage),  which  occurred  in  the  beginning  of  last 
month  at  Gwithian,  about  twelve  miles  from  this  place,  on 
the  north  coast. 

On  the  29th  April  I  obtained  a  fine  specimen  of  the  grey- 
headed wagtail — a  male — having  the  slight  mixture  of  olive 
green  in  the  grey  feathers  of  the  head,  which  Mr.  Yarrell 
states  to  be  characteristic  of  the  bird  of  the  preceding  year. 
It  was  first  noticed  on  the  margin  of  a  pool  near  the  sea,  be- 
tween this  place  and  Marazion. 

Two  instances  of  the  little  gull  in  this  neighbourhood  have 
come  to  my  knowledge.  The  first,  in  St.  Ives'  Bay,  on  the 
26th  of  December  last,  was  a  young  male  in  moult,  and  I 
suppose  in  transition  to  the  mature  plumage,  as  several  grey 
feathers  appear  among  the  brown  of  the  back.  It  seems  to 
be  a  rather  large  specimen,  the  total  length  being  12  inches ; 
wings  from  tip  to  carpal  joint,  10J  inches  ;  total  extent,  33 
inches  :  tarsus  1 J  inch  ;  middle  toe  and  claw  lj  inch  ;  gape 
H  inch.  The  central  feathers  of  the  tail  are  1  inch  shorter 
than  the  outermost. 

The  other  was  also  a  male,  but  in  the  adult  winter  plum- 
age, and  of  great  beauty.  It  was  shot  here,  in  the  harbour, 
March  4th,  and  is  said  to  have  been  accompanied  by  another, 
which  escaped.  The  only  respect  in  which  it  differs  from 
Temminck's  description  is  the  colour  of  the  legs  and  feet, 
which  were  a  delicate  flesh  colour. — D.  TV.  Mitchell. — Pen- 
zance,  July,  1839. 

On  Fieldfares  breeding  within  the  British  Islands. — 
Having  seen  various  eggs  presented  by  Mr.  Fairholme  to  the 
British  Museum  and  Zoological  Society,  as  those  of  the  field- 
fare and  redwing  thrushes,  I  cannot  but  observe  that  both 
have  exactly  the  appearance  of  slight  varieties  of  those  of  the 
common  missel  thrush,  and  are  totally  unlike  others  which 
undoubtedly  were  laid  by  fieldfares  and  redwings  abroad. 

I  have  recorded,  however,  in  former  numbers  of  this  Ma- 
gazine, two  instances  of  the  redwing  propagating  in  the 
southern  counties  of  England,  and  can  now  add  to  them  a 
case  of  the  fieldfare  breeding  at  Merton,  Surrey.  About  the 
end  of  last  May,  a  friend  residing  in  that  neighbourhood,  and 
who  is  as  well  acquainted  with  the  common  British  land  birds 
in  a  state  of  nature,  their  notes,  flight,  habits,  &c,  as  any  per- 
son well  can  be,  sent  a  message  to  me  to  the  effect  that  a  pair 
of  fieldfares  were  then  breeding  in  a  field  belonging  to  some 
grounds  which  he  superintends :  it  appears  that  he  had  been 
crossing  the  field  in  question,  when  he  was  startled  by  the 


468  FIELDFARES  BREEDING  IN  ENGLAND.. 

chatter  of  a  "pigeon-felt"  long  after  the  flocks  of  this  well- 
known  winter  visitant  had  disappeared  for  the  season  ;  and 
suspecting,  therefore,  that  it  might  possibly  have  a  nest  in 
the  dense  hawthorn  tree  from  which  it  flew,  he  was  not  long 
in  finding  it  there.  The  fieldfares,  however,  though  daily 
observed  after  this,  were  not  disturbed,  my  friend  (who  is  no 
collector)  expecting  that  I  would  first  like  to  visit  the  nest  as 
it  stood :  but  unluckily  his  message  to  me  was  forgotten  to 
be  delivered,  and  it  was  only  when  I  chanced  to  call  on  him 
some  weeks  afterwards,  that  the  circumstance  accidentally 
transpired,  when  we  soon  proceeded  to  the  spot,  in  the  ex- 
pectation that  the  young  were  then  about  half-fledged.  They 
had  flown,  however;  but  the  structure  of  the  nest,  which 
was  then  taken,  was  of  itself  sufficient  to  remove  all  doubt  of 
the  matter,  being  quite  different  from  either  that  of  the  black- 
bird, song,  or  missel  thrush,  (of  all  three  of  which,  I  may  re- 
mark, several  nests  were  shown  to  me  as  we  passed  through 
the  garden),  so  that  every  evidence,  except  that  of  positively 
handling  the  birds  or  eggs,  concurs  to  substantiate  the  speci- 
fic determination  ;  and  what  is  more,  the  old  birds  have  from 
time  to  time  been  seen  subsequently,  but  never  shot  at,  in  the 
expectation  that  they  would  have  built  another  nest,  which 
there  is  reason  to  believe  has  not  been  the  case.  The  nest 
(which  may  be  seen  by  calling  at  Mr.  Bartlett's,  47,  Museum 
St.,  Holborn)  is  chiefly  remarkable  for  the  great  quantity  of 
mud  with  which  it  is  plastered,  rendering  it  extraordinarily 
heavy ;  in  other  respects,  it  agrees  nearly  with  some  of  those 
of  the  blackbird,  and  is  plentifully  lined  with  coarse  dry  grass ; 
but  it  is  considerably  deeper,  with  more  solid  and  better  con- 
structed walls,  than  I  remember  ever  to  have  seen  a  black- 
bird's nest,  with  a  rim  of  plaster,  half  an  inch  thick,  form- 
ing its  upper  margin :  it  was  placed  nearly  ten  feet  from  the 
ground,  upon  a  thick  secondary  branch  of  a  densely  foliaged 
hawthorn-tree,  which  stands  alone  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  the  hedge  and  from  any  other  tree.  As  for  missel  thrush- 
es, song  thrushes,  and  blackbirds,  each  and  all  of  these  spe- 
cies may  be  seen  at  any  time  in  the  locality ;  where,  some 
years  ago,  I  knew  of  four  missel  thrushes'  nests  in  a  short 
double  row  of  oaks  and  elms  bordering  the  same  field :  and 
I  repeat  (on  account  of  the  scepticism  which  certain  hearers 
have  expressed  to  whom  I  communicated  the  incident  with 
its  circumstances)  that  there  is  not  the  slightest  probability 
of  a  mistake  being  made  concerning  the  identification  of  the 
species. — Edwd.  Blyth. — Aug.  15,  1839. 


WILD  FOWL  IN  ST.  JAMES'S  PARK.  469 

Observations  on  the  Wild  Fowl  in  St.  James's  Park. — It 
is  remarkable  that  among  the  numerous  species  of  wild  fowl 
which  ornament  the  fine  sheet  of  water  in  St.  James's  Park, 
the  only  species  of  the  duck  tribe — excluding  the  geese  and 
swans — which  have  propagated,  besides  the  common  mallard 
duck,  is  the  tufted  pochard  (Fuligula  cristata),  a  single  brood 
of  which,  consisting  of  five,  one  of  which  was  soon  after  de- 
stroyed, was  hatched  in  July,  1838 :  the  rest  of  the  brood 
(two  of  each  sex)  were  reared,  and,  with  some  of  the  old  ones, 
have  been  in  the  habit  of  taking  daily  flights  to  the  Serpen- 
tine ever  since.  This  season  there  are  three  large  broods,  — 
one  the  progeny  of  the  same  female  which  bred  last  year,  and 
which  is  known  by  her  being  pinioned,  and  the  others  the 
produce  of  the  two  young  females  that  were  bred  on  the  spot: 
so  that  a  single  brood  once  raised  in  the  locality,  would  seem 
to  be  all  that  is  necessary  to  secure  a  permanent  stock  of 
other  species.  It  is  curious  that  the  young  pochards  scarce- 
ly ever  follow  their  parents  from  the  time  they  are  three  or 
four  days  old,  but  disperse  all  over  the  lake,  emitting  contin- 
ually a  loud  piping  cry,  which  is  characteristic.  Far  less 
dependent  on  the  parents'  vigilance  and  care  than  the  young 
mallard  ducks,  or  indeed  than  any  other  species  so  far  as  my 
observation  has  gone,  they  seem  wonderfully  capable  of  tak- 
ing their  own  part,  and  scramble  for  food  among  the  full-grown 
larger  species,  with  an  alacrity  and  amount  of  impudence 
that  is  highly  amusing,  diving  the  moment  they  give  offence 
by  their  uncommon  boldness,  and  appearing  the  next  moment 
at  an  inconsiderable  distance,  quite  unabashed,  and  ready  to 
renew  the  affront  if  occasion  should  tempt  them.  These  lit- 
tle creatures  in  general  lie  close  under  the  bank  of  one  of  the 
islands  when  their  appetite  is  sated,  so  that  a  person  may  look 
for  them  in  vain,  though  it  seldom  happens  that  some  of  them 
are  not  visible  and  sufficiently  audible ;  they  as  often  occur 
solitarily  as  together,  and  their  down  is  of  a  dusky  black  co- 
lour, with  the  usual  pale  markings  (such  as  are  seen  in  a  com- 
mon duckling)  not  very  distinct:  the  eggs  are  dark  olive  green* 

So  domesticated  do  various  species  become  in  this  favora- 
ble spot  for  observing  their  manners,  that  on  regaining  the 
use  of  their  wings  after  these  had  been  merely  clipped,  many 
have  shown  no  desire  to  fly  away ;  and  during  the  very  long 
protracted  frost  of  January,  1 838,  a  flock  of  widgeons  and 
pin-tails  long  lingered  circling  over  the  skaters  for  hours  every 
day,  but  at  length  disappeared,  and  were  probably  destroyed 
from  their  want  of  shyness,  as  none  returned  :  during  the  same 
period,  many  of  the  pochards  {cristata  and  ferina)  were 
commonly  to  be  seen  in  the  Thames  about  Westminster  and 

Vol.  III.— No.  33.  n.  s.  3  e 


470  WILD  FOWL  IN  ST.  JAMES'S  PARK. 

Vauxhall  bridges,  where  they  were  much  shot  at,  but  with 
little  or  no  effect,  as  they  were  there  singularly  shy  of  ap- 
proach; and  others  disappeared  altogether  and  returned  in 
the  spring,  as  did  also  one  of  the  coots,  and  some  teal.  A 
pair  of  bean  geese,  with  the  full  use  of  their  wings,  and  pre- 
viously supposed  to  be  male  and  female,  each  produced  nine 
eggs  which  were  unimpregnated,  but  on  which  they  sat  for 
some  weeks :  it  was  supposed  that  they  might  possibly  have 
produced  hybrids  from  a  male  Canada  goose,  which  constant- 
ly associated  with  them,  and  posted  himself  in  defence  of  one 
of  them  while  it  was  incubating ;  a  circumstance  the  more 
worthy  of  notice,  as  an  odd  female  Canada  goose  of  the  pre- 
ceding year  (which  species  does  not  breed,  however,  till  the 
second  season),  might  have  served  him  at  least  for  a  compan- 
ion, if  not  mate.  One  of  these  bean  geese  was  stolen  early  in 
last  spring,  and  the  other  laid  and  sat  again  to  no  purpose ; 
for  she  very  rarely  associated  with  a  fine  new  pair  of  the  same 
species,  introducedlast  winter,  and  which  will  most  probably 
rear  a  brood  next  year:  the  latter  may  now  generally  be  seen 
in  company  with  a  male  of  Mr.  Bartlett's  new  species, — the 
Anser  phcenicopus ;  closely  allied,  but  readily  distinguishable 
by  the  colour  of  its  legs,  inferior  size,  and  certain  other  cha- 
racters of  equally  invariable  occurrence  :  the  old  female  bean 
goose  always  affecting  the  society  of  a  flock  of  knobbed  geese 
{Anser  cygnoides). 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  spoonbills  and  other  interest- 
ing large  birds  for  a  considerable  while  located  to  the  spot, 
and  which  as  they  soared  on  wing  were  certainly  an  interest- 
ing attraction  to  visitors,  have  been  shot  down  one  by  one  in 
the  suburbs  of  London  (both  the  spoonbills  from  coming  with- 
in range  of  pigeon-matches),  to  the  discredit  of  even  cockney 
sportsmen,  who  could  scarcely  have  missed  so  large  and  slow- 
winnowing  an  object.  As  a  general  rule,  however,  the  Cul- 
tirostres,  Cuv.,  were  disposed  to  snap  up  the  ducklings,  &c, 
as  might  be  expected ;  but  it  would  hardly  have  been  antici- 
pated that  a  bittern  would  have  smashed  all  the  eggs  it  found, 
with  intent  to  pick  out,  I  should  suppose,  the  half-formed 
chick,  if  such  existed,  which  act  has  been  witnessed  on  more 
than  one  occasion,  and  suspected  on  numerous  others. 

The  wholesale  destruction  of  eggs,  then,  effected  by  five  or 
six  bitterns,  and  several  herring-gulls,  may  well  be  imagined ; 
and  it  is  therefore  satisfactory  to  know  that  the  collection  will 
henceforth  be  confined  to  the  La?nellirosfres,  with  the  addi- 
tion of  a  few  other  harmless  species,  such  as  coots,  from  which 
no  mischief  need  be  apprehended. 
•  The  vast  stock  of  fish  which  everywhere  abound  in  this 


FOSSIL  FROM  MARYCHURCH.  471 

piece  of  water,  rendered  it  particularly  well  calculated  to 
support  a  few  of  those  very  elegant  birds — the  mergansers,  of 
which  a  solitary  male  smew  has  now  lived  there  for  three 
years,  acquiring  the  female  colours  after  midsummer  without 
shedding  any  of  its  feathers,  and  resuming  its  breeding  dress 
at  the  autumn  moult,  (none  of  the  diving  ducks  changing  their 
plumage  twice  a  year,  like  the  others,  although  they  all  un- 
dergo an  analogous  mutation  of  colour  immediately  at  the 
close  of  the  season  of  propagation).  This  smew  generally 
associates  with  two  females  of  the  Clangula  vulgaris,  and 
appears  well  disposed  to  breed  if  it  had  a  mate  of  its  own 
species  equally  tame ;  expressing  its  desires  by  a  very  pecu- 
liar low  rattling  note,  during  the  utterance  of  which  the  neck 
is  gradually  stretched  backward,  with  the  beak  pointing  for- 
ward :  it  will  readily  feed  on  bread,  at  least  at  times,  for  which 
it  is  a  particularly  able  scrambler ;  and  I  have  repeatedly  seen 
it  come  on  shore,  and  preen  its  feathers  within  a  few  yards  of 
me,  indeed  it  has  taken  food  from  my  hand.  The  brilliancy 
of  its  white  nuptial  livery  renders  its  rapid  evolutions  under 
water  comparatively  easy  to  follow  with  the  eye. — Id. 

Note  on  the  Fossil  from  Mary  church,  figured  in  '  Geolog. 
Trans? — Last  winter  I  took  no  little  trouble  to  procure  spe- 
cimens of  the  singular  fossil  of  which  a  figure  is  given  by  M. 
De  la  Beche,  in  the  l  Geol.  Trans.'  as  having  been  found  at 
Marychurch,  in  this  neighbourhood.  At  that  time  all  my  en- 
deavours were  unsuccessful ;  the  very  first  visit,  however, 
which  I  paid  this  winter  to  a  quarry  at  Barton,  near  Mary- 
church,  I  procured  two  fragments,  one  of  which  apparently 
shows  the  internal  structure,  but  still  so  obscurely  that  I  do 
not  think  it  worth  while  to  send  you  a  sketch.  My  fiiend 
Dr.  Battersby,  however,  in  the  course  of  the  past  summer, 
obtained  three  specimens  from  a  quarry  near  Newton  Bushel, 
which,  being  "weathered"  show  something  of  the  interior 
surface.  As  it  is  mentioned  in  a  note  to  De  la  Beche's  pa- 
per, that  a  recent  specimen  allied  to  the  fossil  is  deposited  in 
the  museum  of  the  Zoological  Society,  presented  by  an  offi- 
cer in  the  navy,1  you  will  probably  be  glad  to  have  a  sketch 
of  the  interior  surface  of  the  fossil  to  compare  with  the  recent 
specimen. 

The  plates,  when  most  perfect,  are  hexagonal  and  radiated 
on  the  outside  (fig.  62).  The  interior  is  divided  into  a  num- 
ber of  little  squares  by  raised  lines  ;  those  running  in  one  di- 
rection always  pass  over  those  in  the  contrary  direction,  and 

1  On  enquiring  at  the  Museum  of  the  Zoological  Society,  we  could  not 
meet  with,  or  obtain  any  information  respecting,  the  above  specimen. — Ed. 


472       NEW  METAL. — GRANITE  FLOATED  ON  ICE. 

the  point  of  crossing  is  always  immediately  underneath  the 
raised  dots  in  the  centres  of  the  plates  on  the  outside. — John 
Edw.  Lee. — Torquay,  1838. 


Interior.  Exterior.        Each  magnified  4  or  5  times. 

New  Metal. — Mr.  Kersten,  Professor  of  Chemistry  at  the 
College  of  Freiberg,  in  Saxony,  has  lately  received  a  letter 
from  Prof.  Berzelius,  in  which  it  is  stated,  that  Prof.  Mosan- 
der  of  Stockholm  has  discovered,  in  the  ore  called  cerite,  a 
new  metal,  to  which  he  has  given  the  name  of  Lantanum. 
Its  colour  is  grey,  and  it  appears  to  be  soft  and  ductile.  It 
is  also  contained  in  the  oxide  of  Cerium  which  Prof.  Kersten 
has  lately  found  in  Monazite,  a  new  mineral  from  the  Ural 
mountains,  which  was  determined  by  Breithaupt,  and  sent  by 
Mr.  Kersten  to  Berzelius  for  further  analysis.  Prof.  Kersten 
has  since  discovered  the  same  new  metal  in  an  ore  from  Swe- 
den, called  Godolinite.  This  fifty-fifth  elementary  body  has 
therefore  been  found  already  in  minerals  coming  from  very 
distant  localities,  and  it  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  the 
north  of  Europe  has  come  in  for  so  large  a  share  in  furnish- 
ing the  simple  bodies  of  modern  chemistry. —  W.  Weissen- 
born. —  Weimar. 

An  immense  erratic  block  of  Granite  has  been  floated  on 
the  ice,  during  the  winter  1837-38,  from  Finland  to  the  Island 
of  Hochland.  It  weighs  about  a  million  of  pounds,  accord- 
ing to  the  estimation  of  M.  de  Baer,  who  lately  communicated 
the  circumstance  to  the  Academy  of  St.  Petersburgh. — Id. 

An  Entomological  Society  has  just  been  formed  in  Stettin, 
whose  chief  object  is  to  promote  our  knowledge  of  the  habits 
and  economy  of  insects.  It  is  partly  on  account  of  this  pecu- 
liar feature  of  the  Society,  and  partly  as  one  of  the  most  re- 
cent instances  of  the  liberality  with  which  the  Prussian  go- 
vernment encourages  every  scientific  undertaking,  that  this 
Society  appears  to  deserve  being  more  generally  noticed. 
For  M.  de  Altensheim,  the  Minister  of  the  Cultus,  besides 
other  liberal  support  which  he  has  given  to  it,  has  carried  the 
measure,  that  the  Society  do  7iot  pay  for  postage  throughout 
the  kingdom. — Id. 


THE  MAGAZINE 

OF 

NATURAL  HISTORY 


OCTOBER,  1839. 


Art.  I. — On  the  Natural  History  of  the  German  Marmot  (Hamster). 
By  W.  Weissenborn,  Ph.  D. 

Having  been  engaged,  at  different  periods  of  my  life,  in  stu- 
dying the  habits  of  the  German  marmot,  I  have  made  various 
communications  on  this  curious  animal  to  foreign  scientific 
societies,  more  especially  to  the  Zoological  Society  of  Lon- 
don ;  in  consequence  of  which  Mr.  Charlesworth  did  me  the 
honour  of  wishing  me  to  draw  up  a  more  complete  article  on 
a  creature  which  presents  so  many  interesting  and  uncommon 
features,  both  in  its  organization  and  habits,  and  with  which, 
the  English,  luckily  for  their  agricultural  population,  have,  in 
their  own  country,  no  opportunities  of  becoming  acquainted. 
I  have,  therefore,  arranged  all  the  materials  I  could  collect  on 
the  subject  from  authentic  sources,  especially  from  Dr.  Sul- 
zer's  monograph,  as  far  as  it  has  not  become  obsolete,  adding 
to  them  such  of  my  own  observations  as  I  thought  sufficiently 
substantiated  and  interesting,  and  now  venture  to  submit  my 
article  to  the  readers  of  the  Magazine  of  Natural  History. 

I  shall  begin  with  a  general  statement  of  the  most  promi- 
nent features  which  render  the  epithet  of  "  curious  "  applica- 
ble to  the  German  marmot. 

1.  Its  peculiar  outward  form,  in  which  that  of  several  other 
rodents  is  blended.  It  has  the  truncated  snout,  cleft  upper 
lip,  and  downcast  under  lip,  of  the  hare ;  the  shape  of  the 
trunk  approaches  to  that  of  the  rat,  though  it  be  fuller,  whilst 
the  hamster  possesses  the  short  tail  of  the  Hypud&us  arvalis, 
Illig.  As  to  the  relative  size  of  the  head,  it  stands  between 
the  rat  and  the  guinea-pig  {Cavia  Cobaya,  Illig.) 

2.  The  colour  of  its  hair,  which  presents  the  great  peculi- 
arity of  being  black  all  over  the  belly,  and  of  a  much  paler 

Vol.  III.— No.  34.  n.  s.  3  f 


474  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER. 

tint  (greyish  brown)   on  the  upper  part  of  the  body,  in  the 
common  variety.1 

3.  The  buccal  pouches,  which  the  German  marmot  has  in 
common  with  but  few  animals,  and  which  in  it  are  compara- 
tively larger  than  in  any  other. 

4.  Its  subterranean  habits,  which  besides  present  many  cu- 
rious peculiarities. 

5.  Its  hybernation.     And 

6.  Its  moral  disposition,  especially  the  courage  in  defend- 
ing itself,  which  it  has  in  common  with  the  badger ;  and  its 
ferocity  in  devouring  its  congeners,  which  it  has  in  common 
with  the  mole. 

Synonyms. — Both  the  zoologist,  and  the  more  general  ama- 
teurs of  knowledge,  may,  in  many  instances,  feel  interested 
in  knowing  the  different  names  which  apply  to  the  same  ani- 
mal in  different  countries  or  writings.  These  synonyms  often 
clearly  indicate  the  localities  where  the  creature  is  indigenous, 
and  where  it  is  not  so.  Such  as  German  marmot,  or  marmotte 
de  Strassbourg,  will  at  once  show,  that  our  animal  is  origi- 
nally neither  found  in  England,  nor  in  France  proper.  In  the 
latter  country  it  was  once  even  exhibited  in  a  strolling  mena- 
gery,  under  the  curious  name  of  "  un  animal  sauvage  d'Alle- 
magne,  nomme,  'Fruges  consumere  nati.' "  The  German 
name  '  hamster '  has  found  its  way  into  the  Scandinavian  (as 
also  into  the  Dutch)  languages  ;  and  the  great  Linnaeus  pro- 
cured his  first  specimens  from  an  illiterate  herbalist,  named 
Dietrich,  residing  at  a  little  village  called  Ziegenhain,  near 
Jena,  whom  Linnaeus  took  for  a  member  of  the  university, 
when  he  wrote  to  him, — "  Mittas  mihi,  quseso,  animal  Ham- 
ster dictum."  As  to  the  true  vernacular  names  of  the  German 
marmot,  we  may  distinguish  two  sets,  viz.,  those  which  are 
an  imitation  of  the  yelling  sound  uttered  by  the  animal  when 
irritated;  as  Krictsch,  Germ.;  Krziczieti,  Illyr.;  Skrzeczeck, 
Pol.;  Sskrecek,  Boh.;  Schurks,  Serb.;  Gringie,llxmg.;  Sur- 
ka  ?  Tartar ;  the  Latin  name  of  Cricetus,  which  Albertus 
Magnus  appears  to  have  first  used,  is  perhaps  derived  from 

1  This  feature  would  stand  quite  isolated  among  all  our  indigenous  quad- 
rupeds, but  for  its  existence  in  the  badger,  which  coincidence,  in  my  opin- 
ion, deserves  the  attention  of  the  physiologist,  as  both  these  species  are 
crepuscular,  winter-sleepers,  and  live  underground.  The  cause  of  this  pe- 
culiar coloration  in  these  two  animals,  may  perhaps  he  traced  to  some  ge- 
neral law  of  nature,  the  more  so  as  the  mole,  which  is  strictly  subterraneous, 
is  altogether  black,  although  the  exclusion  of  light  be,  in  general,  a  hin- 
drance to  the  development  of  pigments.  Also  in  the  German  marmot, 
there  is  a  great  tendency  to  become  black  all  over  the  body,  and  the  black 
variety  is  extremely  common  in  some  localities,  whereas  albinoes  have  been 
met  with  only  in  a  few  instances. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER.  475 

*f*fl»,  I  scream : — and  such  as  have,  or  appear  to  have,  a  dif- 
ferent origin,  as  Arlan,  Tart. ;  Bakuk,  Bashkir;  Tsharligan, 
Osljak;  Chomak,  Karbush,  Russ.  In  Germany  the  animal 
has  several  names  of  that  class,  as  Kornferkel,  corn-farrow; 
Kornhamster,  corn-storer;  and  is  most  commonly  called 
Hamster. 

CRICETUS,  Cuv.  Gen.  Char.— Teeth  much  like  those  of  the  rat ; 
tail  short,  hairy ;  huccal  pouches,  as  in  some  of  the  apes,  widened  into 
large  bags,  which  serve  for  carrying  home  food. 

Cricetvs  frumentarius. 

Description. — Length  of  the  largest  male  specimens  from 
the  tip  of  the  nose  to  that  of  the  tail,  up  to  15  inches  Eng.  of 
which  the  tail  measures  scarcely  more  than  2,  the  grown  fe- 
male being  smaller  by  about  one  fourth.  Weight,  up  to  If 
th.  Shape. — Trunk  rather  broad  than  high, x  clumsy  ;  head 
oval,  nose  truncated,  upper  lip  cleft,  under  lip  short  and  hang- 
ing down ;  incisor  teeth  partially  exposed ;  eyes  moderately 
large,  as  well  as  projecting  and  almost  circular ;  ears  large, 
rounded ;  feet  rather  short,  formed  more  for  digging  than  for 
running,  with  five  toes,  the  thumb  being  very  short  in  the 
fore  feet,  and  furnished  with  an  obtuse  nail,  whereas  the  other 
nails  are  long,  hooked,  and  grooved  below ;  five  callosities  in 
the  sole  of  the  fore  feet,  and  six  in  that  of  the  hind  feet ;  tail 
short,  tapering,  and  becoming  rather  bare  towards  the  point. 
Colour. — Greyish  brown  (hare-coloured)  above,  and  black 
beneath,  with  three  large  yellowish  spots  on  each  side  occu- 
pying the  flanks,  the  regions  above  the  shoulders,  and  that 
behind  the  cheeks,  the  latter  spot  being  continued  towards 
and  round  the  mouth.  Cheeks,  regions  round  the  ears,  and 
anus  russet ;  feet  white.  There  is  a  black  variety,  rather  com- 
mon in  several  neighbourhoods,2  with  only  the  nose  and  feet 
white,  and  a  mixed  breed  of  the  common  and  black  variety  is 
said  to  exist,  and  to  be  grey.  Albinoes  are  very  scarce,  but 
have  been  occasionally  met  with. 

Senses. — The  organ  of  vision  is  moderately  developed ;  the 
iris  is  dark  brown,  and  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
pupil,  so  that  the  whole  visible  portion  of  the  eye-ball  appears 
of  a  dark  colour.     As  it  is  protected  only  by  a  few  short  bris- 

1 A  fresh-killed  hamster,  when  thrown  at  random  on  the  ground,  will  lie 
on  its  hack  or  belly,  whilst  a  rat  will  more  commonly  lie  on  one  of  its  sides. 

2  The  black  variety  was  very  scarce  near  Gotha  about  1770,  when  a  spe- 
cimen was  exhibited  at  court  as  a  great  curiosity ;  whereas  in  the  beginning 
of  this  century  they  were  of  rather  common  occurrence  there.  Among  three 
dozen  which  I  procured  about  eleven  years  ago  from  the  vicinity  of  the 
borough  of  Buttelstadt,  five  English  miles  from  Weimar,  there  were  four 
or  five  black  ones. 


476  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER. 

ties,  forming  eye-brows,  we  must  suppose  that  the  animal  digs 
with  its  eyes  shut ;  whereas  above  ground  it  must  keep  them 
wide  open,  as  they  are  the  chief  instruments  for  finding  food 
in  the  dusk.  The  smell  is  very  obtuse,  as  indicated  by  the 
truncated  nose.  The  hearing  is  acute,  as  indicated  by  the 
large  co?ichw,  and  it  is  by  the  assistance  of  the  ear  that 
the  hamster  is  chiefly  warned  of  the  approach  of  its  ene- 
mies, when  it  will  directly  rise  and  sit  in  an  erect  posture, 
like  the  hare.  The  taste  is  probably  the  most  developed 
of  the  senses,  the  tongue  being  very  voluminous,  and  the  ani- 
mal very  fond  of  varying  its  food.  The  touch  is  rather  nice, 
as  the  hamster  will  grasp  nuts  &c.  with  its  fore-paws,  and 
open  or  eat  them  in  the  manner  of  the  squirrel,  though  far 
less  skilfully.  As  to  the  common  feeling ,  it  must  be  extreme- 
ly obtuse,  as  the  hamster  does  not  show  the  least  pleasure  in 
being  caressed,  and  though  it  flies  into  a  passion  at  the  least 
touch,  and  screams  when  wounded,  these  are  symptoms  of  ill 
temper  and  fury  rather  than  of  sensibility. 

Movements. — The  locomotion  of  the  hamster  is  slow,  parti- 
cularly if  compared  with  that  of  animals  of  the  same  size  and 
order,  for  instance,  the  rat.  It  is  easily  overtaken  by  man, 
even  when  making  towards  its  burrow  with  all  possible  speed. 
When  fighting,  its  movements  are  violent  and  heavy,  often 
missing  their  object.  They  are  most  appropriate  to  its  sub- 
terraneous habits,  as  digging,  creeping,  and  climbing  up  and 
down  perpendicular  tubes.  » 

Anatomical  peculiarities. — The  buccal  pouches  are  two 
membranaceous  sacs  which  have  a  wide  communication  with 
the  cavity  of  the  mouth,  from  whence  they  extend  between 
the  skin  and  the  muscles,  along  the  neck  and  the  shoulders, 
in  a  somewhat  converging  direction,  so  that  the  shut  ends  are 
nearer  each  other  than  the  open  ones  in  the  buccal  cavity. — 
These  bladders  are  attached  along  their  inner  sides,  by  cel- 
lular fibres  and  membranes,  to  the  muscles  beneath,  and  by 
more  delicate  ones  to  the  skin.  Their  posterior  end  is  sur- 
rounded by  flat  muscular  fibres,  which  unite  to  form  a  flat 
and  rather  strong  muscle.  These  two  muscles  continue  to 
converge,  and  are  attached,  close  under  the  musculus  quad- 
ratus,  to  the  fascia  of  the  latissimus  dor  si.  The  membrane 
of  these  bladders  is  very  thin  and  permeable  to  the  air,  where- 
fore they  soon  become  shrivelled  when  blown  out  and  tied 
by  a  ligature.  Their  outer  surface  is  perfectly  smooth,  but 
the  inner  one  is  closely  covered  with  longitudinal  and  paral- 
lel dotted  lines,  the  dots  being  almost  square,  and  constitut- 
ing mucous  cells  or  glandules ;  wherefore  the  inside  of  the 
bladder  is  constantly  wet  and  slippery,  or  it  would  easily  be 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER.  477 

torn  by  its  contents,  which  often  present  rough  or  sharp  sur- 
faces.    Between  their  two  attachments  these  bladders,  when 
empty,  extend  like  two  loose  narrow  canals ;  but  when  full, 
they  are  oval,  2j  inches  long,  and  1 J  broad,  wherefore  their 
periphery,  where  it  is  widest,  measures  about  5 J  inches. — 
When  these  pouches  are  filled  with  food,  or  blown  up  by  the 
animal,  its  head  and  neck  look  as  broad  again.     I  scarcely 
need  say  that  these  pouches  present  the  convenient  means  of 
carrying  home  food;  they  contain  about   1|  ounce  of  corn 
each,  or  a  corresponding  quantity  of  green  fodder.     The  ani- 
mal empties  them  by  stroking  them  from  behind  with  its  fore 
paws  ;  the  muscle  which  has  been  mentioned  perhaps  facili- 
tates this  operation  by  its  contractions.      The  anatomical 
characters  do  not,  however,  show  the  possibility  of  these 
pouches  being  contracted  in  the  manner  of  the  urinary  blad- 
der ;  nor  could  anything  like  peristaltic  motion  be  discovered 
in  fresh-killed  specimens,  which  were  still  convulsed.     They 
may  serve  as  a  sort  of  craw  or  first  stomach,  as  in  almost 
every  hamster  that  has  been  dissected,  there  were  found  in 
them  a  few  grains  in  a  state  of  maceration  ;  and  1  have  also 
observed  that  the  hamster  fills  its  pouches  with  animal  food, 
of  which  he  never  lays  in  a  store  at  home.     However,  the 
animal  often  eats  the  grain  just  as  it  finds  it,  and  therefore 
this  use  of  the  pouches  is  not  absolute.     The  stomach  is  dou- 
ble ;  the  first  or  left  one,  into  which  the  oesophagus  opens, 
offering  nothing  peculiar  in  its  form,  except  that  the  mouth 
of  the  oesophagus  is  situated  at  the  right  extremity  of  it,  which 
is  in  the  mesial  line,  whilst  the  whole  of  that  stomach  is  situ- 
ated to  the  left  of  it.     The  valve  of  the  cardia  or  oesophagus 
shuts  so  closely  upwards,  that  the  stomachs  may  be  inflated 
from  the  pylorus,  and  dried  in  that  state,  after  tying  the  duo- 
denum, without  a  ligature  being  put  round  the  oesophagus. — 
This  is  a  sure  proof  of  the  hamster  not  being  a  ruminating 
animal,  although  his  stomach  is  double.    Near  the  cardia  the 
first  stomach  opens  to  the  right  into  the  second,  which  is  more 
rounded,  reddish,  smoother  and  more  shining  outside,  and  has 
thicker  coats  than  the  first ;  it  is  situated  to  the  right  of  the 
mesial  line,  rather  higher  than  the  first,  and  is  a  little  smaller. 
The  two  unite  by  the  first  being,  as  it  were,  inserted  into  the 
second,  into  which  it  sends  two  processes,  and  there  is  a  ru- 
dimentary valve  between  them,  which  cannot,  however,  effec- 
tually prevent  the  regurgitation  of  the  chyme,  which  is  much 
more  fluid  in  the  first  than  in  the  second  stomach.     The  ru- 
ga are  much  more  prominent  in  the  first  than  in  the  second, 
which,  on  its  right  and  upper  side,  communicates  with  the 
duodenum,  without  the  intervention  of  a  valve.    The  intestine 

3*3 


478  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER. 

is  thin  and  narrow,  presenting  almost  the  same  width  through- 
out ;  the  inner  coat  is  much  furred,  and  the  cwcum  is  very 
large  in  proportion,  as  when  pulled  out  it  is  half  as  long  as 
the  animal,  and  its  capacity  twice  that  of  the  stomachs. — 
There  is  no  gall-bladder  in  the  five-lobed  liver,  but  the  bile 
empties  itself  directly  through  the  biliary  canal,  which  is 
formed  by  the  union  of  five  branches  ;  this  structure  appears 
to  bear  some  relation  to  the  irritable  nature  of  the  creature. 
The  glands  are  in  general  very  large  and  numerous.  One, 
which  is  situated  in  the  groove  between  the  shoulders,  is  par- 
ticularly remarkable  for  its  size  and  relations.  It  is  often  more 
than  1  inch  long,  J  an  inch  broad,  and  2  or  3  lines  thick  in 
the  middle.  The  rein  which  comes  from  it  penetrates  be- 
tween the  fifth  and  sixth  ribs,  on  the  right  side  of  the  spine, 
and  opens  into  the  vena  impar,  which  is  ascending  there,  and 
which  in  the  hamster,  as  in  some  of  the  Amphibia  and  Ru- 
minantia,  is  paired,  one  branch  being  to  the  right  and  the 
other  to  the  left  of  the  spine,  but  the  latter  branch  is  much 
larger  than  the  former.  The  artery  of  the  said  gland  is  com- 
paratively small,  and  the  same  may  be  said  in  general  of  the 
arteries  in  proportion  to  the  veins.  The  weight  of  the  brain 
is  to  that  of  the  whole  body  about  as  1  :  193 ;  this  organ  is 
therefore  very  small.  The  cerebrum  is  about  three  times  the 
weight  of  the  cerebellum  ;  its  surface  is  smooth  and  without 
sinuosities,  which  bears  a  relation  to  the  great  stupidity  and 
stubborn  disposition  of  the  creature.  The  testes  are  eight  or 
nine  times  as  large,  from  May  to  August,  as  they  are  at  other 
seasons  ;  they  are  nearly  the  size  of  pigeons'  eggs  when  fully 
developed.  The  animal  can  draw  them  within  the  cavity  of 
the  abdomen,  which  provision  is  necessary,  as  they  would 
otherwise  be  often  exposed  to  dangerous  pressure  in  their  en- 
larged state. 

These  are  the  most  remarkable  anatomical  features  which 
are  peculiar  to  the  German  marmot :  the  dental  system  pre- 
sents nothing  anomalous,  there  being  12  molar  and  4  incisor 
teeth,  as  in  the  rat.  I  ought  not,  however,  to  pass  over  in 
silence  two  oblong  spaces  in  the  integuments,  one  on  each 
side  of  the  spine,  and  parallel  with  it.  They  are  situated  at 
a  short  distance  in  front  of  the  thighs,  and  are  not  always  di- 
rectly perceptible,  as  the  common  hair  often  closes  over  them. 
But  if  the  hair  be  blown  aside  or  divided  with  the  fingers, 
two  spots  may  be  observed,  each  about  an  inch  in  length  and 
\  of  an  inch  in  breadth,  slightly  tapering  towards  their  extre- 
mities, where  the  hair  is  much  shorter  than  on  the  other  parts 
of  the  body,  and  of  a  dusky  brown  colour,  rather  stiff,  and 
lying  close  to  the  skin.     In  very  young  specimens,  when  the 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER.  479 

hair  is  just  beginning  to  appear,  these  bristly  spots  are  dis- 
tinctly visible  from  their  blackish  colour,  the  hair  being  there 
in  a  more  advanced  state  and  of  a  stronger  nature.  These 
spots  may  also  be  perceived  on  the  flesh-side  of  the  skin,  by 
the  roots  of  their  stiff  hairs  :  at  a  later  period  the  relation  is 
inverted,  the  rest  of  the  body  becoming  covered  with  denser 
and  longer  hairs,  so  as  to  make  these  spots  appear  paler  on 
the  flesh-side  of  the  skin.  The  physiological  cause  of  these 
spots  it  is  difficult  to  point  out,  the  skin  being  there  of  the 
same  thickness  and  consistency,  and  not  more  firmly  attached 
than  anywhere  else.  As  to  their  end,  Dr.  Sulzer,  whose  ex- 
cellent observations  on  the  hamster  were  published  in  1774, 
confessed  that  he  could  not  imagine  what  it  might  be.  Agri- 
cola  was  aware  of  their  existence,  but  did  not  trouble  himself 
about  knowing  their  purpose,  as  he  took  them  for  the  effect 
of  an  accidental  cause.  In  treating  on  the  hamster,  he  says, 
"  In  terrae  cavernis  habitat  angustis,  et  idcirco  pellis,  qua 
parte  utrimque  coxam  tegit,  a  pilis  est  nuda." — (De  re  metal- 
lica  et  animalia  subterran.  Basil,  1657,  folio,  p.  486).  In 
my  opinion,  the  end  of  these  spots  is  very  evident,  as  they 
appear  destined  to  protect,  by  their  bristly  hair  which  lies 
close  to  the  skin,  the  very  portions  of  the  latter  which  would 
be  most  exposed  to  being  chafed  in  the  burrows,  on  account 
of  the  proximity  of  the  hip-bones,  if  left  without  some  special 
defence.  The  furriers  know  these  spots  very  well,  and  are 
obliged  to  cut  them  out  and  repair  the  fur,  lest  it  should  look 
unseemly. 

Habitat,  Habits,  8$c. — The  hamster  is  met  with  in  the 
whole  tract  of  countries  extending  between  the  Rhine  and 
the  Ural  mountains,  and  between  the  German  sea  and  Baltic 
to  the  north,  and  the  Danube  to  the  south,  wherever  it  finds 
its  congenial  soil.  It  is  said  also  to  exist  in  Siberia,  but  is 
nowhere  more  common  than  in  Thuringia.  Its  proper  soil  is 
a  deep  alluvial  mould,  with  a  substratum  of  clay ;  districts 
where  the  ground  is  dry,  strong,  and  stony,  have  nothing  to 
fear  from  the  ravages  of  the  hamster.  In  the  former  descrip- 
tion of  land  it  is  sometimes  found  even  on  the  slope  of  low 
hills,  but  there  it  never  multiplies  to  any  extent. 

Daily  course  from  the  beginning  of  March  to  the  middle 
or  end  of  October,  (the  period  of  active  life). — During  the 
day  the  hamster  sits  in  its  burrow,  rolled  up  like  a  ball,  with 
the  head  bent  under  the  chest ;  so  at  least  we  must  conclude 
from  the  observation  of  specimens  kept  in  captivity.  About 
sunset  the  animal  begins  its  first  ramble,  which  lasts  till  about 
midnight,  when  it  rests  till  an  hour  before  sunrise,  in  order  to 
take  then  a  second  ramble,  which  it  continues  until  the  glare 


480  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER. 

of  morning  drives  it  back  into  its  dark  habitation.  It  is  only 
in  dark  and  gloomy  weather  that  the  hamster  is  ever  found 
above  ground  whilst  the  sun  is  fairly  above  the  horizon. — 
During  these  rambles  the  movements  of  the  animal  are  com- 
monly slow ;  its  digitigrade  walk  is  uncouth  and  creeping, 
almost  like  that  of  the  hedge-hog,  and  its  first  object  is  to 
procure  grain  and  other  vegetable  food,  wherewith  to  fill  its 
pouches.  But  as  soon  as  it  hears  a  noise,  it  raises  itself  up- 
on its  hind  legs,  and  stands  plantigrade,  like  a  bear ; *  and  if 
the  object  of  its  attention  be  some  living  prey,  as  a  mouse,  it 
quickens  its  pace  into  a  gallop,  or  "  ventre-a-terre."  Whilst 
quietly  walking  about  its  occupations,  it  is  sometimes  heard 
to  utter  a  succession  of  short  growling  sounds  ;  but  when  ir- 
ritated, even  only  by  some  noise,  its  voice  is  squeaking  and 
shrill,  and  in  the  height  of  passion  it  is  not  unlike  that  of  a 
pig  when  about  to  be  killed.  In  collecting  food,  when  the 
fore-part  of  its  pouches  becomes  filled,  it  strokes  them  back- 
wards with  its  paws,  to  make  room  for  a  new  supply.  It  does 
not  thrash  the  ears  with  its  paws,  as  has  been  advanced,  but 
picks  them  very  dexterously  with  its  teeth,  whilst  holding 
them  between  its  fore  paws.  When  the  pouches  of  the  ham- 
ster are  full,  the  animal  walks  home,  to  add  their  contents  to 
its  store.  When  surprised  on  its  way  by  an  enemy,  it  emp- 
ties its  pouches  by  quickly  striking  that  region  with  its  fore 
paws,  whereby  the  corn  is  projected  to  the  distance  of  a  few 
feet,  whereupon  it  is  ready  to  fight.  When  the  pouches  are 
full  it  cannot  fight. 

Food. — The  hamster,  like  several  of  the  rodents,  is  omni- 
vorous, but  it  is  more  so  than  any  other.  Its  vegetable  diet, 
during  the  summer,  consists  of  green  fodder  of  very  different 
descriptions,  especially  Medicago  sativa,  and  other  species  of 
that  genus,  Hedysarum  Onobrychis,  the  different  common 
species  of  Vicia,  Lathyrus,  Convolvulus,  Veronica,  Potentil- 
la  anserina,  Papaver  Rhceas  and  Argemone,  Alsine  media, 
salads,  cabbages,  &c. — these  are  also  found  in  their  burrows 
at  that  season.  Roots  or  bulbs  are  never  met  with  there,  al- 
though the  hamster  will  readily  eat  carrots,  turnips,  potatoes, 
Sac,  as  well  as  fruit,  in  captivity.  In  autumn  and  winter  the 
vegetable  food  of  the  hamster  consists  exclusively  of  seeds, 
as  rye,  wheat,  oats,  barley,  peas,  vetches,  horse-beans,  millet, 
&c.  and  these  are  stored  up  for  hybernation.  Notwithstand- 
ing this  great  variety  of  vegetable  food  with  which  nature  and 

1  In  this  posture  the  hamster  will  stand  five  minutes  or  longer,  staring 
attentively,  but  with  a  very  stupid  expression,  at  some  object  before  him, 
for  instance,  the  flame  of  a  candle.  One  of  the  fore  paws  then  generally 
hangs  down  lower  than  the  other. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER.  481 

agriculture  spread  his  table,  the  hamster  is  even  more  carni- 
vorous than  herbivorous ;  that  is  to  say,  he  prefers  animal 
food  whenever  he  can  have  it.  His  own  species,  rats,  mice, 
small  birds,  lizards,  May-bugs  and  other  chafers,  caterpillars 
&c,  are  greedily  devoured  by  him.  In  eating  vertebrated 
animals  he  always  begins  with  the  head.  When  a  sparrow 
or  other  small  bird,  whether  alive  or  dead,  is  presented  to  the 
hamster,  the  first  and  evidently  instinctive  action  of  the  lat- 
ter is  to  break  the  wings.  I  have  kept  several  dozens  of  this 
animal  in  large  rooms,  providing  them  with  a  great  variety  of 
green  fodder,  seeds,  and  artificial  dishes,  yet  every  night  the 
weakest  of  the  company  were  devoured,  and  others  so  severely 
wounded  that  they  had  no  chance  of  escape  the  next  night. 
By  this  fondness  for  animal  food  the  hamster  in  some  degree 
makes  amends  for  his  depredations,  for  there  is  no  useful  ani- 
mal to  which  he  is  dangerous,  not  even  to  the  partridge,  as 
the  same  fields  near  Gotha  in  which  the  hamsters  swarm,  are- 
well  stocked  with  that  bird.  Besides,  in  captivity  he  eats, 
with  great  delight,  all  sorts  of  pastry,  bread,  butter,  cheese, 
broth,  &c,  and  is  apt  to  become  a  great  gourmand.  On  the 
other  hand,  he  is  not  at  all  addicted  to  drinking,  nor  particu- 
lar in  the  choice  of  it.  He  can  live  four  weeks  without  wa- 
ter, and  his  health  will  not  suffer ;  and  in  the  fields,  as  his 
rambles  do  not  extend  far,  he  must  often  content  himself  for 
long  periods  with  dew  and  the  juices  of  succulent  herbs.  In 
this  he  is,  no  doubt,  greatly  assisted  by  being  underground 
about  twenty  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four,  which  must  pre- 
vent perspiration  in  a  great  degree. 

Disposition. — The  celebrated  Professor  Blumenbach  used 
to  say  in  his  lectures,  when  treating  on  the  Mus  decumanus, 
"  Thank  heaven,  gentlemen,  that  species  is  not  as  big  as  an 
elephant ;  if  it  were  so,  the  human  race  would  have  ceased  to 
exist  long  ago."  The  same  might  not  be  said,  it  is  true,  with 
an  equal  degree  of  probability  about  the  hamster,  as  he  is 
greatly  deficient  in  that  cunning  and  agility  which  would 
render  the  ferocity  of  the  Mus  decumanus  so  dangerous  and 
destructive,  if  great  physical  power  were  superadded  to  its 
other  qualities  ;  yet  in  point  of  brutal  ferocity  the  hamster 
surpasses  even  that  rat.  The  latter  is  more  sociable,  more 
gregarious  in  its  habits ;  it  will  not  kill  and  devour  its  con- 
geners, though  of  an  exceedingly  sanguinary  disposition,  ex- 
cept when  hard  pressed  by  hunger  ;  whilst  the  hamster  never 
falls  in  with  another  individual  of  its  own  species,  without 
trying  to  make  it  its  prey,  the  weaker,  if  not  killed,  generally 
making  its  escape  more  or  less  severely  wounded.     Even  the 


482  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER. 

two  sexes  live  together  and  in  peace  only  during  the  few  days 
of  each  breeding  season. z  With  this  single  exception  the 
hamster  may  be  said  to  be  constantly  at  war  with  every  liv- 
ing creature  or  moving  object  which  happens  to  come  near 
him.  It  will  jump  with  equal  fury  at  a  waggon-wheel  or  at 
a  horse  travelling  along  a  road  which  a  hamster  is  about  to 
cross  in  the  same  place,  and  a  young  hamster  will  sometimes 
do  so  as  well  as  an  old  one.  Horses  have  now  and  then  been 
frightened  by  the  screams  and  bites  of  this  little  animal  in  the 
dusk  of  the  evening,  so  as  to  run  away.  From  men  or  dogs 
the  animal  will  commonly,  though  not  always,  try  to  escape; 
it  then  takes  the  nearest  course  to  its  burrow,  from  which  it 
is  seldom  at  a  great  distance.  When  its  pouches  are  full,  it 
always  takes  to  its  heels  at  first,  and  if  its  burrow  be  only  at 
the  distance  of  twenty  or  thirty  yards,  it  tries  to  regain  it 
with  its  cargo,  but  never  fails  to  pop  its  head  out  of  the  hole, 
screaming  furiously  in  defiance.  If  the  burrow  be  farther  off, 
it  tries  to  get  a  little  a-head  of  its  pursuer,  in  order  to  have 
time  to  empty  its  pouches ;  whereupon  it  rises  upon  its  hind 
legs  and  faces  its  enemy,  blowing  (whereby  the  pouches  be- 
come distended),  squeaking,  screaming,  and  jumping  against 
the  intruder  to  the  height  of  from  one  to  two  feet.  When  the 
enemy  retreats  a  little,  the  hamster  hops  after  him  like  a  frog. 
At  such  times  the  animal  is  quite  beside  itself  with  fury,  car- 
ing for  no  wounds,  and  fighting  till  death. 2  Old  hamsters  do 
not  usually  retreat  before  man,  when  sitting  before  their  bur- 
rows with  their  pouches  empty ;  I  have  myself  killed  several 
under  such  circumstances. 

Some  breeds  of  dogs,  as  pointers  and  large  terriers,  soon 
acquire  a  knack  of  killing  hamsters  at  one  bite,  by  catching 
them  by  the  middle  of  the  chest;  but  when  the  animals  are 
better  matched,  the  combat  is  protracted,  and  the  hamster 
often  succeeds  in  gaining  its  burrow,  after  repeatedly  beating 
back  the  dog.  This  obstinacy  in  fighting,  in  spite  of  all 
wounds  not  absolutely  mortal,  makes  the  hamster  gain  the 
victory  over  the  rat.  A  combat  between  old  individuals  of 
the  two  species,  lasts  very  long,  but  ends  with  the  death  of 
the  rat.  In  short,  as  far  as  my  own  experience  goes,  I  must 
believe  the  hamster  to  be  the  most  courageous  animal.  Un- 
fortunately there  is  no  other  commendable  feature  in  his  dis- 


1  For  further  proofs  of  the  ferocious  and  reckless  disposition  of  the  ham- 
ster, see  also  below,  under  the  head  of  Propagation. 

2  The  bites  of  the  hamster  penetrate  to  the  depth  of  half  an  inch,  but  are 
not  particularly  dangerous,  even  when  the  animal  is  furious. 


GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH  EAST  OF  DORSETSHIRE.  483 

position ;  he  is  perfectly  untameable,  and  cannot  be  broken 
by  any  sort  of  education. * 

(To  be  continued.) 


Art.  II. — Illustrations  of  the  Geology  of  the  South  East  of  Dorset- 
shire.    By  The  Rev.  W.  B.  Clarke,  A.M.,  F.G.S. 

(Continued  from  page  238.^ 

From  this  examination  of  the  composition  of  the  coast  line, 
we  have  now  to  advert  to  the  phenomena  presented  by  it,  in 
connection  with  the  underlying  chalk.  And  I  have,  first,  to 
remark,  that  if  my  attempt  to  explain  the  singular  conforma- 
tion of  the  curved  and  vertical  chalk  beds  at  Ballard  Head 
(see  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.  Sept.  1837)  needed  any  further  elucida- 
tion, we  have  the  fullest  evidence  of  the  vertical  up-cast  of 
the  whole  of  the  chalk  between  the  Ballard  Head  fault  and 
Old  Harry  Point,  not  only  in  the  derangements  on  the  Stud- 
land  side,  and  in  the  perpendicular  rents  or  fissures  through 
the  nearly  horizontal  chalk  beds,  but  in  the  inclination  of  the 
plastic  clay  beds  at  the  Red  Rock  cliff.  For  there  is  no 
means  of  explaining  that  inclination,  but  the  supposition  of 
the  chalk  having  been  bodily  up-heaved,  and  lifting  with  it 
the  plastic  clay  beds,  which  became,  in  consequence,  tilted 
up  at  the  point  of  contact  and  for  some  little  distance,  and 
broken  into  portions  by  the  giving  way  of  the  soft  strata  at 
those  parts  now  occupied  by  the  ravines  which  lead  from  the 
sea  to  the  village  of  Studland.  It  is  also  clear,  that  if  such 
were  the  case  at  a  distance  from  the  chalk,  the  beds  would, 
beyond  the  last  point  of  fracture,  retain  their  original  hori- 
zontally, which  is  the  case  farther  off  from  Studland.  This 
will  appear  very  plainly,  if  we  see  by  the  map  that  the  plas- 
tic clay  abuts  upon  the  chalk  on  the  north  side  of  Ballard 
Down,  far  away  from  the  vertical  chalk,  and,  therefore,  no- 
thing but  an  elevation  of  the  chalk  en  masse,  or  a  depression 
beyond  Studland,  subjecting  the  northern  end  of  the  inclined 
beds  to  a  down-cast  motion  (for  which  there  is  no  evidence 
in  the  vicinity),  can  have  produced  the  phenomena  presented 
by  the  Red  Rock  and  adjacent  cliffs. 

In  order  to  explain  this  more  fully,  it  must  be  mentioned 
that  the  Studland  rock  is,  in  some  degree,  a  separate  portion 
of  the  plastic  clay.  Seen  from  a  distant  elevation,  such  as 
the  hills  on  the  north  side  of  Poole  Harbour,  Studland  ap- 
pears to  be  a  small  table-land  lying  on  the  edges  of  the  east 
and  north  slopes  of  the  chalk,  and  separated  from  the  moun- 

1  Mr.  Lens  quotes  an  instance  of  an  albino  which  became  very  tame. 


484  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH  EAST  OF  DORSETSHIRE. 

tainous  declivities  of  Studland  Heath  by  a  valley.  Now  such 
is  actually  the  case,  for  between  the  chalk  and  Studland  there 
is  a  deep  diluvial  excavation,  which,  in  short,  is  continued 
all  along  under  the  chalk,  thereby  insulating  all  Studland 
Heath  and  Studland  itself  by  dry  straits,  one  of  which  now 
affords  a  bed  for  a  winter  stream  that  finds  its  way  through 
one  of  the  cracks  in  the  cliffs  into  the  sea.  This  fact  would, 
I  know,  be  used  differently  by  some  geologists,  who  contend 
that  running  water  scoops  out  its  own  channels,  even  in  the 
hardest  rocks,  and,  therefore,  say  they,  sand  but  lightly  ag- 
glomerated must  give  way.  Thus,  the  chines  along  the  shore 
of  Poole  Bay,  are  by  Mr.  Lyell  said  to  be  the  result  of  the 
streams  that  flow  through  them  to  the  sea.  If  so,  of  course, 
the  Studland  '  cracks  ■  or  chines  have  no  right  to  be  deemed 
worth  notice.  But  how  stands  the  case  ?  A  violent  and  pow- 
erful torrent,  bearing  with  it  gravel  and  fragments  of  angular 
rock,  tosses  these  extraneous  matters  about  in  the  hollows  of 
its  bed,  and  they,  acting  like  a  mechanical  machine,  bear 
away  the  moistened  bed,  till  they  cause  that  bed  to  descend 
deeper  and  deeper  in  the  solid  rock  below ; — and,  therefore, 
it  is  said,  a  sluggish  stream  must,  of  necessity,  bore  away  in 
sand  with  less  trouble  and  more  effect ! 

Now,  I  am  not  unaware  that  there  may  be  cases  found, 
where  the  torrent  has  assisted  in  eating  out  a  deeper  channel 
to  a  certain  limited  extent, — but  I  am  not  satisfied  with  the 
assertion  that  this  extent  may  be  unlimited.  The  river  Si- 
oule  in  France  is  quoted  as  an  example.  That  river  now  runs 
at  a  level  through  nearly  vertical  walls  of  basalt  and  gneiss, 
much  below  what  it  formerly  did ;  and  this  is  shown  by  a 
ledge  of  gravel  much  above  its  present  bed.  This  gravel-de- 
posit marks  a  period,  it  is  assumed,  when  the  river  had  only 
eaten  down  so  deep  in  the  solid  rock.  It  is  said,  that  the 
Sioule  has  cut  through  more  than  100  feet  of  compact  basalt, 
and  at  least  50  feet  of  gneiss.1 

But  if  the  theory  of  these  stone-eating  waters  be  tiue,  there 
ought  never  to  have  been  any  gravel  above,  left  on  any  ledge, 
or  else  there  ought  to  be  a  slope  of  gravel  all  the  way  down. 
The  river  has  descended  certainly,  but  it  must  have  suspend- 

1  See  Messrs.  Lyell  and  Murchison  '  On  the  excavation  of  valleys,  as  il- 
lustrated by  the  volcanic  rocks  of  Central  France ; '  G.  P.  i.  39,  and  Edin. 
Phil.  Journal :  also  Prof.  Sedgwick's  Address  to  the  Geol.  Society,  Feb. 
19,  1830,  for  facts  and  comments.  After  giving  a  luminous  account  of  the 
different  modes  of  excavation,  the  latter  distinguished  author  and  observer 
sums  up  with  an  allusion  to  the  Auvergne  rivers.  These  are  great  authori- 
ties, and  it  maybe  presumptuous  to  dispute  their  judgment, — but  geologi- 
cal doubts  often  lead  to  geological  truth. 


STUDLAND.  485 

ed  its  consumption  of  rock  in  order  to  have  left  its  old  bed  to 
accumulate, — and  then  eaten  away  most  furiously  to  have  got 
so  low  without  any  trouble  or  traces  of  its  progress.  Sup- 
pose, however,  we  assume  the  case  of  the  Sioule  to  be  the 
counterpart  of  the  examples  presented  by  raised  beaches, — 
or  what,  perhaps,  is  nearer  the  fact,  that  after  its  old  channel 
was  blocked  up  by  a  lava-flood,  as  was  the  case,  a  conveni- 
ent operation  of  volcanic  forces  suddenly  burst  open  this  bar- 
rier, and  split  the  rock  vertically  downward,  and  the  whole 
mystery  is  solved.  And  if  any  person  will  carefully  consider 
the  thousands  of  examples  that  are  scattered  over  the  surface 
of  England, — nay,  if  he  will  confine  himself  to  known  and 
familiar  cases,  those  of  the  chalk  range,  which  is  everywhere 
fractured  to  give  way  to  rivers  that  had  no  other  outlet, — or 
those  of  Herefordshire,  which  pass  through  similar  openings 
in  the  old  red  sandstone, — it  will  be  found  that  rocks  of  every 
formation  exhibit  one  and  the  same  phenomenon  respecting 
rivers  and  streams,  and  that  these  occupy  beds  made  for  them 
by  disruptions  of  the  strata,  and  not  beds  which  they  have 
made  for  themselves  by  their  own  action.  And  why  should 
these  sandy  chines  be  an  exception  ? 

It  is  urged  that  the  sand  is  full  of  springs,  and  that,  near 
Bourne  Mouth,  under  the  signal-staff,  the  cliffs  do  visibly 
founder  through  the  continual  action  of  land-springs.  No 
doubt  such  is  the  case  ;  but  where  is  the  parallel  between  this 
foundering  of  a  whole  surface  of  cliff,  and  the  regular  gradual 
hollowing  out  of  one  deep  and  deepening  channel  ?  More- 
over, it  can  be  shown  (and  will  be)  that  these  chines  are 
nothing  but  diluvial  furrows,  which  gave  direction  to  the  di- 
luvial waters,  because  they  were  suddenly  formed,  and  which 
now  afford  a  similar  passage  to  the  springs  that  are  seen  to 
well  out,  not  at  the  level  of  the  top  of  the  sides  of  the  valleys, 
but  at  some  distance  vertically  below  that  level, — the  valleys 
being  excavated  above  and  beyond  their  origin.  Such  also 
is  the  case  at  Studland.  The  puny  streams  that  occupy  an 
inch  or  two  in  depth  of  the  ravines  through  which  they  flow, 
rise  a  considerable  way  vertically  above  the  height  of  the 
walls  of  the  ravines,  and  before  they  reach  the  ravines  have 
not  excavated  the  sand  over  which  they  run,  but  follow  the 
natural  declivity  of  the  ground.  It  may,  finally,  be  said, — 
look  at  Niagara  ! — (sic  parvis  componere  magna) — see  how  it 
has  eaten  its  way  backward  towards  Lake  Erie !  The  rea- 
son of  this  retrograde  reform — this  '  advancing  of  three  steps 
backwards1 — is  obvious.  The  soft  marl  is  destroyed,  and, 
therefore,  the  limestone  inter  stratified  with  it  is  destroyed; — 
but  has  Niagara,  since  the  day  it  left  its  old  fall  at  Queens- 


486         GEOLOGY  OF  THE   SOUTH  EAST  OF  DORSETSHIRE. 

town,  eaten  a  deeper  and  deeper  bed  vertically  down  by  its 
own  mighty  powers  ?  If  it  has  not  accomplished  such  a  pur- 
pose, what  is  to  be  said  of  the  solvent  powers  of  our  English 
rivers,  that  have,  without  any  display  or  any  thunder,  chisel- 
led out  such  enormous  gorges  and  ravines,  many  hundred  feet 
deep,  through  solid  masses  of  the  very  hardest  quartzose  rock, 
as  is  the  case  in  the  border  district  of  England  and  Wales 
with  those  diminutive  rivers  the  Teme,  the  Onny,  and  the 
Wye,  where  they  break  through  the  escarpments  presented 
to  them  ?  Those  rivers  I  quote  purposely,  because  it  can  be 
shown  that  where  they  so  break  through,  there  are  great  dis- 
locations of  the  strata  from  causes  which  are  not  at  all  doubt- 
ful, but  clearly  volcanic  in  their  origin, — and  the  channels  of 
the  rivers  themselves  occupy  cracks  transverse  to  the  direc- 
tion of  the  rocks  they  traverse.  And  if  we  compare  the  two 
examples — making  allowance,  of  course,  for  the  great  differ- 
ence in  every  item  between  the  condition  of  the  old  red  sand- 
stone and  plastic  clay  districts,  we  shall  see  that  on  a  small 
scale,  the  same  phenomena  were  acted  over  again  in  the  ter- 
tiary epoch  which  did  such  great  things  at  the  period  when 
the  older  secondary  and  transition  rocks  were  ruptured. 

That  these  cracks  at  Studland  are  regular  fissures,  and  not 
accidental  channels  for  rain  water,  is  shown  by  following 
them  to  their  source,  and  measuring  their  direction.  That 
for  instance  which  is  marked  6  in  fig.  56,  opens  upon  the 
shore  in  continuation  of  the  passage  through  the  lofty  plastic 
clay  hills  behind,  and  the  opening  through  the  chalk  at  Three- 
forked  Down,  by  which  the  road  is  traversed  from  Swanage 
to  Studland,  and  its  direction  ranges  from  S.W.  by  W.  and 
N.E.  by  E.  Just  under  the  signal -house,  where  the  cliff  is 
from  16  to  20  feet  high,  the  hard  beds  of  sand  stone  are  split 
vertically  down,  leaving  a  space  of  about  three  feet  between 

63 


Fault  in  the  Ravine  to  the  right  of  the  signal-house,  Studland. 

the  walls  ;  on  the  south  side  the  beds  dipping  to  the  N.E.  at 
about  24°,  exactly  agreeing  with  the  dip  at  the  Red  Rock, 


STUDLAND. 


487 


of  which  they  are  a  prolongation.  The  right  side  of  this 
crack  forms  the  left  of  an  insulated  mass,  filling  up  the  mid- 
dle of  the  ravine,  on  the  right  of  which  the  beds  are  horizon- 
tal (fig.  63). 

The  farther  end  of  the  ravine  closes  abruptly,  but  the  view 
beyond  it  is  given  in  fig.  64. 


C,  Chalk. 


P  C,  Plastic  clay.        The  arrow  shows  the  direction  of  the  ravine, 
arrow  points  out  the  opening  in  the  chalk  at  Three-forked  Down. 


The  dotted 


Continuing  the  examination  of  the  surface  along  this  table- 
land, we  discover  that  a  declination  of  the  level  takes  place 
from  the  head  of  this  ravine  to  the  head  of  that  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Red  Rock,  which  passes  under  a  cliff  of  yellow 
and  red  sand,  extending  from  under  the  church-yard,  and 
capped  by  a  bed  of  whitish  sandy  clay  (used  for  walls  of 
buildings),  which  is  naturally  split  into  quadrilateral  frag- 
ments ;  the  dip  of  these  beds  being  from  the  southern  chalk 
of  Ballard  Down.  So  that  Studland  may  be  considered  as  a 
square  mass  of  country,  leaning  upon  the  chalk  on  the  south- 
ern and  eastern  sides,  and  dipping  from  it  in  those  directions, 
as  it  would  naturally  do  upon  the  supposition  of  its  having 
been  deposited  upon  the  slopes  of  the  chalk,  and  afterwards 
subjected  to  the  forces  of  elevation  by  which  the  chalk  has 
been  deranged. 

That  this  must  be  the  exact  state  of  the  case  is  confirmed 
by  the  condition  of  the  country  intervening  between  Studland 
and  the  chalk  ridge  of  Ballard  Down.  The  plastic  clay  be- 
hind Studland  ranges,  in  Studland  Heath,  to  a  level  nearly  as 
high  as  the  summit  of  Ballard  Down  itself,  but  it  has  been 
subjected  to  violent  denudating  agents,  and  a  deep  valley, 

/.  65 


Studland  Heath. 


C  C,  Chalk  Downs. 


1,  Devil's  night-cap. 
Three-forked  Down. 


2,  Pipe-clay  heds. 
4,  Shore. 


3,  Opening  at 


488 


GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH  EAST  OF  DORSETSHIRE. 


rising  in  the  centre,  but  trough-like  on  each  side,  marks  the 
space  between  the  two  formations. 

The  appearance  of  this  district  from  the  coast  is  shown  in 
fig.  65,  and  the  transverse  section  across  the  diluvial  hollow 
is  given  in  fig.  66.     It  is  premature  to  allude  to  the  connec- 

BallardDown.        Three-forked  Down.        Nine  Barrow  Down.    Studland  Heath. 

t  I  / 


J^»"    ToSludland. 


Valley  between  the  Chalk  and  Plastic  Clay, — between  Studland  and  Ballard  Down. 


1,  Chalk. 


2,  Plastic  clay. 


tion  between  the  diluvial  and  the  uplifting  forces,  but  it  may 
be  here  safely  mentioned,  that  the  very  aspect  of  the  district 
about  Studland,  from  the  summit  of  Ballard  Down,  and  from 
various  stations  in  the  ascent  thither,  demonstrably  convince 
the  observer,  that  though  violent  denuding  forces  have  exca- 
vated the  deep  valleys  and  hollows  between  the  chalk  and  the 
sea,  these  valleys  and  hollows,  whether  longitudinal  or  trans- 
verse, owe  their  primary  development  to  preceding  causes, 
that  uplifted,  split,  and  convulsed  the  lower  beds  of  chalk, 
and  the  superimposed  tertiary  deposits  that  now  only  exist  in 
part. 

And  since  we  have  seen  in  this  investigation,  that  the  lines 
of  direction  in  these  dislocations  coincide  with  the  longitu- 
dinal and  transverse  directions  of  the  chalk  elevation — and 
these  again  with  those  of  the  sub-cretaceous  formations,  it 
follows,  that  the  derangements  in  the  plastic  clay  of  Studland 
owe  their  existence  to  the  very  same  phenomena  as  have,  in 
the  same  linear  directions,  produced  such  striking  alterations 
in  the  arrangement  of  the  country  beyond  the  area  of  the 
chalk-field. 

Subsequent  investigations  will  more  fully  explain  the  ex- 
tent of  these  derangements,  but  sufficient  has  now  been  said 
to  illustrate  the  phenomena  of  the  plastic  clay,  at  its  junc- 
tion with  the  chalk  at  Studland  Bay ; — all  of  which  are,  evi- 


ON  THE  GENUS  HYMENOTES.  489 

dently,  the  result  of  elevating  forces,  that  in  this  district  have 
left  proofs  too  palpable  to  be  denied. 

Presteigne,  Radnorshire. 


Art.  III. — On  Hymenotes,  a  Genus  of  exotic  Orthopterous  Insects. 
By  J.  O.  Westwood,  Esq.,  F.L.S.  &c. 

The  philosophical  principle  that  Nature,  ever  ready  in  re- 
sources, arrives  at  the  same  result  in  various  methods,  is 
nowhere  so  capable  of  demonstration  as  in  the  insect  tribes, 
where,  owing  to  their  immense  numbers,  far  exceeding  in  fact 
the  number  of  all  the  rest  of  the  species  of  the  animal  king- 
dom taken  together,  it  must  necessarily  happen,  from  the 
necessarily  great  modification  of  form  exhibited  amongst  so 
many  animals,  that  the  great  functions  of  existence  must  be 
carried  on  in  different  ways. 

The  preservation  of  the  creature,  one  of  the  great  primary 
objects  of  all  its  energies,  as  well  as  of  its  organic  structure 
(necessary  for  the  display  of  such  energies),  is  not  only  ef- 
fected by  active  operations,  but  also  by  those  passive  means 
of  resistance  afforded  by  the  peculiar  structure  and  shape  ei- 
ther of  the  body  or  of  its  different  parts.  It  would  carry  me 
into  too  wide  a  field  to  give  examples  in  support  of  this  prin- 
ciple, which  must  be  strongly  perceived  by  all  who  take  more 
than  a  superficial  view  of  the  workings  and  works  of  the  cre- 
ation. The  particular  group  of  insects  which  is  the  subject 
of  this  paper,  exhibits  an  interesting  instance  of  it  which  it 
will  be  worth  while  to  notice,  proving  as  it  does  that  where 
one  organ,  having  a  particular  function  necessary  for  exist- 
ence, is  either  atrophied  or  diminished  in  extent,  another  or- 
gan takes  up  such  function,  and  thus  supplies  its  place,  while 
at  the  same  time  it  retains  its  normal,  or  as  we  may  say  origi- 
nal function.  Ordinarily  speaking  the  back  of  insects  is  not 
generally  of  a  solid  texture ;  where  solidity  is  given  to  it  the 
wings  are  more  particularly  membranous ;  where  it  is  less  so- 
lid the  wings,  or  more  strictly  speaking,  one  pair,  become 
thickened,  so  as  to  defend  the  real  wings,  which  from  their 
large  size  require  to  be  packed  up,  (of  which  the  common 
earwig  forms  a  beautiful  example),  as  well  as  the  back  of  the 
abdomen.  Such  is  especially  the  case  in  beetles,  where  the 
wing-covers  attain  their  strongest  consistence,  and  serve  unit- 
edly to  form  a  powerful  shield  or  case,  whence  the  very  name 
of  the  order,  Coleoptera,  or  wings  in  a  case.     In  other  instan- 

Vol.  III.— No.  34.  n.  s.  3  g 


490  ON  THE  GENUS  HYMENOTES. 

ces  we  find  this  shield  consisting  of  a  single  piece,  being  then 
named  the  scutellum,  and  which  in  some  tribes  of  Hemiptera 
becomes  so  large  as  entirely  to  cover  the  back  of  the  abdo- 
men, wings,  and  wing-covers.  Such  is  the  case  in  a  singular 
degree  in  the  genus  Coptosoma,  the  peculiar  structure  of 
which  I  have  described  in  this  Magazine  (vol.  ii.  n.  s.  p.  26). 
Such  is  also  the  case  in  other  portions  of  the  family  of  Cimi- 
cidce  thence  named  Scutelleridm,  and  in  some  singular  Hy- 
menopterous  insects  forming  the  genus  Thoracantha,  in  one 
of  which  (Thor.  Latreillei,  Guerin)  this  scutellum  exhibits 
all  the  appearance  of  two  elytra  soldered  together.  In  other 
tribes,  again,  we  find  this  shield  composed  of  a  piece  still 
nearer  to  the  head,  namely  the  dorsum  of  the  prothorax, 
which  is  immensely  developed  backwards,  covering  not  only 
the  back  of  the  abdomen i,  but  also  the  whole  of  the  mesotho- 
rax  and  its  scutellum,  metathorax,  and  wings.  This  struc- 
ture is  of  much  rarer  occurrence  than  either  of  the  former, 
occurring  in  various  species  of  Linnaean  Cicada,  where  the 
armature  of  this  part  is  most  anomalous,  and  in  a  few  genera 
of  Orthopterous  insects,  including  that  which  is  the  subject 
of  this  paper:  this  peculiarity,  in  conjunction  with  the  salta- 
torial  powers  of  the  insects,  their  musical  talents  and  herbi- 
vorous habits,  evidently  prove  that  the  order  Homoptera  of 
Latreille  (to  which  the  Cicada  belong)  is  the  true  analogue 
of  the  order  Orthoptera  to  which  these  insects  are  to  be  re- 
ferred. 

Linnaeus,  in  the  earlier  editions  of  the  c  Systema  Naturae,' 
proposed  a  division  in  the  genus  Cicada  which  he  named 
Foliacea,  with  the  character  "  thorace  compresso-membrana- 
ceo ;  "  the  insects  belonging  to  this  division  are  truly  Homop- 
terous,  and  now  constitute  the  genus  Membracis  of  Fabricius. 
The  dorsum  of  the  prothorax  is  of  immense  size,  compressed, 
not  thicker  than  writing  paper,  and  elevated  over  the  entire 
body,  extending  in  fact  considerably  in  front  of  the  head. 

Felton  described  two  remarkable  insects  in  the  Philosophi- 
cal Transactions  for  1764  (vol.  liv.  p.  55,  published  in  1765), 
in  a  paper  entitled  "An  Account  of  a  singular  species  of  Wasp 
and  Locust"  which  he  had  met  with  in  Jamaica.  The  fol- 
lowing is  his  description  of  the  "locust." 

"  Rhombea  Cicada,  thorace  compresso,  membranaceo,  foliaceo,  sub- 
rhombeo,  postice  latiore. 

*'  The  thorax  is  like  a  leaf  that  is  raised  perpendicularly  from  the  body, 
and  is  three  times  as  broad  as  the  body,  but  the  same  length.  This  leaf  is 
very  near  of  a  rhomboid  figure,  a  little  broader  or  rather  higher  over  the 
back,  it  is  membranaceous,  probably  brownish  ;  (when  alive  half  pellucid, 
with  two  spots  that  are  more  pellucid  or  transparent ;  the  larger  one  is  very 
near  the  middle,  but  the  smaller  lower).     The  margins  are  waved,  especial- 


ON  THE  GENUS  HYMENOTES.  491 

Iv  towards  the  hind  angle ;  over  the  fore  part  of  the  hody  the  leaf  is  double. 
The  abdomen  is  a  little  longer  projected  backwards  than  the  leaf  of  the  thorax. 

"  The  insect  had  not  yet  got  its  coleoptera  and  wings. 

"  The  hind  thighs  that  are  thicker  have  on  the  upper  side  an  additional 
narrow  membrane  added  to  them. 

"  The  head  and  maxillee  [mandibles]  are  very  like  those  of  the  gryllus's; 
but  there  is  such  an  affinity  between  this  and  the  Cicada  foliata,  Linn.  Syst. 
Nat.  435,  6,  that  I  should  think  it  the  same  species  if  the  thorax  of  this 
was  not  broader  behind  towards  the  end. 

"  The  antenna  are  broke  off,  else  from  their  length,  one  might  learn  to 
what  genus  the  tribe  Linnaeus  calls  Cicada  foliacece  (Syst.  Nat.  p.  435) 
should  be  referred,  for  I  am  in  doubt  whether  Linnaeus  ever  has  seen  per- 
fect specimens  of  them." 

The  figure  which  accompanied  this  description  (pi.  6.  fig. 
sinist.)  I  have  copied  in  my  fig.  67,  1 ;  from  which,  in  con- 
junction with  Fel ton's  description  of  the  hind  legs  and  man- 
dibles, it  will  be  perceived  that  the  insect  is  in  fact  a  locust, 
or  at  least  that  it  belongs  to  the  saltatorial  Orthoptera.  Lin- 
naeus however,  in  the  last  edition  of  the  '  Systema  Naturae,' 
introduced  Felton's  insect  amongst  his  Cicada  foliacea,  un- 
der the  name  of  Cicada  rhombea,  erroneously  referring  to 
Backer  instead  of  Felton,  and  evidently  either  considering 
that  the  English  author  had  inaccurately  described  and  figur- 
ed his  insect,  which  ought  to  have  been  represented  with  the 
structure  of  Membracis,  or  overlooking  the  manifest  differ- 
ences between  the  true  Homopterous  Cicadas  foliacea  and 
Felton's  Orthopterous  insect,  thus  confounding  a  very  strong 
relation  of  analogy  for  one  of  affinity. 

In  the  Banksian  collection  in  the  possession  of  the  Linne- 
an  Society,  named  by  Fabricius,  is  contained  an  insect  nearly 
agreeing  with  that  of  Felton,  placed  at  the  head  of  the  true 
Membraces,  and  named  Membracis  rhombea,  with  the  local- 
ity "  Jamaica.  Poore."  This  insect  I  have  represented  at  2 
in  fig.  67,  together  with  its  appearance  as  seen  from  above,  2 
a,  and  the  part  which  remains  of  its  mutilated  antenna  at  2  b. 
It  is  evidently  not  the  specimen  described  by  Felton,  because 
that  was  given  to  the  Royal  Society,  the  collections  of  which 
Society,  as  I  learn,  were  subsequently  transferred  to  the  Brit- 
ish Museum,  and  Felton's  insect  is  most  likely  destroyed. — 
Moreover,  the  Banksian  specimen  has  part  of  its  antenna 
remaining,  whilst  Felton  describes  his  insect  as  having  the 
antenna  broken  off.  I  am  particular  in  making  these  obser- 
vations, in  order  that  the  specific  identity  of  the  Banksian 
specimen  with  Felton's  may  be  proved,  especially  as  both  are 
from  the  same  island  in  the  West  Indies,  and  the  general  out- 
line of  the  thoracic  shield  is  very  similar  in  both,  The  foli- 
aceous  structure  of  the  thighs  notched  like  edges  of  a  leaf,  in 
the  Banksian  specimen,  seems  to  indicate  a  different  species, 


492 


ON  THE  GENUS  HYMENOTES. 


67 


%^ 


r,.a 


WESTWOOD .  PET. 


1,  Hymenotes  rhombea.  2,  Membracis  rhombea.    2  a,  same  seen  from  above.    2  &,  re- 

mains of  antenna.  3,  Hymenotes  triangularis.    3  a,  basal  joints  of  antenna.    3  6 

anterior  tarsus.    3  c,  posterior  tarsus.  4,  Hymenotes  Sagrai.  5,  Hymenotes 

platycoris.     5  o,  head  seen  sideways.    5  b.  Antenna  magnified.    5  c,  posterior  tarsus. 
6,  Phyllochoreia  unicolor.    6  a,  head  seen  in  front.    6  b,  antenna.   6  c,  anterior  tarsus. 


ON  THE  GENUS  HYMENOTES.  493 

especially  as  Felton  describes  his  insect  as  having  an  addi- 
tional narrow  membrane  on  the  upper  side  of  the  hind  thighs, 
without  noticing  that  it  is  notched,  or  representing  any  such 
character.  The  antennae  of  the  Banksian  specimen  are  very 
slender,  and  although  there  are  only  nine  joints  remaining, 
they  extend  considerably  beyond  the  front  of  the  thoracic 
shield,  the  two  basal  joints  being  very  short  and  thickened. 

Having  discovered  amongst  the  insects  collected  at  Manil- 
la by  Mr.  Cuming,  an  insect  closely  allied  to  the  preceding, 
I  communicated  a  description  of  the  two  species  to  the  Zoo- 
logical Society,  on  the  14th  November,  1837,  and  which  was 
published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Society  of  that  date.  — 
The  following  are  the  characters  of  the  genus  which  I  pro- 
posed for  their  reception. 

"  Hyme notes.  Genus  novum  e  familia  Locustidarum,  Tetrici  affine. — 
Corpus  valcle  compressum.  Caput  mediocre  obliquum.  Antenna  breves 
gracillimae  filiformes,  articulo  lmo  crasso,  rotundato,  2ndo  multo  minori, 
reliquis  longitudine  sensim  crescentibus.  Prothorax  maximus,  foliaceus  val- 
de  compressus,  folium  aridum  exacte  referens,  supra  et  ante  caput  angulariter 
porrectus,  valde  elevatus  et  postice  supra  abdomen  protensus ;  parte  posti- 
ca  subtus,  pro  receptione  alarum  et  abdominis,  canaliculata,  prosternum  in 
collare  pro  receptione  oris  formatum.  Pedes  inter  se  basi  longe  distantes, 
femoribus  praesertim  posticis  foliaceis,  tarsis  posticis  3-articulatis,"  articulo 
lmo  subtus  sub-biarticulato,  articulo  2ndo  minutissimo ;  quatuor  anticis 
sub-biarticulatis,  articulo  lmo  subtus  sub-biarticulato.  Ungues  longi  sub- 
tus dente  minuto  armati.     Pulvilli  nulli. 

Species  1. — Hymenotes  rhombea.  Rhombea  cicada,  Felton  in  PhiK  Trans. 
1764,  p.  55,  pi.  6.  Cicada  rhombea,  Linn.  Syst.  Nat.  2,  704.  Membra- 
cis  rhombea,  Fabr.  Ento.  Syst.  4,  8,  2.  Syst.  Rh.  7.— Alata.  Habitat 
Jamaica.     (Fig.  67,  1). 

Species  1*,  (an  distincta).  Insectum  in  Musaeo  Banksiano  (Mus.  Soc.  Lin.) 
supra  delineatum.     Habitat  Jamaica.     (Fig.  67,  2). 

Species  2. —  Hymenotes  S-angularis.  Hym.  fusca,  protliorace  sub-trian- 
gulari,  margine,  e  fronte  ad  medium  integro  et  curvato,  dein  ad  apicem 
obliquo,  serrato,  femoribus  anticis  vix  foliaceis,  posticis  latioribus,  supra 
irregulariter  incisis. 

Corp.  long.  lin.  5%.  Long,  protboracis  lin.  8.  Habitat  Manilla,  D. 
Cuming.  (Fig.  67,  3;  3  a,  basal  joints  of  antennae;  3  b,  anterior  tarsus  ; 
3  c,  posterior  tarsus). 

Subsequently  M.  Serville,  unacquainted  with  my  memoir 
above  referred  to,  published  the  description  of  another  spe- 
cies of  the  same  genus,  for  which  he  proposed  the  admirable 
(but  synonymical)  name  of  Choriphyllum  (dancing  leaf)  in 
his  volume  upon  the  Orthoptera  in  the  '  Suites  a  BufFon.' — 
The  following  are  its  specific  characters. 

Species  3. — Hijmenotes  Sagrai.  Long.  8  lignes,  mesure  de  l'origine  de  la 
membrane  a  son  extremite.     II  est  entierement  d'un  gris  terreux,  la 


494  ON  THE  GENUS  HYMENOTES. 

membrane  qui  recouvre  le  corps  s'eleve  au  dessus  du  thorax,  d'environ 
quatre  lignes ;  chaque  face  laterale  presente  de  six  a  sept  nervures  trans- 
versales  saillantes,  assez  egalement  espacees :  cette  membrane  est  d'un 
brun  feuille-morte,  transparente  dans  son  premier  tiers,  opaque  ensuite, 
son  bord  superieur  est  presque  arrondi,  sinueux  dans  quelques  endroits ; 
la  partie  qui  deborde  la  tete,  finit  en  pointeet  forme  une  sorte  de  grande 
crochet,  la  partie  posterieure  de  la  membrane  de  passant  l'abdomen  est 
tronquee  droit  et  carrement,  a  son  extremite.  Antennes  et  pattes  de  la 
couleur  du  corps;  cuisses  posterieures  fortes,  elargies :  carenes  superieures 
des  deux  dernieres  jambes  munies  de  fines  epines.  Je  n'ai  pas  pu  dis- 
tinguer  le  sexe. 

Un  individu  unique  communique  par  M.  De  la  Sagra,  qui  l'a  rappor- 
te  de  Pile  de  Cuba. 

Syn. — Choriphyllum  Sagrai,  Serville,  Hist.  Nat.  Ins.  Orthopt.  p.  755, 
pi.  8,  fig.  5.     (Fig.  67,  4 ;  copied  from  Serville). 

Another  species  from  Africa  has  also  recently  been  present- 
ed to  the  British  Museum  by  the  Rev.  D.  F.  Morgan,  of  which 
the  following  are  the  characters. 

Species  4. — Hymenotes  platycorys.  Hym.  fusca,  granulosa,  pronoto  supra 
in  folium  maximum  integrum  rotundatum  elevato,  angulo  postico  inciso, 
femoribus  foliaceis  posticis  margine  supero,  (nisi  ad  apicem)  integro. 

Corp.  long.  lin.  6£.     Habitat  in  Africa  occidentali  (Sierra  Leone). — 
D.  Morgan.     (Fig.  67,  5). 

The  colour,  in  one  specimen,  is  entirely  of  a  dark  rusty 
brown,  with  the  tips  of  the  thighs  darker ;  but  in  the  other, 
the  elevated  leaf  of  the  pronotum  is  varied  with  paler  colour, 
as  in  my  figure.  The  head  is  elevated  into  an  irregular  tooth- 
ed ridge  between  the  eyes,  the  centre  being  impressed,  (fig. 
67,  5  a,  the  head  seen  sideways).  The  pronotum  is  elevated 
into  a  nearly  semicircular  leaf,  produced  into  a  deflexed  point 
before  the  head,  and  extending  considerably  beyond  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  body  behind ;  it  is  very  finely  granulose,  and 
with  slight  irregular  veins ;  its  edge  at  the  posterior  part  is 
finely  serrated,  and  the  posterior  angle  is  notched :  its  lower 
division  is  composed  of  two  leaves,  which  slightly  open  for 
the  reception  of  the  back,  but  in  its  upper  portion  these  two 
leaves  are  soldered  together  into  one  plate.  The  antennce 
(fig.  67,  5  b)  are  short  and  14-jointed,  very  slender,  except 
the  two  basal  joints,  which  are  thickened,  and  the  two  or  three 
terminal  joints,  which  form  a  very  slight  club  :  they  are  con- 
siderably shorter  than  in  Hym.  rhombea.  The  prosternum  is 
produced  like  a  cravat  over  the  hinder  part  of  the  mouth. — 
The  four  anterior  femora  are  dilated  and  scalloped  on  the 
lower  edge,  the  two  posterior  are  much  thicker,  serrated  on 
the  under  side  with  several  larger  blunt  teeth ;  they  are  entire 
on  the  upper  side,  except  near  the  tip,  where  they  are  irregu- 
larly spinose :  the  four  anterior  tibia  are  dilated  at  the  base; 


ON  THE  GENUS   HYMENOTES,  495 

the  posterior  tarsi  are  3-jointed,  the  basal  joint  having,  on 
the  under  side,  the  appearance  of  being  composed  of  three 
joints,  (fig.  67,  5  c). 

The  Rev.  F.  W.  Hope  has  communicated  to  me  a  singular 
Indian  species  belonging  to  the  family  Locustidce,  having  the 
pronotum  elevated  into  a  large  and  compressed  leaf,  but  which 
belongs  to  the  section  containing  the  locust,  the  tarsi  having 
a  large  pulvillus  between  the  ungues,  but  the  prosternum 
has  no  point.  It  is  very  nearly  allied  to  the  Indian  species 
described  by  Serville  under  the  name  of  Chorotypus  fenes- 
trate, but  differs  in  several  particulars.  It  may  be  thus 
characterized. 

Phyllochoreia.  Corpus  valde  compressum.  Fades  (fig.  67,  6  a)  plana 
verticalis,  parte  infera  latiori,  lateribus  angulatis,  supra  oculos  rotundato- 
elevata.  Oculi  magni  laterales.  Antenna  (fig.  67,  6  b)  breves  gracillimae 
14-articulatae,  artieulis  discretis,  2  basalibus  crassis,  terminalibus  paullo 
crassioribus.  Prothorax  in  folium  compressissimum  ultra  dimidium  abdo- 
minis extensum  elevatus,  antice  supra  caput  truncatus,  postice  acutus  et  ex 
apice  ad  basin  pedum  intermediorum  oblique  truncatus.  Alee  ultra  api- 
cem  pronoti  extensae.  Prosternum  inerme.  Pedes  4  antici  simplices,  tar- 
sis  3-articulatis,  articulo  lmo  subtiis  sub-triarticulato ;  pulvillo  magno  inter 
ungues,  (fig.  67,  6  c).     Pedes  2  postici  detereti. 

Species  1. — Phyllochoreia  unicolor.  Tota  pallide  luteo-fusca,  pronoto 
brunnescenti,  linea  teUuissima  nigra  utrinque  inter  oculos  et  mandibu- 
las  ducta. 

Corp.  long.  lin.  13.     Habitat  in  India  orientali.     D.  Whithill.     In 
Musaeo  D.  Hope.     (Fig.  67,  6). 

In  addition  to  the  preceding  insects  there  are  several  others 
belonging  to  the  family  of  the  locusts  (Locustida,  Leach, 
Acridi,  Latr.)  which  have  the  pronotum  elevated  into  leaf- 
like appendages  over  the  back,  but  in  none  is  this  structure 
so  conspicuous  as  in  those  figured  above.  Such  are  the  ge- 
nera Monachidium  of  Serville,  so  named  from  the  cowl-like 
appearance  of  this  appendage,  and  composed  of  Brasilian 
species ;  Teratodes  of  Brulle,  formed  for  the  reception  of  the 
Indian  Gryllus  monticollis  of  Gray,  figured  in  the  English 
translation  of  the  '  Animal  Kingdom, '  pi.  64,  (but  previously 
described  by  Thunberg  under  another  name),  and  to  which 
Serville  also  unites  the  Gryllus  scutatus  of  Stoll ;  and  Derico- 
rys  of  Serville,  the  type  of  which  is  an  Egyptian  species. — 
In  the  neighbouring  family  Gryllidce,  (including  the  grass- 
hoppers with  long  antenna),  the  genus  Hyper liomala  has  the 
hind  part  of  the  pronotum  extended  backwards  entirely  over 
the  wings  and  body,  but  depressed,  with  a  longitudinal  su- 
ture, exactly  like  a  pair  of  elytra. 


496  NOTICE  OF  UNDESCRIBED  FOSSILS 


Art.  IV. — A  Notice  of  some  undescribed  Organic  Remains  which 
have  recently  been  discovered  in  the  London  Clay  Formation.  By 
Nathaniel  Thomas  Wetherell,  Esq.,  F.G.S.,  M.R.C.S.,  &c. 

The  fossil  bodies  represented  in  plates  viii.  and  ix.  of  the 
Supplementary  Illustrations,  were  found  between  Euston 
Square  and  Kilburn,  in  the  excavations  for  the  London  and 
Birmingham  Kail-road.  They  occurred  at  depths  varying 
from  twelve  to  forty  feet;  London  clay  being  exposed  at 
this  place  within  a  few  feet  of  the  vegetable  mould.  When 
I  first  examined  these  fossils,  they  appeared  so  very  different 
from  any  I  had  previously  seen,  that  I  determined  to  lose  no 
time  in  obtaining  as  good  a  series  of  them  as  possible.  There 
exists  among  several  of  my  geological  friends  a  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  their  real  nature ;  some  having  regarded  them 
as  Spongites,  while  others  have  supposed  them  to  be  of  ve- 
getable origin.  For  my  own  part  I  am  quite  doubtful  to  what 
class  they  belong,  and  therefore  prefer  leaving  the  question 
open  to  further  investigation,  before  proposing  any  generic 
name.  The  two  copper  plates  which  accompany  this  notice 
have  been  engraved  by  Mr.  J.  De  C.  Sowerby,  and  I  cannot 
help  observing  that  he  has  delineated  the  figures  very  accu- 
rately. I  will  now  proceed  to  give  some  account  of  a  few  of 
the  specimens,  but  I  must  first  state  that  I  employ  botanical 
terms,  with  the  view  of  making  my  descriptions  more  clearly 
understood. 

One  of  the  specimens  (plate  ix.  fig.  1)  is  leaf-shaped,  flat- 
tened, and  curved  to  one  side ;  width  four  inches  and  three 
quarters,  length  uncertain,  owing  to  the  upper  part  having 
been  broken  off;  thickness  half  an  inch.  The  whole  of  the 
anterior  and  posterior  surfaces  is  studded  with  a  profusion  of 
small  bodies,  for  the  most  part  of  an  oval  form,  and  a  few  of 
them  have  a  furrow  down  the  middle.  In  one  part  these  bo- 
dies are  nearly  cylindrical,  and  so  regularly  placed  in  relation 
to  each  other,  that  they  appear  like  the  lateral  arms  of  a  Pent- 
acrinite. 

Fig.  1  a. — Oviform  bodies  magnified,  some  of  them  show- 
ing the  longitudinal  furrow. 

Fig.  2. — A  fine  portion  of  a  large  stem  dividing  into  four 
branches,  arising  from  which  may  be  distinctly  seen  several 
smaller  ones,  diverging  in  different  directions.  Like  fig.  1 
this  specimen  is  covered  with  the  small  oviform  bodies. 

Fig.  3  is  also  a  fragment  of  a  stem,  with  the  bases  of  two 
branches,  the  upper  one  of  the  size  of  a  goose  quill,  the  low- 
er one  much  smaller.     Besides  having  the  same  kind  of  ovi- 


FROM  THE  LONDON  CLAY.  497 

form  bodies  on  its  surface,  as  are  noticed  in  the  descriptions 
of  the  two  preceding  figures,  several  raised  and  slightly  curved 
lines  pass  perpendicularly  along  the  stem  and  divide  at  inter- 
vals, giving  a  scabrous  appearance  to  that  portion  of  the  sur- 
face where  they  occur. 

Fig.  4  is  a  round  stem,  two  inches  long  and  nearly  half  an 
inch  in  diameter.  On  this  specimen  are  seen  the  rudiments 
of  several  branches,  and  in  some  parts  furrows  or  depressions, 
along  which  the  branches  appear  to  have  passed  after  being 
given  off. 

Plate  viii.  fig.  1. — This  extraordinary  and  beautiful  frag- 
ment is  in  a  fine  state  of  preservation.  It  is  quadrangular, 
nearly  straight,  and  embossed  with  a  number  of  anastomos- 
ing branches,  curiously  built  up  of  small  oviform  bodies.— 
How  much  farther  this  fossil  extended  it  is  impossible  to  say, 
as  the  broken  ends  are  of  the  same  diameter  as  the  middle. 

Fig.  1  a. — A  portion  of  the  above  magnified. 

Fig.  2  represents  a  fragment  with  similar  branches  to  those 
of  the  specimen  in  fig.  1,  ramifying  on  a  thin  partly  cylindri- 
cal portion  of  the  fossil. 

Fig.  3. — In  the  centre  of  this  figure  is  a  slender  round  stem 
divided  into  two  branches,  which  soon  expand  and  become 
flattened ;  the  terminations  have  been  both  broken  off.  At 
the  upper  part  is  seen  a  transverse  section,  showing  the  inter- 
nal structure  of  another  portion.  Tt  is  uncertain  whether  all 
these  parts  belong  to  one  and  the  same  fossil. 

Fig.  4. — This  specimen  is  of  an  oval  shape,  tapering  at  its 
lower  part  into  a  kind  of  leaf-stalk.  From  its  upper  part  on 
the  left  side  two  branches  are  given  off,  and  at  the  top  is 
the  rudiment  of  a  third.  From  the  hardness  of  the  matrix  the 
centre  is  not  well  shown. 

Fig.  5. — This  fossil  is  curved  backwards  and  to  one  side, 
having  a  broad  sulcus  along  the  centre,  which  is  partly  filled 
with  hardened  matrix.  The  inferior  termination  is  rounded, 
and  inclines  rather  forward.  The  surface  is  covered  with 
small  oviform  bodies. 

Fig.  6. — Nearly  flat,  edges  rounded,  and  slightly  raised. — 
On  the  upper  part  of  the  fossil  is  a  projection  on  each  side ; 
from  these  projections  the  edges  above  and  below  slant  in- 
wards. At  the  upper  termination  is  a  small  notch,  the  lower 
one  is  imperfect. 

Fig.  7. — Oval,  length  one  inch,  breadth  three  quarters  of 
an  inch.  The  centre  of  this  fossil  is  shaped  like  a  fan,  owing 
to  a  depression  on  each  side. 

Fig.  8. — Oval,  nearly  flat,  the  surface  thickly  covered  with 

Vol.  III.— No.  34.  3  h 


498  UNDESCRIBED  FOSSILS  FROM  THE  LONDON  CLAY. 

small  oviform  bodies.  The  base  of  this  and  the  two  preced- 
ing specimens  presents  a  rough  appearance,  as  if  it  had  been 
attached  to  a  branch  or  stem. 

Fig.  9. — Leaf-shaped,  flattish,  edges  rounded,  upper  end 
rough,  length  two  inches  and  a  quarter,  breadth  nearly  one 
inch.  Dividing  at  the  basis  into  two  flat  processes,  the  up- 
per one  crossing  obliquely  over  the  under. 

Fig.  10. — This  singular  fossil  is  remarkably  thin.  It  ex- 
pands very  much  at  its  upper  part,  which  is  curved  downward 
and  to  one  side.  On  its  surface  are  a  number  of  small  ribs, 
passing  parallel  to  each  other  but  at  unequal  distances,  curving 
with  the  fossil,  and  meeting  nearly  together  at  the  top.  From 
the  lower  part  on  the  right  side  a  small  branch  is  given  off. 

Fig.  11. — A  flattened  stem  dividing  about  midway  into  two 
or  more  compressed  branches. 

Fig.  12. — View  of  a  polished  transverse  section,  showing 
the  internal  structure. 

Fig.  12  a. — Magnified  view  of  a  portion  of  the  above. 

Fig.  13. — View  of  a  polished  longitudinal  section  of  a  leaf- 
shaped  fossil,  showing  its  internal  structure. 

Fig.  14. — View  of  a  polished  transverse  section.  On  exa- 
mining the  centre  of  this  specimen,  a  magnified  view  of  which 
is  given  at  fig.  14  a,  it  appears  as  if  a  group  of  the  same  kind 
of  oviform  bodies  had  been  cut  through,  which,  in  the  descrip- 
tions of  many  of  the  preceding  figures,  have  so  frequently 
been  noticed  as  occurring  on  the  outer  surface.  This  group 
is  surrounded  with  curved  lines,  similar  to  those  represented 
in  the  section  of  fig.  12. 

Fig.  15— Round,  about  the  size  of  a  goose-quill,  and 
curved  spirally,  terminating  at  its  lower  part  in  four  or  five 
small  rounded  processes.  The  upper  end  has  a  rough  sur- 
face, as  if  it  had  been  broken. 

This  specimen  was  found  near  Kilburn,  by  my  friend  H. 
B.  Burford,  Esq.,  of  Lisson  Grove. 

At  page  17,  vol.  ii.  of  the  4  Proceedings  of  the  Geological 
Society,'  is  a  notice  of  a  paper  by  Mr.  Richardson,  on  the 
coast-section  from  Whitstable  to  the  North  Foreland.  The 
sketch  of  this  paper  which  is  given  in  the  Proceedings  con- 
cludes as  follows. — "A  minute  description  is  given  of  the 
Septaria  which  are  said  to  be  very  numerous,  and  to  have 
the  surface  often  covered  with  small  ramifications,  resembling 
branches  flattened  by  pressure." 

In  this  sketch  no  mention  is  made  of  anastomosing  branch- 
es, nor  is  anything  said  of  the  small  oviform  bodies  which 
have  been  so  constantly  met  with  in  my  specimens.     Again, 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  ECHINODERMATA.  499 

the  branches  which  I  have  found  do  not  merely  ramify  on  the 
surface,  but  also  in  many  instances  pervade  every  part  of  the 
interior  of  the  stone.  Still  I  cannot  help  thinking,  from  their 
being  described  as  "  resembling  branches  flattened  by  pres- 
sure," that  they  will  on  comparison  be  found  allied  to  them  ; 
and  if  so,  another  locality,  many  miles  distant  from  mine, 
must  be  added. 

[t  will  be  observed  that  some  of  the  fossils  are  almost  black. 
This  has  arisen  from  the  use  of  diluted  muriatic  acid  when  I 
first  began  to  clean  them,  which  acted  powerfully  on  the  fos- 
sil as  well  as  the  matrix.  It  is,  however,  necessary  to  notice 
that  in  many  instances  the  fossil  itself  is  of  a  dark  colour. 

I  trust  that  when  the  nature  of  these  remains  is  more  fully 
made  out,  additional  light  will  be  thrown  on  some  of  those 
singular  forms  of  the  flint  which  are  often  discovered  in  the 
chalk  formation,  and  the  origin  of  many  of  which  still  remains 
in  obscurity.  From  several  specimens  of  flint  which  I  have 
examined,  I  am  of  opinion  that  these  curious  fossils  do  actu- 
ally occur  in  this  formation  ;  and  it  appears  the  more  proba- 
ble, from  the  fact  that  several  of  the  same  genera,1  and  at 
least  one  species  of  shell  {Terebratula  strlatula),  are  found 
in  both  strata. 

Highgaie,  May  15,  1839. 


REVIEWS. 

Art.  I. — Monographie  des  Echinodermes.   Par  Lotus  Agassiz.  Neuchatel. 

Livraison  1. 

It  is  with  extreme  satisfaction  that  we  see  Professor  Agassiz 
commencing  the  publication  of  an  illustrated  Monograph 
upon  the  Echinodermata.  The  remarkable  forms  of  the 
Echinites,  and  the  excellent  state  of  preservation  in  which 
the  fossil  species  are  found,  have  always  rendered  them 
objects  of  interest,  and  constantly  attracted  the  notice  of 
naturalists.  Our  own  countryman,  Dr.  Woodward,  in  the 
catalogue  of  his  famous  collection,  was  probably  among  the 
first  who  attempted  their  classification,  which  was  followed 
by  many  of  the  early  writers.  He  adopted  a  twofold  divi- 
sion ; — first,  the  Spatagi,  having  two  openings,  either  both 
at  the  base  of  the  shell,  or  one  at  the  edge  or  centre  of  the 
base,  and  the  other  near  to,  or  in,  the  opposite  margin ;  and 

1  For  example,  the  Nautilus,  Pentacrinite,  Ophiura,  Spatangus,  &c.  I 
have  also  found  in  the  matrix,  in  close  contact  with  my  fossils,  Spirolinites, 
and  a  species  of  Rotalia, 


500  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  ECHINODERMATA. 

secondly,  the  Echini,  possessing  only  one  aperture  at  the 
base.  In  1784,  Klein  published  his  'Dispositio  Naturalis 
Echinodermatum,'  which  added  considerably  to  the  know- 
ledge of  these  fossils.  He  classed  them  according  to  the 
situation  of  the  mouth  and  vent,  a  plan  which  has  been  con- 
tinued, and  in  part  adopted,  in  every  succeeding  arrangement. 
In  dividing  them  into  classes,  sections,  and  genera,  he 
made  use  of  the  following  nomenclature : — 

EMMESOSTOMI.— Mouth  in  the  centre  of  the  base. 

APOMESOSTOMI.— Mouth  out  of  the  centre. 

And  the  further  subdivided  classes  were, — 

Anocysti.     Vent  in  the  upper  part. 
Cidaris,  Clypei. 

Catocysti.    Vent  in  the  under  part. 
Fibula,  Cassides,  Scuta,  Placenta. 

Pleurocysti.    Vent  in  the  side. 


Subsequently  Breyne,  Van  Phelsum,  and  Leske,  assuming 
for  a  groundwork  the  sections  of  Klein,  proposed  a  different 
ent  classification  ; — the  first  reducing  the  genera  to  seven, — 
the  second  forming  them  into  twenty,  —  and  the  last  again 
curtailing  them  to  ten.  Lamarck,  however,  instituted  consi- 
derable alterations;  and  without  overlooking,  as  a  primary 
character,  the  position  of  the  mouth  and  vent,  he  established 
generic  distinctions  from  the  size  and  form  of  the  ambulacra. 
The  following  is  an  outline  of  his  division. 

1.  The  vent  below  the  margin ;  in  the  lower  surface ;  or  in  the  margin 
*  The  mouth  beneath,  always  central. 

Scutella. 

Clypeaster.     ■  Ambulacra  contracted. 

Fibularia. 

EchinoneusA    Ambuhcm  compiete. 

Cralerites.      )  r 

**  The  mouth  beneath,  not  central,  but  approaching  the  margin. 
Ananchites.     Spatanyus. 

2.  The  vent  above  the  margin,  and  consequently  dorsal. 

a.  The  vent  dorsal,  but  approaching  the  margin. 

Cassidulus.     Nucleolites. 

b.  The  anus  dorsal  and  vertical ;  the  shell  regular. 

Echinus.     Cidarites. 

Several  authors  have  since  introduced  various  modifications 


MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  ECH1NODERMATA.  501 

of  Lamarck's  divisions,  and  in  1839  Agassiz  proposed  to  se- 
parate the  Echini  into  three  natural  families — Spatangi,  Cly- 
peastres,  and  Cidarites. 

1.  Spatangi. 

Disaster.  Holaster.  Ananchytes.  Hemipneustes.  Micraster.  Spatan- 
gus.     Amphidetus.     Brissus.     Schizaster. 

2.  Clypeastres. 

Catopygus.  Pygaster.  Galerites.  Discoidea.  Clypeus.  Nucleolites. 
Cassidulus.  Fibularia.  Echinoneus.  Echinolampas.  Clypeaster.  Echi- 
narachnius.     Scutella. 

3.  Cidarites. 

Cidaris.  Diadema.  Astropyga.  Salenia.  Echinometra.  Arbacia. 
Echinus. 

With  more  immediate  reference  to  the  part  before  us,  Mr. 
Gray,  in  the  Zoological  Proceedings  of  1835,  has  suggested 
a  subdivision  of  the  genus  Echinus  into  what  he  considers 
four  natural  genera,  viz., — Arbacia,  Salenia,  Echinus,  and 
Echinometra,  from  a  belief  that  some  of  the  characters  on 
which  the  genus  had  been  founded,  such  as  the  number  of 
the  tesserae  and  the  pores  in  the  ambulacra,  were  discovered 
to  be  inconstant. 

The  genus  Salenia,  as  originally  established  by  Mr.  Gray, 
was  characterized  by  having  the  ambulacral  arese  narrower 
than  the  interambulacral ;  by  having  only  one  large  imperfo- 
rate tubercle  upon  each  coronal  plate,  and  of  which  the  ova- 
rial  and  the  interovarial  plates  (united  together  so  that  they 
cannot  be  easily  separated)  form  a  salient  disk,  traversed  by 
the  anal  apparatus  [appareil),  of  which  the  opening  is  some- 
times central,  sometimes  anterior,  and  sometimes  posterior. 
Agassiz,  however,  finding  differences  in  the  oviductal  appa- 
ratus, has  been  induced  to  raise  the  genus  Salenia  into  a  fa- 
mily consisting  of  four  genera,  according  to  the  modifications 
presented  by  this  apparatus ;  viz.,  Salenia,  properly  so  called, 
Goniopygus,  Peltasies,  and  Goniophorus.  No  recent  species 
are  known,  and  the  fossil  ones  are  entirely  confined  to  the 
cretaceous  series. 

Salenia,  Gray,  Agas. 

Having  a  single  plate  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  oviduc- 
tal apparatus,  called  the  superanal  plate,  and  which,  accord- 
ing to  its  position  opposite  to  the  anal  opening,  renders  the 
anus  always  eccentric,  sometimes  throwing  it  in  front  and 
sometimes  behind.  This  superanal  plate  is  generally  of  the 
same  size  as  the  ovarial  plates,  and  forms  with  them,  as  well 
as  with  the  five  interovarial  plates,  a  circular  disk,  variously 
notched  in  its  contour. 


502  MONOGRAPH  OF  THE  ECHINODERMATA. 

Goniopygvs,  Agas. 

Differs  from  Salenia  in  the  absence  of  the  superanal  plate ; 
and  the  ovarial  plates  are  not  united  throughout  their  length 
to  the  interovarial,  from  which  it  results  that  the  oviductal 
apparatus  constantly  presents  a  decagonal  rosette ;  *  the  in- 
terambulacral  areae  are  much  less  tubercular  than  in  the  other 
genera  of  this  family ;  the  coronal  plates  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  shell  often  bear  only  a  single  large  tubercle ;  a  character 
peculiar  to  this  genus  is  the  absence  of  the  radiating  grooves 
on  the  tubercles  of  the  interambulacral  areae. 

Peltastes,  Agas. 

The  altogether  peculiar  form  of  the  oviductal  apparatus 
(resembling  a  shield)  in  several  species,  has  induced  the  au- 
thor to  raise  them  to  the  dignity  of  a  genus.  The  ovarial  plates 
extend  over  a  considerable  portion  of  the  interambulacral 
areae,  surrounded  on  each  side  by  the  interovarial  plates,  to 
which  they  are  united  throughout  their  whole  length,  so  that 
instead  of  a  star  of  ten  rays,  there  is  only  a  single  pentagonal 
rosette. 

Goniophorus,  Agas. 

This  genus  is  very  closely  allied  to  Salenia,  but  distin- 
guished from  it,  as  well  as  from  the  two  preceding  genera,  by 
the  peculiar  structure  of  the  oviductal  plate,  the  surface  of 
which  is  covered  with  rigid  and  salient  ridges,  which  are  not 
sutures,  the  latter  being  scarcely  visible  to  the  naked  eye ; 
besides  the  interovarial  and  ovarial  plates  there  is  a  large  su- 
peranal plate,  which,  placed  (as  in  Peltastes  and  the  second 
division  of  Salenia)  between  the  anterior  ovarials  and  the 
anal  aperture,  pushes  away  the  latter  backwards ;  the  form 
of  the  whole  apparatus  is  that  of  a  pentagon,  whose  salient 
angles  are  formed  by  the  interovarial  plates. 

The  plates  of  this  the  first  part  are  neatly  executed,  and 
the  more  important  characters  illustrated  by  magnified  views. 
In  calling  the  attention  of  naturalists  to  this  Monograph,  we 
think  but  one  opinion  can  be  entertained  as  to  its  value  in 
relation  to  the  sciences  of  Geology  and  Zoology ;  and  we 
most  sincerely  trust  that  success  will  attend  the  labours  of 
its  author,  whose  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  subject  pe- 
culiarly qualifies  him  for  undertaking  the  elucidation  of  one 
of  the  most  interesting  groups  in  the  whole  animal  kingdom. 

1  One  of  the  principal  characters  of  Goniopygus  appears  to  he  the  central 
anal  opening,  which  is  sometimes  circular,  sometimes  angular,  according 
to  the  species. 


ELEMENTS  OF  BRITISH  ENTOMOLOGY.  503 


Art.  II. — Elements  of  British  Entomology  ;  containing  a  General  Intro- 
duction to  the  Science,  a  Systematic  Description  of  all  the  Genera,  and  a 
List  of  all  the  Species,  of  British  Insects,  with  a  History  of  their  Trans- 
formations, Habits,  Economy,  and  Distribution,  with  outline  figures  of  the 
Families,  and  their Larvce  and  Pupce,  an  explanation  of  the  technical  terms, 
and  full  directions  for  collecting.  By  W.  E.  Shuckard,  Libr.  R.  S.,  Au- 
thor of  the  "  Essay  on  the  Fossorial  Hymenoptera."  Part  I.  illustrated 
with  50  wood-cuts.     London:  Bailliere.     1839.     8vo.  pp.  240. 

M.  Macquart,  in  the  introduction  to  his  new  work  upon  ex- 
otic Dlptera,  speaks  of  the  recent  progress  which  Entomology 
has  made  in  this  country  as  most  singular.  "  En  Angleterre" 
says  he,  "  TEntomologie  a  pris  un  essor  tres-remarquable, 
graces  aux  travaux  si  connues  de  Kirby,"  &c;  and  the  work 
whose  lengthy  title  is  given  above  will,  when  completed,  add 
considerably  to  the  grounds  for  the  eulogium  of  the  French 
dipterologist. 

The  present  first  part  commences  with  the  technical  de- 
scription of  the  order  Coleoptera,  leaving  the  general  intro- 
duction to  the  science,  including  the  primary  distribution  of 
the  insect  tribes,  for  a  future  number.  As  the  paging  of  the 
present  number  commences  with  1,  we  would  suggest  that 
the  promised  introduction  should  be  paged  in  a  different  type, 
so  as  to  allow  of  its  being  placed  at  the  commencement  of  the 
volume,  its  legitimate  situation,  rather  than  at  the  end. 

Three  pages  are  devoted  to  the  general  sketch  of  the  order 
of  beetles,  in  which  the  author  states  his  conviction  "  that  the 
advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  tarsal  system,  in  its  gene- 
ral application,  by  facilitating  a  familiarity  with  the  order, 
much  more  than  counterbalance  the  inconvenience  of  regard- 
ing as  exceptions  to  the  rule,  those  genera  which  do  not  har- 
monize with  it,  but  which  their  affinities  will  not  allow  to  be 
displaced."  He  accordingly  adopts  the  four  primary  divisions 
of  Latreille,  for  which  he  retains  the  names  Pentamera, 
Heteromera,  Tetramera,  and  Trimera,  notwithstanding  the 
acknowledged  incorrectness  of  the  two  latter  names,  and  the 
alterations  suggested  by  some  recent  authors  for  their  correc- 
tion. 

As  some  variations  are  suggested  in  the  arrangement  of  the 
families  and  subfamilies  of  the  Pentamera,  it  may  be  useful 
to  give  the  following  sketch  of  the  distribution  which  is  here 
proposed.  The  Pentamerous  beetles,  or  those  which  have 
five  joints  in  each  of  their  six  tarsi,  are  divided  into  five  sub- 
divisions, namely,  the  Adephagi,  Brachelytra,  Helocera, 
Petalocera,  and  Prionocera.  The  first  four  of  these  five  di- 
visions, constituting  the  first  of  the  four  divisions  of  the  first 
order  (Coleoptera),  entirely  occupy  the  present  part. 


504  ELEMENTS  OF  BRITISH  ENTOMOLOGY. 

The  first  subdivision,  Adephagi,  forms  two  tribes,  the  Ge- 
odephaga  and  the  Hydradephaga ;  the  first  of  these  consists 
of  two  races,  1st,  the  Eupterina  (comprising  the  single  family 
Cicindelidce),  and  2nd,  the  Euti'echina  (given  as  the  nomen- 
clature of  Kirby  and  Spence1),  composed  of  six  families, 
Brachinidce,  Scaritidae,  Harpalidce  (divided  into  six  minor 
groups,  Harpalinii  Pcecilini,  Amarini,  Anchomenini,  Trichi- 
ni,  and  Licinini),  Carabidce,  Elaphridce,  and  Bembidiidce. — 
The  Hydradephaga  in  like  manner  consist  of  two  races,  1st, 
the  Eunechina,  composed  of  the  single  family  Dytiscidce,  di- 
vided, after  Erichson,  into  two  subfamilies,  Haliplites  (com- 
posed of  two  groups,  Haliplini  Erichs.,  and  Pelobini,  Erichs.), 
and  Dytiscites  (formed  of  three  groups,  Hydroporini,  Er., 
Colymbetini,  Er.,  and  Dytiscini,  Er.),  and  2nd,  the  Gy rone- 
china,  composed  of  the  single  family  Gyrinus. 

The  second  subdivision,  Brachelytra,  comprises  seven 
families,  Omalida,  Oxytelida,  Stenidce,  Staphylinidai ,  Ta- 
chinida,  Aleocharidce,  Pselaphidce. 

The  third  subdivision,  Helocera,  comprises  three  tribes; 
1,  Clavicornes,  composed  of  the  fourteen  families,  Scydmceni- 
d<e,  Agathidiidae,  Scaphidiida,  Cholevidae,  Sphceritidce,  Ne- 
crophoridcB  (given  as  that  of  Shuckard,  but  first  proposed  by 
Kirby,  in  the  i  Fauna  Boreali-Americana'),  Silphidce,  Nitidu- 
lidce,  Engidce,  Dermestidce,  Byrrhidm,  Heteroceridce,  Parni- 
d<B  and  Elmidae ;  2nd,  the  Palpicornes,  composed  of  four 
families,  Spercheida,  Helophorida,  Hydrophilida,  and  Sphce- 
ridiidce;  3rd,  the  Fracticornes,  consisting  of  the  single  family 
Histerida. 

The  fourth  subdivision,  Petalocera,  is  composed  of  two 
tribes ;  1st,  the  Pectinicomes  (or  family  Lucanidce),  and  2nd, 
the  Lamellicornes,  forming  two  races,  Saprophaga,  consisting 
of  the  four  families,  Geotrupidce,  Scarabaeidce,  Aphodiid<By 
and  Trogida ;  2nd,  the  Thalerophaga,  composed  of  two  fa- 
milies, Melolonthidce  and  Cetoniidce. 

In  placing  the  Brachelytra  immediately  after  the  aquatic 
beetles,  a  situation  not  assigned  to  them  by  English  writers, 
our  author  has  followed  the  views  of  Latreille,  and  Kirby  (in 
the  i  Fauna  Boreali-Americana').  He  has,  however,  given 
no  reasons  for  such  an  opinion,  and  he  even  objects  (p.  118) 
to  the  affinity  suggested  by  Dr.  Heer  between  the  larvae  of 
the  Staphylini  and  Dytisci.  Of  all  the  recent  arrangements 
relative  to  the  location  of  the  Brachelytra,  that  suggested  by 

1  Kirby  and  Spence  (Introd.  to  Entomol.  vol.  iv.  p.  392)  employ  the  name 
Eupodina  for  the  whole  of  the  Linnaean  Carabi ;  Mr.  Kirby,  in  the  Fauna 
Boreali-Americana,  uses  the  word  Eutrecha  for  part  only  of  the  Linnaean 
Carabi.    These  authors  have  not  employed  the  name  Eutrechina. 


ELEMENTS  OF  BRITISH  ENTOMOLOGY.  505 

Dr.  Erichson  appears  to  us  the  most  natural,  namely,  its  im- 
mediate connexion  with  the  Silphidce.  Mr.  Shuckard  also 
strongly  objects  to  the  introduction  of  the  Gyrinidce  amongst 
the  Hydradephagous  Adepkagi,  advancing  various  reasons 
against  their  relation,  such  as  the  possession  of  four  eyes,  the 
different  position  of  the  legs,  and  structure  of  those  limbs,  the 
great  dissimilarity  in  their  trophi  and  antennce,  and  to  crown 
all,  the  total  dissimilarity  in  their  larva,  &c.  Notwithstand- 
ing these  strong  peculiarities,  we  cannot  however  but  consider 
that  the  Gyrinidce.  are  properly  located  amongst  the  Adeplia- 
ga,  the  activity  of  their  motions  and  their  strong  powers  of 
voracity,  eminently  qualifying  them  for  such  a  relation,  and 
far  outweighing,  in  our  opinion,  structural  variations  of  minor 
import. 

We  are  glad  to  find  the  great  mass  of  the  clavicorn  beetles, 
including  the  Xylophaga,  continued  en  masse,  contrary  to 
Latreille's  plan  of  separating  the  latter  from  the  more  evident- 
ly Pentamerous  clavicorns.  The  situation  of  the  SpliGeridiida 
at  the  end  of  the  palpicorn  aquatic  beetles,  succeeded  by  the 
Histeridce,  and  these  by  the  Lucanidce,  is  very  natural,  al- 
though these  various  relations  had  been  pointed  out  by  pre- 
ceding writers. 

The  great  value  of  the  work  however  consists  in  the  cha- 
racters of  the  genera,  of  which  three  hundred  and  thirty-two 
are  described  in  this  first  part,  (being  about  half  of  the  order 
of  beetles) ;  indeed  it  would  have  been  more  correct  to  have 
styled  the  work  a  systematic  description  of  the  genera  of  Brit- 
ish insects,  rather  than  to  have  designated  it  by  its  present 
more  comprehensive  title-page.  Each  genus,  on  an  average, 
occupies  about  half  a  page ;  the  characters  being  about  as 
long  as  (and  often  very  similar  to)  those  of  Stephens'  Illus- 
trations : ■  in  like  manner  also  the  genera  in  each  family  are 
tabularized,  the  table  being  however  in  English  instead  of 
Latin.  The  derivation  of  generic  names  is  also  given,  a  very 
advantageous  plan  pursued  by  Brulle  and  others,  and  which 
serves  in  a  much  more  certain  manner  to  fix  a  long  series  of 
names  in  the  memory,  than  when  given  without  any  such  de- 
finition. Under  each  genus  are  given  short  details  of  the 
natural  history  of  such  of  the  species  as  may  have  been  no- 
ticed, but  it  may  be  readily  conceived  how  many  genera  there 
are  which  are  destitute  of  any  such  observations,  and  of  which 
the  mere  existence  of  the  few  cabinet  species  is  all  that  is 
known  of  the  genus ;  hence  the  superiority  of  the  plan  pur- 

1  Compare  for  instance  the  characters  of  Medon  in  p.  104,  with  those  given 
by  Stephens,  Mand.  vol.  v.  p.  273. 
Vol.  III.— No.  34.  n.  s.  3  i 


506  ELEMENTS  OF  BRITISH  ENTOMOLOGY. 

sued  by  Mr.  Stephens  and  others,  of  giving  these  details  of 
natural  history  under  the  family  rather  than  under  the  gene- 
ra. The  account  of  each  genus  is  terminated  by  a  list  of  the 
names  of  the  species  belonging  to  it,  but  not  a  single  species 
is  described,  so  that  the  student  has  no  means  of  identifying 
a  single  insect. 

Owing  to  the  indefatigable  researches  of  our  late  writers, 
Curtis  and  Stephens,  and  the  still  more  recent  generic  Synop- 
sis of  Westwood,  much  novelty  was  not  to  be  expected  in  the 
list  of  genera,  a  few  have  however  been  added1,  not  indicated 
by  the  writers  above  mentioned ;  they  are  as  follows,  namely, 
Pelecyphorus,  Nordmann,  (allied  to  Ocypus  and  Goerius,7- 
type  Staphylinus picipes,  Gyll.3);  Ocalea,  Erichs.,  (allied  to 
Bolitochara,  type  Ocal.  castanea);  Cryptarcha,  Shk.,  (sepa- 
rated from  Strongylus,  types  Str.  strigata  and  imperialis) ; 
Pithyophagus,  Shk.,  (separated  from  Ips,  type  Ips  ferrugi- 
nea) ;  and  Pediacus,  Shk.,  (separated  from  Cucujus,  from 
which  we  think  it  is  improperly  far  removed,  type  Cue.  der- 
mesto'ides).  In  addition  to  these  novelties,  there  are  various 
remarks  scattered  through  the  book  deserving  of  notice,  and 
proving  a  careful  spirit  of  observation ;  as  for  instance  in  the 
arrangement  of  the  genera  of  Brachinidae,  the  observation  on 
the  rank  of  Cychrus,  (we  cannot  however  agree  that  this  ge- 
nus, although  so  strikingly  characterized,  is  to  be  considered 
as  equivalent  to  the  entire  family  Cicindelidce,  comprising  as 
it  does  such  diverse  forms  as  Colliuris,  Cicindela  and  Man- 
ticora) ;  the  remarks  on  the  anomalous  Dytici  with  double- 
formed  females,  the  author  being  of  opinion  that  there  must 
be  a  recondite  character  not  yet  discovered,  whereby  the 
males  [of  the  smooth  and  furrowed  backed  females]  may  be 
separated,  thus  confirming  Mr.  Kirby's  genus  Leionotus  for 
the  smooth-backed  females;  an  observation  with  which  we 
cannot  coincide;  the  remarks  on  the  specific  names  of  Goerius 
olens,  Bolitobius  lunulatus,  Lomechusa  emarginata  (which 
must  be  rejected  from  the  British  Fauna) ;  &c. 

1  Some  additional  genera  as  well  as  species  might  have  been  added,  had 
the  author  consulted  other  recent  periodical  works,  as  for  instance  the  'Bul- 
letin' of  the  Moscow  Natural-History  Society,  wherein  Chandoir  published 
a  new  distribution  of  part  of  the  Harpalida,  or  the  '  Naturalist,'  in  which 
Mr.  Rylands  has  described  some  new  British  species  of  Amara. 

2  In  a  note  to  this  genus  is  a  sweeping  condemnation  of  "  modern  ento- 
mologists" for  adopting  the  learning  of  MoufFet  without  acknowledgment; 
the  author  might  have  made  one  exception  at  least,  by  referring  to  the  In- 
trod.  to  Mod.  Classif.  of  Insects,  p.  163. 

3  In  introducing  this,  and  some  other  interesting  insects  to  which  we 
might  allude,  it  would  at  least  have  been  satisfactory  to  have  mentioned 
their  locality,  time  of  capture,  &c. 


BRITISH  COLEOPTERA  DELINEATED.  507 

The  work  is  carefully  printed ;  the  outline  woodcuts  are 
chiefly  copied  from  Panzer,  and  are  by  no  means  satisfactory ; 
and  more  than  half  of  the  families  are  not  illustrated  by  figures 
of  their  preparatory  states.  The  work  is  announced  to  be 
completed  in  three  parts,  but  the  genera  alone,  on  the  plan 
here  pursued,  will  occupy  at  least  five  such  parts  as  the  pre- 
sent, independently  of  the  other  portions  of  the  work  proposed 
to  be  given  in  the  the  title-page. 


Art.  III. — British  Coleoptera  Delineated ;  consisting  of  Figures  of  all  the 
Genera  of  British  Beetles.  Drawn  in  outline  by  W.  Spry,  M.E.S. — 
Edited  by  W.  Shuckard,  Lib.  R.  S.,  author  of  "  Essay  on  the  Fossorial 
Hymenoptera,"  and  the  "  Elements  of  British  Entomology." 

The  prospectus  of  this  useful  work  correctly  observes,  that 
"  whilst  the  most  elaborate  description  must  fail  to  convey  a 
distinct  idea  of  the  great  variety  that  occur[s]  in  the  forms  of 
the  genera  of  Coleoptera,  neither  can  the  best  drawing  give 
the  requisite  detail  of  all  particulars ;  hence  the  pen  and 
pencil  must  lend  each  other  mutual  help.  With  this  object 
therefore  in  view,  and  with  a  wish  to  supply  the  deficiency  of 
one  of  these  desiderata,  the  present  work,  consisting  of  out- 
line figures  of  the  whole  series  of  the  genera  of  British  bee- 
tles has  been  commenced."  These  figures  are  exceedingly 
characteristic,  six  or  eight  being  placed  upon  each  plate,  con- 
veying a  very  satisfactory  notion  of  the  forms  of  the  genera 
intended  to  be  represented ;  in  fact  we  know  of  no  figures 
which  surpass  them  in  this  respect,  except  those  of  Mr. 
Haliday  published  in  the  '  Entomological  Magazine.'  The 
pencil  has  done  its  part  well  and  laboriously — the  pen  has 
contributed  descriptions,  not  of  the  genera,  but  of  the  species 
represented.  If  the  work  be  intended  as  a  supplement  to  the 
' Elements  of  British  Entomology,'  it  answers  its  purpose 
completely;  if  not,  then  descriptions,  or  at  least,  descrip- 
tive tables,  of  the  genera,  ought  to  bave  been  added.  And  we 
would  strongly  recommend  Mr.  Spry,  who  has  evidently  taken 
so  great  a  share  of  the  labour  of  the  work,  to  have  a  second 
set  of  text  printed,  in  which  the  pen  may  so  lend  its  help  to 
the  pencil,  that  both  the  desiderata  above  mentioned  may  be 
obtained,  and  the  work  rendered  what  it  deserves  to  be,  inde- 
pendent of  any  other,  and  not  as  it  now  is,  a  mere  supplement 
to  other  works. 

The  work  appears  in  parts,  each  containing  six  plates  il- 
lustrating nearly  fifty  genera.  The  plates  appear  irregularly, 
and  amongst  the  Xylophaga  we  find  the  Lyctus  nitidns,  Gyll. 


508  PROF.  EHRENBERG  ON  THE  INFUSORIA. 

(a  species  not  hitherto  recorded  as  British)  introduced,  and 
formed  into  a  separate  genus  named  Teredus. 


Art.  IV. — Die  Infusions  thierchen,  als  vollkommene  Organismen;  ein  Blick 
in  das  tie/ere  organische  Leben  der  Natur.  Nebst  einem  Atlas  von  64  col. 
Kupfertafeln,  gezeichnet  von  Verfasser.  Von  Prof.  Eh  re  n  berg.  Royal 
folio.     Verlag  von  Ludw.  Voss,  Leipzig.1 

This  work,  which  may  truly  be  looked  upon  as  marking  an 
epoch  in  Natural  History,  contains  on  133  printed  sheets  the 
results  which  the  most  skilful  and  successful  observer  with 
the  microscope  has  obtained  during  many  years  of  laborious 
and  persevering  research,  in  different  parts  of  the  globe.  It 
may  be  said  that  the  microscope  has  become,  in  the  hands  of 
Prof.  Ehrenberg,  a  means  of  information  not  less  important 
than  the  telescope  has  been,  and  still  is,  in  those  of  the  Her- 
schels.  And  as  Sir  John  Herschel  did  not  restrict  his  inqui- 
ry to  our  hemisphere,  so  has  Prof.  Ehrenberg  studied  the 
minute  organic  productions  of  nature  in  distant  parts;  in 
Afiica  and  Arabia  (1820),  and  in  the  North  of  Asia  (1829), 
thus  arriving  at  important  conclusions  as  to  the  geographical 
distribution  of  the  animalcula.  Any  one,  besides,  who  is  at 
all  familiar  with  the  discoveries  made  in  this  branch  of  sci- 
ence during  the  last  twenty  years,  must  be  sufficiently  con- 
vinced that  the  work,  whose  title  is  given  above,  is  not  the 
production  of  some  fortunate  combination  of  circumstances, 
but  the  slowly-matured  fruit  of  steady  and  deep  inquiry. — 
Thus  the  author  has  succeeded  in  establishing  two  great  na- 
tural laws,  which  may  have  been  anticipated  by  some,  but 
which  have  never  been  proved  before.  1.  That  the  animal 
organization  is  perfect,  in  all  its  principal  systems,  to  the 
extreme  limit  of  vision  assisted  by  the  most  powerful  micro- 
scopes ;  and,  2.  TJiat  the  microscopic  animalcula  exercise  a 
very  great  and  direct  influence  on  inorganic  nature. 

One  of  the  inferences  drawn  from  the  first  law  is  the  great 
improbability  of  these  animalcula,  as  well  as  organic  bodies 
in  general,  being  ever  produced  by  spontaneous  generation. 

In  the  Infusoria  themselves  Prof.  Ehrenberg  has  either 
confirmed  or  first  established  a  considerable  number  of  very 
curious  qualities  and  relations,  which  are  highly  interesting 
in  a  physiological  and  other  points  of  view,  the  most  impor- 
tant of  which  we  briefly  enumerate. 

1  The  Infusoria  (microscopic  animalcula)  as  perfect  Organisms;  a  glance 
into  the  deeper  organic  life  of  Nature.  With  an  Atlas  of  64  coloured  plates 
after  drawings  executed  by  the  author,  &c. 


PROF.  EHRENBERG  ON  THE  INFUSORIA.  509 

1.  Most  (probably  all)  microscopic  animalcula  are  highly 
organized  animals.  2.  They  form,  according  to  their  struc- 
ture, two  well-defined  classes.  3.  Their  geographical  distri- 
bution in  four  of  the  parts  of  the  world  follows  the  same  laws 
as  that  of  other  animals.  4.  They  cause  extensive  volumes 
of  water  to  be  coloured  in  different  ways,  and  occasion  a  pe- 
culiar phosphorescence  of  the  sea  by  the  light  they  develope. 
5.  They  form  a  peculiar  sort  of  living  earth ;  and  as  41,000 
millions  of  them  are  often  within  the  volume  of  one  cubic  inch, 
the  absolute  number  of  these  animalcula  is  certainly  greater 
than  that  of  all  other  living  creatures  taken  together ;  the  ag- 
gregate volume  is  even  likely  to  be  in  favour  of  the  animal- 
cula. 6.  They  possess  the  greatest  power  of  generation  known 
within  the  range  of  organic  nature ;  one  individual  being  able 
to  procreate  many  millions  within  a  few  hours' time.  7.  The 
animalcula  form  indestructible  earths,  stones,  and  rocks,  by 
means  of  their  siliceous  testa ;  with  an  admixture  of  lime  or 
soda  they  may  serve  to  prepare  glass  ;  they  may  be  used  for 
making  floating  bricks,  which  were  previously  known  to  the 
ancients ;  they  serve  as  flints,  as  tripoli,  as  ochre,  for  manur- 
ing land,  and  for  eating,  in  the  shape  of  mountain  meal,  which 
fills  the  stomach  with  a  harmless  stay.  They  are  sometimes 
injurious  by  killing  fish  in  ponds,  in  making  clear  water  tur- 
bid, and  in  creating  miasma ;  but  that  they  give  rise  to  the 
plague,  cholera  morbus,  and  other  pestilential  diseases,  has 
never  been  shown  in  a  credible  manner.  8.  As  far  as  obser- 
vation goes  the  animalcula  never  sleep.  9.  They  exist  as 
Entozoa  in  men  and  animals,  the  Spermatozoa  not  being  taken 
into  consideration  here.  10.  They  themselves  are  infested 
with  lice  as  well  as  Entozoa,  and  on  the  former,  again,  other 
parasites  have  been  observed.  11.  They  are,  in  general,  af- 
fected by  external  agents,  much  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
larger  organic  beings.  12.  The  microscopic  animalcula  be- 
ing extremely  light,  they  are  elevated  by  the  weakest  currents, 
and  often  carried  into  the  atmosphere.  13.  Those  observers 
who  think  they  have  seen  how  these  minute  creatures  sud- 
denly spring  from  inert  matter,  have  altogether  overlooked 
their  complicated  structure.  14.  It  has  been  found  possible 
to  refer  to  certain  limits  or  organic  laws,  the  wonderful  and 
constant  changes  of  form  which  some  of  these  animalcula 
present.  15.  That  the  organism  of  these  animalcula  is  com- 
paratively powerful,  is  evinced  by  the  strength  of  their  teeth 
and  of  their  apparatus  for  mastication ;  they  are  also  posses- 
sed of  the  same  mental  faculties  as  other  animals.  16.  The 
observation  of  these  microscopic  beings  has  led  to  a  more 
precise  definition  of  what  constitutes  an  animal,  as  distinct 


510  DEATH  OF  DR.  SMITH. — BRITISH  ASSOCIATION. 

from  plants,  in  making  us  better  acquainted  with  the  systems 
of  which  the  latter  are  destitute. —  W.  W. —  Weimar. 


THE 

MAGAZINE  OF  NATUKAL  HISTORY. 
October,  1839. 

Amongst  the  Short  Communications  in  our  present  Number,  will  be 
found  some  brief  particulars  relating  to  the  death  of  Dr.  William  Smith, 
whose  sudden  decease  took  place,  on  the  28th  of  August  last,  whilst  vi- 
siting at  the  house  of  George  Baker,  Esq.,  the  author  of  the  well-known 
work  on  the  History  and  Antiquities  of  Northamptonshire.  Having  but 
a  short  time  since  seen  this  acknowledged  founder  of  the  English  school 
of  Geology,  in  the  apparent  enjoyment  of  the  most  robust  health,  and  in 
the  possession  of  bodily  and  mental  powers  that  rendered  him  still  fresh 
and  eager  for  employment  in  the  field  of  scientific  research,  it  was  with 
no  small  share  of  painful  surprise,  that  we  received  intelligence  of  the 
melancholy  event. 

The  attention  of  our  readers  has  been  so  lately  drawn  to  his  history, 
in  the  biographical  sketch  of  his  life  and  writings  which  appeared  in  this 
Journal  a  few  months  since,  from  the  pen  of  Professor  Phillips,  and  the 
great  geological  importance  of  his  early  observations  is  so  universally 
admitted,  that  it  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  extend  our  tribute  of  respect 
to  his  memory,  beyond  a  passing  allusion  to  his  decease.  We  cannot, 
however,  refrain  from  expressing  the  high  gratification  which  we  feel 
that  it  should  have  been  in  our  power  to  give  publicity  to  so  faithful  a 
representation  of  the  ■  Father  of  English  Geology,'  as  the  admirable 
likeness  which  accompanied  the  above-mentioned  Memoir. 

The  columns  of  the  'Athenaeum  '  have  on  this,  as  on  former  occasions, 
for  several  weeks  been  principally  occupied  with  reports  of  the  Proceed- 
ings transacted  during  the  late  assembling  of  the  British  Association  ; 
and  though  the  Birmingham  meeting,  from  peculiar  circumstances,  had 
its  proportion  of  attending  members  reduced,  there  appears  to  have  been 
a  very  fair  supply  of  communications  brought  under  the  consideration 
of  the  different  sections.  In  the  Natural  History  department  we  observe 
that  Messrs.  Forbes  and  Goodsir  furnished  a  joint  account  of  a  visit  paid 
by  those  gentlemen  to  the  islands  of  Shetland  and  Orkney,  during  which 
they  appear  to  have  made  some  particularly  interesting  additions  to  our 
marine  invertebrate  Fauna,  in  the  discovery  of  a  very  large  Tubularia, 


BRITISH   ASSOCIATION.  511 

referrible  to  a  new  genus,  and  many  undescribed  species  of  Holothuria, 
Eolida,  <Scc.  Mr.  Lyell  made  some  observations  upon  the  marsupial  and 
quadrumanous  remains  from  the  London  clay  near  Woodbridge,  and 
mentioned  the  discovery  of  some  teeth  belonging  to  the  larger  Carnivora 
in  the  red  crag  of  the  same  neighbourhood;  —  a  tertiary  deposit  in 
which  traces  of  terrestrial  mammals  had  not  previously  been  recorded. — 
Some  little  doubt  appears  to  have  existed  in  the  mind  of  Mr.  Lyell,  as  to 
the  contemporaneous  deposition  of  the  red  crag  and  the  stratum  from 
which  the  mammiferous  teeth  were  taken,  the  possibility  of  their  hav- 
ing been  subsequently  introduced  through  fissures  in  the  quarry  be- 
ing suggested.  This  part  of  the  crag  has  been  so  extensively  explored 
without  any  traces  of  land  animals  being  observed,  that  the  question 
is  one  which  should  be  examined  with  extreme  caution ;  as,  however,  the 
remains  of  quadrupeds  occur  abundantly  in  the  mammaliferous  crag,  and 
occasionally,  as  it  now  appears,  in  the  London  clay  of  the  same  neigh- 
bourhood, we  may  anticipate  that  sooner  or  later  indications  of  their 
existence  will  be  found  in  the  whole  of  the  tertiary  rocks  which  occupy 
that  district. 

Professor  Schonbren  of  Basle  informed  the  Geological  Section  that 
Agassiz  had  just  commenced  the  publication  of  a  supplement  to  his 
'  Poissons  Fossiles',  which  he  had  dedicated  to  the  British  Association, 
as  an  acknowledgement  of  his  gratitude  for  the  assistance  afforded  him 
by  that  body.  This  announcement  completely  nullifies  the  proposition 
not  very  shrewdly,  as  we  think,  put  forward  by  Agassiz  in  his  late  vindi- 
catory epistle,  wherein  he  intimates  his  perfect  willingness  that  cheap 
fac  similes  of  his  plates  should  be  published  in  England,  as  the  com- 
pletion of  his  own  work,  and  the  removal  of  the  drawings  from  the  litho- 
graphic stones,  would  render  such  a  proceeding  beneficial  to  science, 
without  being  injurious  to  his  own  interest.  The  'Poissons  Fossiles* 
and  the  '  Mineral  Conchology,'  from  their  nature,  are  necessarily  con- 
tinuous publications,  unless  a  want  of  means  or  inclination  on  the  part 
of  their  respective  authors  to  carry  them  forward,  puts  a  temporary  or 
final  interruption  to  their  progress.1 

Among  the  recommendations  resolved  upon  by  the  Association,  we 
notice  one  from  the  Geological  section,  recommending,  "  that  application 


1  The  attempt  to  obtain  a  sale  in  this  country  of  the  French  edition  of 
the  •  Mineral  Conchology,'  has  been  a  total  failure.  We  learn  from 
M.  Agassiz's  Agent,  that  only  one  copy  has  been  disposed  of,  and  that 
to  the  author  of  the  original  work ! 


512  sir  james  Alexander's 

should  be  made  to  the  trustees  of  the  British  Museum,  to  have  the  shells 
in  that  institution  so  arranged  as  to  facilitate  comparison  of  the  actually 
existing  shells,  with  fossil  remains  and  impressions  in  rocks."  From  the 
manner  in  which  this  recommendation  is  worded  in  the  Athenaeum  Re- 
port, its  precise  meaning  is  not  clearly  apparent.  The  systematic  arrange- 
ment and  naming  of  the  collection  of  British  testacea  in  the  national 
collection,  would  he  of  the  most  essential  aid  to  the  geological  inquirer, 
and,  as  this  has  been  a  consummation  long  and  most  ardently  hoped  for, 
but  as  yet  in  vain,  we  understand  the  above  recommendation  as  a  round- 
about but  ingeniously  delicate  way  of  attempting  to  get  so  important  an 
object  effected. 

We  see  with  pleasure  in  the  leading  article  of  the  Athenaeum,  a  few 
brief  but  well-timed  observations  on  the  abuse  directed  by  the  Times 
newspaper  against  the  British  Association  as  a  scientific  body.  That  the 
attack  in  question  has  originated  in  the  grossest  ignorance  on  the  part  of 
its  promulgators,  of  the  constitution  and  real  objects  of  the  Association, 
there  can  be  little  doubt ;  and  the  regret  with  which  we  must  confess 
we  have  seen  the  course  pursued  by  the  latter  journal,  has  arisen  more 
from  witnessing  such  a  prostitution  of  the  talent  and  extensive  influence 
which  it  commands,  than  from  the  apprehension  of  any  injurious  effect 
being  produced  in  the  quarter  against  which  its  hostility  has  been  pointed. 

Sir  James  Alexander  has  paid  us  the  same  compliment  with  which,  on 
a  late  and  somewhat  similar  occasion,  he  favoured  the  editor  of  the  Athe- 
naeum, having  written  us  a  letter  expressive  of  his  displeasure  at  our  late 
review  of  his  exploring  expedition.1  He  has  the  incivility  to  style  our 
very  handsome  notice  of  his  original  discoveries,  "  a  disparaging  critique 
upon  those  portions  of  his  narrative  which  relate  to  Natural  History." — 
We  are  sorry  to  find  that  we  did  not  give  the  narrative  that  attentive  pe- 
rusal which  was  certainly  incumbent  upon  us  in  our  editorial  capacity, 
for  it  appears  that  had  we  done  this,  we  might  have  seen  that  Sir  James 
"  repeatedly  entered  the  waters  of  the  Orange,  and  wandered  along  its 
banks,  in  spite  of  the  dread  Leviathan  and  hairy  monsters."  Further- 
more, Sir  James  tells  us,  "  He  [the  reviewer]  strangely  concludes  that 
because  my  attendant  fled  from  the  attack  of  a  five-feet  high  baboon,  I 
must  also  have  had  a  salutary  dread  of  these  animals.  I  never  was  at- 
tacked by  a  baboon,  and  never  fled  from  one." 


1  The  letter  is  given  verbatim  on  the  wrapper. 


AFRICAN  DISCOVERIES.  513 

The  positive  assurance  in  Sir  James  Alexander's  own  hand-writing, 
that  he  never  did  fly  from  a  baboon  while  on  his  African  expedition  of 
discovery,  is  so  completely  satisfactory,  that  it  was  altogether  unnecessary 
to  render  it  doubly  so,  by  connecting  it  with  the  circumstance  of  his  not 
having  been  attached  by  one.  In  truth,  we  must  candidly  admit,  that 
our  first  impression  was  too  hastily  formed,  for  although  Sir  James,  up- 
on the  strength  of  facts  of  which  he  was  immediately  cognisant,  states 
that  these  baboons  murder  travellers  by  biting  them  to  death  in  the  neck, 
and  that  they  are  more  to  be  dreaded  than  the  poisoned  arrows  of  the 
Boschmen,  our  assumption  nevertheless,  that  he  had  a  salutary  dread  of 
these  monsters,  cannot  be  supported  by  a  course  of  legitimate  induction, 
although  in  these  times  of  liberal  criticism  we  think  the  inference  to 
that  effect  will  not  be  regarded  as  very  far-fetched. 

Sir  James  goes  on  to  observe, — "Again  he  sneers  at  my  assertion  that 
when  the  rhinoceros  is  quietly  pursuing  his  way  among  the  mimosa-bush- 
es, his  horns  strike  against  each  other.  It  appeared  to  me  they  did  so, 
— the  natives  confirmed  this, — and  will  your  reviewer  maintain  that  both 
horns  are  so  firmly  fixed  in  the  bone  of  the  head  that  they  cannot  touch 
each  other  at  any  period  of  their  growth,  and  when  the  skin  of  the  rhi- 
noceros is  not  stiffened  with  passion  ? "  We  cannot  help  feeling  that 
this  is  rather  a  delicate  subject  to  handle,  because  it  involves  the  personal 
observation  of  Sir  James;  from  the  specimens  however  of  the  two-horned 
rhinoceros  which  have  come  under  our  own  notice,  we  should  certainly 
have  inferred  that  if  the  animal  were  quietly  moving  amongst  the  mimo- 
sa-bushes, a  clapping  noise  would  not  be  produced  by  the  horns  striking 
together,  but  the  individuals  examined  by  us  unfortunately  happen,  in  all 
cases,  to  have  had  the  skin  stiffened,  and  though  not  exactly  from  the 
same  cause  as  that  alluded  to  by  Sir  James,  yet,  as  it  appears  that  this 
condition  is  opposed  to  the  above  phenomenon  going  forward,  it  would 
not  be  fair,  upon  such  data,  to  throw  any  doubt  upon  Sir  James  Alex- 
ander's statement,  backed  by  that  of  the  natives.  We  do  not,  however, 
think  much  importance  should  be  attached  to  the  latter  circumstance, 
for  had  it  appeared  to  our  traveller  during  his  African  peregrinations,  that 
the  side  of  the  moon  which  illumines  that  portion  of  the  earth  presented 
an  aspect  very  much  resembling  green  cheese,  it  is  more  than  probable 
that  the  natives  would  have  coincided  in  this  opinion,  had  Sir  James  con- 
sulted them  upon  the  subject.  To  have  differed  from  him  indeed,  would 
have  been  equivalent  to  calling  in  question  his  powers  of  correct  discri- 
mination, and  this  would  have  been  tantamount  to  calling  in  question 
the  discrimination  of  the  Geographical  Society,  in  deputing  Sir  James 
to  be  their  representative. 

Vol.  III.— No.  34.  n.  s.  3  k 


514        sir  james  Alexander's  African  discoveries. 

The  most  important  part  of  the  communication  with  which  we  have  been 
honoured,  is  an  intimation  from  Sir  James  (somewhat  obscurely  worded), 
that  he  deems  it  necessary  to  give  some  public  proof  of  his  courage,  for 
which  purpose  he  demands  the  name  of  the  anonymous  Reviewer.  With 
that  true  nobleness,  and  delicacy  of  feeling,  which  ought  to  be  an  inva- 
riable attribute  of  knighthood,  Sir  James  scorns  to  take  advantage  of 
the  Editor's  name  being  openly  placed  on  the  wrapper  of  the  journal 
containing  the  offensive  critique,  and  recollecting  the  motto,  '  Palmam 
qui  meruit  ferat, '  his  indignation  is  solely  directed  towards  the  said 
anonymous  personage.  We  must,  however,  tell  Sir  James  Alexander, 
that  in  this  matter  we  deem  him  to  be  altogether  at  fault.  It  will  rea- 
dily be  supposed  that  we  feel  a  proper  sort  of  editorial  affection  for  our  es- 
tablishment of  reviewers,  and  that  we  do  not  hand  them  over  to  the  tender 
mercies  of  knight-errants  and  rhinoceros-shooters,  without  just  and  rea- 
sonable cause  should  arise  to  warrant  our  so  doing.  Now,  throughout 
the  article  complained  of,  not  the  most  distant  suspicion  is  mooted  of  any 
want  of  courage  on  the  part  of  Sir  James  as  it  respects  the  genus  Homo; 
the  "  salutary  dread  "  attributed  to  him,  was  of  a  race  of  gigantic  Quad- 
rumana,  and  which  he  expressly  tells  us  are  infinitely  more  to  be  feared 
than  the  most  savage  of  our  own  species.  We  therefore  dispute  altoge- 
ther the  validity  of  the  grounds  upon  which  Sir  James  would  found  his 
challenge,  since  it  is  clear  that  no  possible  object  would  be  gained  if  he 
had  the  satisfaction  of  tickling'  our  reviewer  with  one  of  his  ■  hard  and 
heavy  bullets,'  for  the  imputation,  as  it  respects  the  baboons,  would  re- 
main precisely  as  it  now  stands. 

If  Sir  James  be  in  real  earnest  about  setting  himself  right  with  the 
public  upon  this  point,  the  obvious  course  under  the  circumstances  is  for 
him  to  despatch  his  attendant,  Robert,  with  proper  assistance,  to  the 
Orange  River,  for  the  purpose  of  capturing  and  bringing  alive  to  this 
country,  one  of  the  I  hairy  monsters.'  Sir  James  may  then,  in  single 
combat,  have  an  opportunity  of  publicly  displaying  his  prowess,  and  in 
the  event  of  his  success,  we  should  recommend  him  to  add  the  skin  of 
his  vanquished  opponent  to  the  collection  of  Quadrumana  in  the  nation- 
al Museum,  or  that  of  the  Zoological  Society. 

We  have  every  reason  for  believing  that  in  the  event  of  the  Geogra- 
phical Society  again  availing  themselves  of  Sir  James  Alexander's  ser- 
vices to  superintend  another  African  expedition  of  discovery,  that  he  will 
receive  special  instructions  to  make  mention  in  his  narrative  of  nothing 
that  he  may  hear,  and  only  half  of  what  he  may  see ;  and  we  can  assure 
him  that  a  volume  coming  before  us,  written  under  these  circumstances, 
would  not  give  rise  to  a  disparaging  critique  in  the  Magazine  of  Natural 
History. 


DEATH  OF  DR.  SMITH.  515 


SHORT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

Extract  of  a  Letter  from  George  Baker,  Esq.  referring  to 
the  death  of  Dr.  William  Smith. — "My  sister  and  I  had 
long  looked  forward  with  pleasure  to  attending  the  meeting 
of  the  British  Association  at  Birmingham; — we  had  antici 
pated  finding  many  of  our  distant  friends  there, — and  what 
added  still  more  to  our  promised  enjoyment,  Dr.  Smith  wrote 
to  say  he  would  come  and  geologize  in  our  neighbourhood 
with  us  for  a  few  days,  on  his  way  to  Birmingham. 

"  He  came  to  us  from  London  on  the  Tuesday  before  the 
meeting  He  seemed  slightly  indisposed  with  a  cold,  but  we 
drove  about  thirty  miles  the  next  day  in  a  direction  suggested 
by  himself,  to  examine  a  point  of  doubtful  stratification.  On 
Thursday  he  walked  with  us  nearly  two  miles,  to  see  some 
fossil  bones.  On  Friday  a  bilious  diarrhoea  came  on,  and 
much  against  his  inclination  I  consulted  my  friend  Dr.  Ro- 
bertson, who  hoped  he  would  be  sufficiently  well  to  accom- 
pany us  to  Birmingham  on  Monday.  He  went  a  short  drive 
with  us  that  evening,  and  even  on  Monday  morning,  the  attack 
having  subsided,  we  thought  he  would  be  able  to  go  with  us 
by  the  rail-road ;  but  when  he  came  down  stairs  (for  he  had 
not  been  confined  to  his  bed)  he  was  evidently  too  weak  to 
bear  the  journey,  and  we  began  to  be  alarmed.  I  went  im- 
mediately to  Birmingham  for  his  nephew,  Professor  Phillips, 
and  returned  with  him  early  the  next  morning,  when  the  Doc- 
tor appeared  so  comfortable,  and  gave  us  such  a  circumstan- 
tial and  connected  account  of  his  movements,  and  the  geolo- 
gical observations  he  had  made  during  his  visits  since  the 
Oxford  agricultural  meeting,  that  Professor  Phillips  thought 
we  were  needlessly  alarmed,  and  that  he  might  venture  to  re- 
turn to  Birmingham  in  the  afternoon.  But  when  we  went  up 
again  after  breakfast,  an  evident  and  rapid  change  had  taken 
place ;  he  was  in  a  state  of  drowsy  torpor,  from  which  (al- 
though, if  roused,  he  answered  questions  rationally  to  the  last) 
he  never  rallied.  The  powers  of  nature  were  exhausted,  and 
he  kept  gradually  (or  rather  rapidly)  sinking  till  the  following 
night  (Wednesday),  when  he  breathed  his  last  without  a  sigh 
or  a  groan.  From  the  first  moment  of  his  attack  he  suffered 
no  pain,  and  his  constant  reply  to  every  inquiry  if  he  felt  any 
pain,  was  "  None  at  all."  The  comparative  suddenness  of  his 
death  was  a  great  shock  to  us,  and  it  seems  even  now  like  a 
dream.  May  we  realise  it  by  attending  to  its  awful  warning, 
"  be  ye  also  ready." 

*  He  often  expressed  a  wish  that  as  his  geological  research- 


51 G  MIGRATION  OF  DRAGON-FLIES 

es  began,  so  they  might  end  with,  and  his  bones  rest  on,  the 
oolite ;  and  it  is  rather  remarkable  that  this  wish  is  realised 
in  our  church-yard  (St.  Peter's),  where  the  Professor  and  I 
followed  his  remains  on  the  Monday  after  his  decease1'. — 
(Addressed  to  the  Editor,  and  dated  Northampton,  Sept.  23, 
1839). 

Great  Migration  of  Dragon-flies  observed  in  Germany. — 
On  the  30th  and  31st  of  last  May  immense  cloud-like  swarms 
of  dragon-flies  passed  in  rapid  succession  over  the  town  of 
Weimar  and  its  neighbourhood.  The  general  direction  of  the 
migration  was  from  South  by  West  to  North  by  East.  The 
migration  had  been  likewise  observed  in  all  the  villages  situ- 
ated a  few  miles  to  the  east  or  west.  The  insects  arrived  in 
a  vigorous  state,  some  of  the  flocks  flying  as  high  as  150  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  river  Ilm,  and  striking  against  the  win- 
dows of  a  house  situated  on  an  eminence ;  others  passing* 
through  the  streets.  The  specimens  caught  there  were  those 
of  Libellula  depressa,  at  least,  all  that  I  have  seen  were  of 
that  species. 

Being  anxious  to  ascertain  the  range  of  this  migration,  I 
tried  to  collect  every  possible  information  from  various  pa- 
pers, but  all  I  could  learn  from  that  source  was,  that  cloud- 
like swarms  of  dragon-flies  had  been  seen  at  Gottingen  on 
the  1st  of  June,  at  Eisenach  on  the  30th  and  31st  of  May 
(flying  from  East  to  West),  and  at  Calais  on  the  14th  of  June, 
on  their  way  towards  the  Netherlands.  Those  seen  at  Eis- 
enach were  likewise  Libellula  depressa ;  those  observed  at 
Calais  appeared  to  belong  to  a  different  species,  as  they  were 
described  as  being  thick,  and  about  3  inches  long. 

Being  rather  disappointed  in  my  expectation  of  finding 
news  from  many  quarters  respecting  the  same  phenomenon, 
I  endeavoured  to  procure  more  information  by  means  of  a 
public  advertisement;  whereby  I  learned  that  the  swarms  of 
dragon-flies  had  been  seen  about  the  same  time  as  they  were 
here,  in  the  neighbourhoods  of  Leipzig,  Alsleben,  Aschersle- 
ben,  and  Halle.  The  information  which  Dr.  Buhle,  the  in- 
spector of  the  Zoological  Museum  of  Halle,  had  the  kindness 
to  impart,  was  particularly  valuable.  The  specimens  caught 
at  that  place  belong  to  Libellula  qiiadrimaculata.  The  first 
swarms  arrived  there  in  the  afternoon  of  the  30th  of  May,  a 
short  time  before  a  thunder-storm. 1  They  flew  very  rapidly 
from  South  to  North.  On  the  31st  of  May  similar  flocks  fol- 
lowed their  predecessors  in  the  same  direction ;  most  of  them 

1 1  see  from  my  meteorological  journal  that  we  had  a  thunder-storm  here 
hoth  on  the  30th  and  the  31st  of  May,  and  two  on  the  1st  of  June. 


OBSERVED  IN  GERMANY.  517 

passed  at  the  height  of  7  or  8  feet,  catching  insects  as  they 
flew  on.  On  June  1st  and  2nd,  straggling  parties  of  five  or 
six  were  observed,  always  keeping  the  same  direction-.  With- 
in a  league  to  the  east  of  Halle  these  swarms  were  everywhere 
observed.  To  the  west  the  whole  valley  was  inundated  by 
the  river  Saale.  Libellula  quadrimaculata  is  rather  scarce 
at  other  times  about  Halle,  as  Lib.  depressa  is  about  Weimar. 

As  far  as  the  information  which  I  have  been  able  to  collect 
goes,  this  migration  has  extended  from  the  51st  to  the  52nd 
degree  of  latitude,  and  has  been  observed  within  27°  40'  and 
30°  east  of  Ferro.  But  the  instance  of  Calais  renders  it  pro- 
bable that  it  has  extended  over  a  great  part  of  Europe,  wher- 
ever the  same  meteorological  circumstances  have  prevailed. 

Several  of  the  larger  species  of  Libellula  do  occasionally 
migrate,  but  the  phenomenon  is  of  rare  occurrence,  and  the 
circumstances  which  bring  about  such  an  uncommonly  nu- 
merous development  of  the  perfect  insect  must  be  very  peculiar. 

The  last  migration  of  dragon-flies  (before  that  commemo- 
rated in  this  article)  which  was  observed  at  Weimar,  took 
place  on  the  28th  of  June,  1816.  The  insects  in  that  instance 
also  belonged  to  the  same  species — Libellula  depressa.  They 
were  then,  as  recently,  taken  for  locusts  by  the  common  peo- 
ple, and  the  superstitious  saw  in  them  the  harbingers  of  fa- 
mine and  war. 

The  year  1816  was  extremely  wet,  and  1817  equally  so, 
but  it  appears  that  the  dragon-flies  did  not  migrate  that  year. 
Though  such  migrations  must  be  very  destructive  to  the  spe- 
cies, yet  this  cannot  be  the  reason  why  the  phenomenon  was 
not  observed  in  1817,  as  the  Libellula  require  more  than  one 
year  to  become  perfect  insects.  The  difference  of  the  dates 
of  the  30th  and  31st  of  May,  1839,  and  the  28th  of  June,  1816, 
is  also  remarkable  ;  but  I  cannot  account  for  it,  as  I  am  de- 
ficient in  regular  observations  upon  the  weather  during  the 
spring  months  of  1816  :  it  proves,  however,  how  greatly  the 
time  of  their  development  differs  in  different  seasons. 

As  to  the  great  multiplication  of  these  insects  about  the  end 
of  May  in  the  present  year,  it  is  by  no  means  mysterious. — 
From  the  beginning  of  that  month  to  the  21st,  the  weather 
had  been  exceedingly  rainy ;  rivers  and  lakes  overflowed  and 
spread  their  inundation  over  immense  areas  of  low  grounds, 
whereby  myriads  of  the  pupa l  of  the  Libellula  which,  under 
other  circumstances,  would  have  remained  in  deep  water,  and 
become  the  prey  of  their  many  enemies,  were  brought  into 
shallow  water,  and  the  hot  weather  from  May  21st  to  May 

1  Or  larvce  in  the  stage  answering  to  that  of  the  chrysalis. 


ol8  EXISTENCE  OF  THE  TOAD  WITHOUT  FOOD. 

29th,  converted  these  shallows  into  true  hot-beds.  The  nu- 
merous thunder-storms  (at  Weimar  there  were  four)  during 
that  week  must  have  greatly  encouraged  their  rapid  develop- 
ment into  perfect  insects,  and  so  those  clouds  of  winged  in- 
sects rose  almost  at  once  from  the  temporary  swamps,  and 
were  immediately  obliged  to  migrate  in  order  to  satisfy  their 
appetite,  as  these  species  are  very  voracious. 

In  these  migrations  they  follow  the  direction  of  the  rivers, 
and  they  appear  always  to  fly  with  the  current,  to  whatever 
quarter  the  river  may  flow,  near  which  they  happen  to  be, 
although  they  do  not  keep  close  by  it,  as  they  must  spread 
over  wide  districts  in  order  to  subsist.  If  with  the  directions 
above  mentioned  we  compare  the  following  statements,  I  think 
my  opinion  will  be  found  sufficiently  established.  Near  Wei- 
mar the  river  Ilm  begins  to  flow  from  south-west  to  north-east 
after  having  flowed  from  the  north ;  near  Halle  the  Saale 
flows  due  northwards ;  near  Eisenach  the  Nesse  follows  a 
westerly  direction  towards  the  Werra. —  W.  Weissenborn. — 
Weimar,  Aug.  27,  1839. 

Existence  of  the  Toad  without  Food. — In  the  Mag.  Nat. 
Hist.  vol.  ix  p.  316,  we  have  an  account  of  a  toad  that  was 
immured,  by  way  of  experiment,  in  a  block  of  stone,  for  the 
space  of  thirty-eight  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period  was 
found  alive. 

On  the  10th  of  September,  183(3,  I  had  a  living  toad  put 
into  the  ground  at  a  depth  of  three  feet  from  the  surface,  in  a 
bed  of  flinty  gravel ;  a  flower-pot  reversed  was  placed  over 
it,  to  prevent  the  toad  from  being  crushed  by  the  pressure  of 
the  earth  above.  The  hole  was  then  filled  up  and  the  surface 
cropped,  the  spot  selected  being  a  garden. 

The  pit  was  reopened  on  the  29th  of  last  August,  after  hav- 
ing been  closed  for  three  years  all  but  ten  days  ;  and  the  toad 
was  found  alive,  and  used  all  its  exertions  to  crawl  away  as 
soon  as  the  flower-pot  was  removed.  It  was  not  a  full-grown 
animal  when  taken,  neither  did  it  appear  to  have  increased  in 
size  during  its  incarceration,  its  legs  and  thighs  indeed  were 
very  slender,  compared  with  the  limbs  of  toads  generally ; 
but  this  difference  probably  arose  from  the  disuse  of  those 
limbs  during  confinement. 

I  have  very  good  reason  to  think  that  the  animal  would 
have  survived  after  its  long  imprisonment,  had  it  not  been 
most  injudiciously  placed  in  the  sun  for  three  days,  in  a  south- 
ern aspect,  after  it  was  taken  out  of  the  ground,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  gratifying  the  curiosity  of  any  one  who  might  wish 
to  see  it. — John  Brown. — Stanuay,  Sept.  12,  1839. 


CAPTURE  OF  AN  IMMENSE  SAW- FISH.  519 

Capture  of  an  immense  Saw-Jish  at  Trinidad. — Being  in 
the  Gulf  of  Paria  in  the  ship's  cutter,  on  the  15th  of  April, 
1839,  T  fell  in  with  a  Spanish  canoe,  manned  by  two  men, 
then  in  great  distress,  who  requested  me  to  save  their  lives 
and  canoe,  with  which  request  I  immediately  complied ;  and 
going  alongside  for  that  purpose,  I  discovered  that  they  had 
got  a  large  saw-fish  entangled  in  their  turtle-net,  which  was 
towing  them  out  to  sea,  and  but  for  my  assistance  they  must 
have  lost  either  their  canoe  or  their  net,  or  perhaps  both,  which 
were  their  only  means  of  subsistence.  Having  only  two  boys 
with  me  in  the  boat  at  the  time,  I  desired  them  to  cut  the 
fish  away,  which  they  refused  to  do  ;  I  then  took  the  bight  of 
the  net  from  them,  and  with  the  joint  endeavours  of  themselves 
and  my  boat's  crew,  we  succeeded  in  hauling  up  the  net,  and 
to  our  astonishment,  after  great  exertions,  we  raised  the  saw 
of  the  fish  about  eight  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  sea.  It 
was  a  fortunate  circumstance  that  the  fish  came  up  with  the 
belly  towards  the  boat,  or  it  would  have  cut  the  boat  in  two. 

I  had  abandoned  all  idea  of  taking  the  fish,  until,  by  great 
good  luck,  it  made  towards  the  land,  when  T  made  another  at- 
tempt, and  having  about  fifty  fathom  of  2-|  inch  rope  in  the 
boat,  we  succeeded  in  making  a  running  bowline  knot  round 
the  saw  of  the  fish,  and  this  we  fortunately  made  fast  on  shore, 
at  Point-a-Pierre  :  when  the  fish  found  itself  secured  it  plun- 
ged so  violently  that  I  could  not  prevail  on  any  one  to  go  near 
it,  the  appearance  it  presented  was  truly  awful.  I  immedi- 
ately went  alongside  the  'Lima'  packet,  Capt.  Singleton,  and 
got  the  assistance  of  all  his  ship's  crew,  (mine  being  away  for 
sugar).  By  the  time  they  arrived  the  fish  was  rather  less  vi- 
olent ;  we  hauled  upon  the  net  again,  in  which  it  was  still 
entangled,  and  got  another  fifty  fathoms  of  line  made  fast  to 
the  saw,  and  attempted  to  haul  it  towards  the  shore,  but  al- 
though mustering  thirty  hands,  we  could  not  move  it  an  inch. 
By  this  time  the  negroes  belonging  to  Mr.  Dan  glad's  estate 
came  flocking  to  our  assistance,  making,  together  with  the 
Spaniards,  about  one  hundred  in  number ;  we  then  hauled  on 
both  ropes  for  nearly  the  whole  of  the  day,  before  the  fish  be- 
came exhausted.  On  landing  it  on  the  beach  we  found,  to 
our  great  surprise,  that  it  was  considerably  longer  than  the 
cutter,  which  measured  17  feet.  On  endeavouring  to  raise 
the  fish  it  became  most  desperate,  sweeping  with  its  saw  from 
side  to  side,  so  that  we  were  compelled  to  get  strong  guy  ropes 
to  prevent  it  from  cutting  us  to  pieces.  After  that  one  of  the 
Spaniards  got  on  its  back,  and  at  great  risk  cut  through  the 
joint  of  the  tail,  when  animation  was  completely  suspended : 
it  was  then  measured,  and  found  to  be  22  feet  long  and  8  feet 


5*20  EASTERN  COUNTIES'  RAILWAY. 

broad,  and  weighed  nearly  5  tons.  The  liver  filled  a  beef- 
tierce,  and  on  opening  the  body  we  found  several  eggs,  the 
size  of  18-lb.  carronade  shot;  these  the  negroes  craved  as  a 
great  luxury.  The  only  part  which  I  retained  was  the  head, 
which  I  cut  off  below  the  lower  jaw ;  it  is  now  in  a  fine  state 
of  preservation,  and  the  largest,  I  should  say,  in  the  world. ■ 
Wm.  K.  J.  Wilson ,  Commander ',  Halifax  Packet. — Lombard 
St.  Chambers,  Ylth  Sept.  1839. 

Cuttings  of  the  Eastern  Counties'1  Railway,  at  Stratford, 
Essex. — The  eastern  counties'  railway  passes  near  to  the 
church,  where  there  is  a  deep  cutting,  and  on  the  east  side  of 
the  bridge,  on  the  road  to  Laytonstone,  is  a  stratum  of  gravel 
ten  feet  thick,  containing  chiefly  chalk  flints.  Below  the 
gravel  is  a  bed  of  sand,  two  feet  in  thickness. 

There  is  a  second  bridge  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
to  the  east  of  the  first,  and  at  this  second  bridge,  and  on  the 
east  side  of  it,  in  September,  1838,  when  the  sections  were 
fresh,  the  strata  were  to  be  seen  more  fully  developed,  being 
there  sixteen  feet  deep.  The  upper  stratum  is  the  gravel,  be- 
low which  is  a  yellow  and  greenish  sand,  and  lowrer  still  is  a 
mixture  of  sand  and  blue  clay,  being  together  the  upper  part 
of  the  London  clay  formation. 

In  the  bed  of  sand  were  many  shells,  most  of  them  crushed 
and  in  fragments,  and  in  some  places  in  great  abundance. — 
Occasionally  the  sand  was  consolidated  into  sandstone,  and 
in  the  pieces  of  sandstone  the  shells  were  well  preserved,  and 
many  very  perfect  specimens  were  obtained.  Immediately 
under  the  sand  is  a  mixture  of  sand  and  blue  clay,  in  which 
are  masses  of  shells,  some  crushed,  others  entire. 

In  some  places  the  bed  of  crushed  shells  was  two  feet  thick, 
in  others,  not  six  inches.  There  were  also  pieces  of  blueish 
sandy  limestone,  in  which  were  masses  of  shells,  and  sharks' 
teeth  were  also  found. 

The  shells  are  recognized  to  be,  Rostellaria  Sowerbii,  Na- 
tica  glancinoides,  Ostrea  Bellovacina,  Pectunculus  breviros- 
tris,  Citherea  Morrisii,  Cardium  Plumsteadianum,  Melania 
inquinata,  and  a  Tellina.  The  Ostrea  Bellovacina  is  the 
same  as  Ostrea  pulchra,  also  called  Ostrea  variabilis.  This 
shell,  as  well  as  the  Cardium  Plumsteadianum  and  Melania 
inquinata  is  found  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  in  the 
Blackheath  district.  The  London  clay  at  Stratford  is  about 
200  feet  deep. — James  Mitchell. — June,  1839. 

1  The  head  is  now  being  prepared  in  London  for  the  Wisheach  Museum. 


THE  MAGAZINE 

OF 

NATURAL  HISTORY 


NOVEMBER,   1839. 


Art.  I. — On  the  Genus  Argonauta.    By  M.  Rang.1 

It  will,  perhaps,  be  thought  extraordinary  that  after  all  the 
learned  dissertations  which  have  been  published  upon  the 
poulp  of  the  argonaut,  and  especially  after  the  lucid  and 
convincing  memoir  which  M.  de  Blainville  has  just  inserted 
in  the  third  number  of  the  '  French  and  Foreign  Annals  of 
Anatomy  and  Physiology,'  we  should  yet  undertake  to  treat 
anew  upon  this  subject,  having,  besides,  nothing  very  novel 
or  important  to  advance. 

We  thought  however,  after  the  reading  of  the  memoir  re- 
ferred to,  that  we  ought  to  bring  forward  the  note  which  gave 
rise  to  it,  and  of  which  M.  de  Blainville  had  been  able  to 
reproduce  only  a  few  sentences.  Besides  which  the  memoir 
itself  gives  us  occasion  to  offer  some  remarks,  as  much  with 
a  view  to  rectify  certain  facts  which  concern  ourselves,  as  to 
state  our  opinion  as  observers  of  some  others. 

This  is  therefore,  in  a  few  words,  the  history  of  the  note  in 
question,  of  M.  de  Blainville's  memoir,  and  of  the  present 
article. 

Finding  ourselves  at  Algiers,  where  the  poulps  and  shells 
of  the  argonaut  are  sometimes  to  be  met  with  even  in  the 
middle  of  the  harbour  and  along  the  quays,  we  were  able  to 
study  at  our  ease  this  curious  animal,  and  to  see  whether,  by 
thus  studying,  we  could  obtain  thence  such  data  as  would 
confirm  or  weaken  the  widely  diverging  opinions  which  men 

1  Translated  from  an  article  in  Guerin's  Magasin  de  Zoologie,  entitled 
"  Documents  pour  servir  a  l'histoire  naturelle  des  Cephalopodes  crypto- 
dibranches,  par  M.  Rang." 

Vol.  III.— No.  35.  n.  s.  3  l 


522  M.  SANDER  RANG 

of  great  merit  have  put  forth  on  this  subject.  We  were  for- 
tunate enough  to  notice  some  new  facts,  and  our  first  impres- 
sion was,  we  confess,  that  our  discoveries  were  perhaps 
favorable  to  the  opinion  that  this  cephalopod  does  not  para- 
sitically  occupy  the  shell  in  which  it  resides  ;  we  proposed 
on  our  return  to  France,  to  present  these  as  simple  facts  re- 
sulting from  our  own  observations,  but  without  adding  any 
reasoning,  or  drawing  from  them  any  exact  inferences,  to  the 
one  among  our  zoologists  who  has  most  especially  devoted 
his  attention  to  this  matter,  and  who  has  for  a  long  period, 
and  almost  singly,  maintained  his  opinion  with  a  power  of 
conviction,  which  on  the  part  of  so  learned  and  enlightened 
a  man  is  very  likely  at  least  to  suspend  the  judgment  of 
others. 

We  had  an  interview  with  M.  de  Blainville,  and  he  was 
struck  with  our  remarks ;  he  consented  to  lay  a  note  from  us 
before  the  Institute ;  and  was  desirous  that  he  should 
himself,  together  with  M.  Dumeril,  be  charged  with  the 
office  of  reporting  upon  our  observations. 

M.  de  Blainville  had  then  in  his  hands  the  interesting  ob- 
servations which  Madame  Power  had  just  made  upon  the 
argonaut,  and  which  had  conducted  us  to  new  discoveries ; 
he  had  besides  a  crowd  of  documents  on  the  same  subject, 
and  we  consider  ourselves  happy  to  have  been  the  means  of 
inducing  on  his  part,  the  publication  of  a  memoir  which 
throws  so  much  light  upon  the  subject  it  treats  of,  and  which 
has  at  the  same  time  the  advantage,  if  not  of  deciding  the 
question,  at  least  of  settling  more  precisely  the  opinion  and 
the  arguments  of  that  naturalist;  as  well  as  of  awakening  and 
stimulating  anew  the  ardour  of  travellers,  who  alone  can  fur- 
nish the  means  to  solve  this  zoological  problem  of  nearly  two 
thousand  years. 

The  report  of  M.  de  Blainville  was  read  by  him  to  the 
Academy  of  Science,  at  the  sitting  of  April  24,  1837,  and 
printed  immediately  in  the  next  number  of  the  '  Comptes- 
rendus'  and  in  many  metropolitan  journals,  which  were  eager 
to  give  at  least  some  extracts  from  it. 

M.  de  Blainville  did  not  confine  himself  to  this  ;  for  hav- 
ing added  this  report  to  fresh  dissertations  on  the  same  sub- 
ject, he  formed  it  into  the  memoir,  or  rather  the  letter  of  which 
we  speak  here,  and  which  is  to  be  found  in  the  third  number 
of  the  i  Annales  Francaises  et  Etrangeres  d'Anatomie  et  de 
Physiologic' 

Note. —  Upon  the  poitlp  of  the  argonaut.  Sent  to  the  Aca- 
demy of  Sciences. — Madame  Power,  a  French  lady  living  at 
Messina,  has  just  communicated  to  us  the  experiment  she 


ON  THE  ARGONAUT.  523 

lias  made  upon  thepoulp  of  the  argonaut,  by  means  of  which 
she  has  ascertained  that  this  mollusc  repairs  the  fractures 
which  may  happen  to  its  shell.  Being  ourselves  then  at 
Algiers,  where  these  animals  sometimes  abound,  we  wished 
to  try  the  experiment,  and  in  order  to  accomplish  it  repeated 
step  by  step  the  mode  of  procedure  which  had  been  so  fa- 
vourable to  that  lady's  observations. 

We  had  also  another  end  in  view,  that  of  doing  justice,  if, 
as  we  believed,  there  was  occasion  to  do  so,  to  all  those  mar- 
vellous things,  which,  since  the  time  of  Aristotle,  so  many 
naturalists  have  so  complaisantly  repeated,  concerning  the 
navigation  with  sail  and  oar,  of  this  mollusc. 

To  arrive  at  a  conviction  of  the  incorrectness  of  these  re- 
citals, we  had  but  one  means  to  employ,  which  was  to  find 
out  the  true  use  of  the  very  dilatable  elliptic  lobes  borne  by 
two  of  the  arms  of  the  poulp,  and  which  naturalists  had  so 
picturesquely  considered  as  the  sailing  apparatus  of  this  new 
species  of  navigator;  a  point  which  no  one  that  we  are 
aware  of  has  yet  thought  of  studying,  although  many  profess 
to  have  seen  the  mollusc  in  a  living  state ;  and  which  never- 
theless, if  once  well  ascertained,  may  be  of  great  weight  in 
the  decision  of  the  question  still  pending,  as  to  whether  the 
poulp  holds  its  property  in  the  shell  by  right  of  birth  or  by 
right  of  conquest. 

We  shall  first  remark  that  we  succeeded  completely  in  a 
repetition  of  Madame  Power's  experiment.  A  fracture  in  one 
of  these  shells,  the  animal  of  which  lived  six  days  in  our 
basin,  was  found  repaired  and  completely  closed ;  but  not- 
withstanding our  inclination  to  adopt  the  poulp  with  palma- 
ted  arms  as  the  true  constructor  of  the  argonaut,  we  could  not, 
like  that  lady,  consider  the  experiment  as  conclusive,  in  a 
discussion  which  is  supported  on  all  sides  by  so  many  facts 
and  objections,  and  in  which  investigations  have  gone  so  far 
without  being  able  to  settle  the  question  entirely.  In  fact 
the  renovated  part  is  but  a  thin  transparent  plate,  a  mere  dia- 
phragm which  has  neither  the  texture,  solidity,  nor  white- 
ness of  the  rest  of  the  shell,  and  taking  an  irregular  form  as 
if  it  had  not  been  produced  by  the  same  means  and  the  same 
organs ;  in  a  word  it  reminds  us  exactly  of  what  happens 
among  snails  when  the  shell  is  broken  ;  and  we  know  that  in 
that  case,  the  collier l  of  the  animal  which  alone  has  produced 
the  shell,  does  not  assist  in  the  work  of  reparation. 

However  this  may  be,  the  fact  of  which  Madame  Power 
has  apprised  us  is  new,  and  an  interesting  circumstance  in 

1  Collier' — the  thickened  and  glandular  margin  of  the  mantle. — Ed. 


524  M.  SANDER  RANG 

the  history  of  the  poulp  of  the  argonaut ;  and  the  manner  in 
which  the  experiment  has  been  conducted  denotes,  on  her 
part,  great  accuracy  of  observation,  and  a  laudable  zeal  for 
the  progress  of  science. 

We  now  proceed  to  the  second  remark  we  have  to  make, 
and  which  concerns  the  use  of  the  elliptic  lobes  of  two  of  the 
arms  of  the  poulp.  We  have  watched  many  of  these  animals 
in  their  shells,  some  at  liberty  in  the  sea,  which  we  followed 
by  coasting  along  near  them  in  a  rowing  boat ;  others,  as  we 
have  already  said,  in  a  basin,  where  they  enjoyed  a  seeming 
liberty ;  and  after  all  we  must  confess  that  we  have  seen  no- 
thing in  the  habits  and  manoeuvres  of  these  animals  which 
resembled  the  things  that  have  been  related  of  them; — positive 
fables  which  have  been  preserved  by  some  authors  merely 
through  their  love  of  the  marvellous,  or  their  too  great  confi- 
dence in  the  observations  of  the  ancient  naturalists. 

We  have  on  the  other  handmade  the  following  discoveries. 
In  the  first  place  we  remarked  that  many  authors  have  wrongly 
represented  the  poulp  in  the  shell,  placing  the  palmated  arms 
in  front,  that  is  to  say,  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  opening  ; 
we  find  even  in  the  beautiful  plates  of  a  recent  work  of  M.M. 
Ferrussac  and  d'Orbigny,  a  figure  in  which  the  animal  is 
turned  one  way,  whilst  in  the  remainder  of  the  plates  it  is 
turned  another.  If  it  were  true  that  the  mollusc  is  sometimes 
situated  one  way  and  sometimes  another,  we  might  take  ad- 
vantage of  this  circumstance  to  strengthen  the  opinion  of 
those  who  maintain  the  poulp  to  be  a  parasite ;  but  as  among 
the  great  number  of  specimens  we  have  studied,  not  one  has 
presented  to  us  an  anomaly  of  this  kind,  we  can  cite  this  fact 
in  support  of  the  contrary  opinion,  for  it  naturally  leads  us 
to  suppose  that  the  position  of  the  mollusc  in  its  protecting 
covering,  is  not  an  accidental  circumstance,  but  rather  the 
consequence  of  their  mutual  identity,  and  of  an  absolute  ne- 
cessity. 

The  two  palmated  arms  are  always  behind,  that  is  to  say 
they  lie  near  the  retreating  spire  ;  and  we  consider  that  part 
of  the  poulp  which  terminates  in  front  as  being  ventral,  and 
the  opposite  part,  which  includes  the  bag  and  the  opening 
leading  to  the  branchiae,  as  dorsal.  When  the  poulp  creeps, 
as  we  are  about  to  shew  that  it  does,  these  palmated  arms 
might  still  be  called  posterior  arms,  because  it  is  they  which 
terminate  behind  the  locomotive  disc. 

We  observed  that  these  palmated  arms,  from  the  point  of 
coming  out  of  the  shell,  embrace  it,  extending  from  the  two 
margins  of  the  keel,  whilst  their  membranous  lobes  spread 
themselves  over  the  two  sides,  which  they  carpet  entirely,  as 


OTS  THE  ARGONAUT.  5*25 

far  as  the  anterior  edge  of  the  opening.  Under  whatever  cir- 
cumstances we  have  observed  this  mollusc,  we  have  seen  it 
thus  disposed.  It  will  be  enquired  perhaps,  how  then  can 
it  raise  itself  from  the  bottom  and  sport  about  at  the  surface 
of  the  water,  as  it  is  sometimes  seen  to  do  ?  It  is  simply  by 
the  ordinary  means  used  by  calmars  and  cephalopods  in  ge- 
neral ;  and  which  consists  in  alternately  admitting  and  eject- 
ing the  sea  water  into  and  from  the  dorsal  cavity,  producing 
a  backward  movement,  which  is  sometimes  very  rapid. 

When  the  poulp  crept  upon  the  bottom  of  the  basin,  it 
presented  to  us  the  appearance  of  a  pectinibranchiate  gaste- 
ropod  ;  the  disc  which  surrounds  the  mouth  and  which  easily 
dilates  itself  to  a  great  extent,  being  spread  upon  the  surface 
of  the  ground  like  the  foot  of  a  gasteropod.  The  head  showed 
itself  above,  furnished  with  lateral  eyes  and  tentacles ;  the 
body  concealing  itself  in  a  covering  shell,  whose  outer  edge 
shelters  in  front  the  tube  corresponding  to  the  arms,  which 
like  the  siphon  of  a  pectinibranchiate  mollusc  is  carried  back- 
wards. The  two  anterior  arms  represent  the  tentacula;  and 
the  four  lateral  arms  those  tentaculiform  expansions,  which 
among  the  Monodontes  and  the  Litiopes  are  disposed  in  a 
serpentine  manner  about  the  animal  during  its  progression ; 
finally  the  two  posterior  arms,  carpeting  with  their  lobes  the 
two  sides  of  the  shell,  merely  left  between  them  a  narrow 
space  of  separation  in  the  median  line  of  the  keel. 

It  is  in  this  state  that  we  have  observed  the  poulp  crawl- 
ing upon  its  disc ;  but  this  time  it  went  forward,  and  its 
speed  was  so  considerable  as  to  clear  a  great  space  of  ground 
in  a  little  time.  If  anything  happened  to  disquiet  it,  it  re- 
treated into  the  shell,  which  immediately  losing  its  equili- 
brium, turned  over  upon  its  side. 

After  this  description,  should  we  not  be  tempted  to  esta- 
blish a  relation  between  the  cephalopods  and  the  gasteropods, 
and  the  poulp  of  the  argonaut  on  one  side,  and  the  Carinaria, 
Atlantes,  &c.  on  the  other  ? 

We  deceive  ourselves  perhaps ;  but  it  seems  to  us  that  the 
knowledge  we  have  just  obtained  of  the  use  of  these  palmated 
arms  comes  in  to  corroborate  the  opinion  of  those  who  make 
the  poulp  the  constructor  of  the  shell.  What  inferences  may 
we  not  in  fact  be  led  to  draw  from  these  well  established  re- 
lations between  the  animal  and  the  shell ;  from  the  form  of 
these  lobes,  which  exist  in  no  other  cephalopod  than  the 
poulp  of  the  argonaut ;  and  which  have  never  been  wanting 
in  those  we  have  been  acquainted  with,  proving  that  this 
disposition  is  expressly  on  account  of  the  shell ;  from  the 
use  of  these  lobes  as  a  mantle,  covering  the  whole  in  the 


520  M.  SANDER  RANG 

manner  of  so  many  other  molluscs, — lobes  which  would  be 
useless  if  the  animal  had  not  had  a  shell  from  its  birth  ;  and 
finally  from  that  remarkable  colouring  at  the  base  of  the  pal- 
mated  arms  which  is  reproduced  in  so  complete  a  manner 
upon  the  corresponding  part  of  the  shell  ? 

Such  was  the  note  which  we  remitted  to  the  Academy  of 
Sciences,  during  one  of  the  sittings  of  the  month  of  March 
1837,  a  note  which,  as  we  have  already  said,  was  sent  to  a 
commission  composed  of  M.M.  de  Blainville  and  Dumeril,in 
order  to  make  a  report  of  it  agreeably  to  the  desire  we  had 
expressed;  for  our  object  in  taking  the  step,  was  simply  to 
provoke  on  the  part  of  these  naturalists,  but  more  especially 
M.  de  Blainville,  the  most  decided  supporter  of  the  parasitic 
theory,  an  examination  of  the  new  facts  we  brought  into  view, 
in  order  to  deduce  from  them  inferences  which  might  on  one 
side  or  the  other,  tend  to  the  determination  of  the  question. 

We  have  related  in  what  an  obliging  manner  this  natural- 
ist replied  to  our  request,  in  undertaking  to  make  the  report 
we  desired;  and  how  he  afterwards  returned  to  the  subject 
in  a  memoir  in  which  he  examined  all  that  has  hitherto  been 
said  upon  this  interesting  problem. 

It  is  upon  the  occasion  of  this  memoir,  which  resumes  so 
well  the  past  thread  of  the  argument,  that  we  enter  into  the 
details  which  follow,  in  order  to  complete  our  note,  and  make 
known  in  its  place  and  order  what  further  our  researches 
concerning  the  poulp  of  the  argonaut  have  enabled  us  to  dis- 
cover. 

We  are  about  in  the  first  place  to  resume  the  observations 
indicated  in  the  note,  and  then  to  deduce  from  them  inferences 
which  in  our  opinion  may  be  drawn  from  them.  We  shall 
then  pass  on  to  the  examination  of  some  facts  or  arguments 
presented  by  different  naturalists  ;  but  before  commencing 
we  shall  divest  ourselves  of  all  personal  bias  as  to  the  parasitic 
or  non-parasitic  nature  of  the  poulp  ;  which  in  conscience, 
there  is  but  little  difficulty  in  doing,  for  it  seems  to  us  that 
we  are  at  this  moment  in  the  most  complete  uncertainty.  It 
is  the  truth  that  we  wish  for ;  and  in  order  to  find  it  we 
know  no  other  means  than  to  examine  calmly  and  candidly 
the  pro  and  con  of  each  argument,  as  well  as  the  value  of 
the  observations  and  hypotheses  that  have  been  presented. 

The  newly  detailed  facts  in  the  note  in  question  are : — 

1st.  The  belief  more  or  less  generally  entertained  since  the 
time  of  Aristotle,  respecting  the  skilful  manoeuvres  of  the 
poulp  of  the  argonaut  in  progressing  by  the  help  of  sails  and 
oars,  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  is  false. 


ON  THE  ARGONAUT.  527 

2nd.  The  arms  which  are  provided  with  membranes  in  the 
poulp  have  no  other  function  than  that  of  enveloping  the  shell 
in  which  the  animal  lives,  and  that  for  a  determinate  object. 

3d.  The  poulp  with  its  shell  progresses  in  the  open  sea  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  other  cryptodibranchial  cephalopods. 

4th.  When  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  the  poulp  creeps  upon 
an  infundibuliform  disk  represented  by  the  junction  of  the  arms 
at  their  base,  covered  with  the  shell,  and  the  part  reputed 
ventral  above ;  having  in  this  posture  the  apppearance  of  a 
gasteropodous  mollusc. 

Let  us  now  see  what  consequences  we  can  deduce  from 
these  four  established  facts. 

Fabulous  Navigation  of  the  Argonaut. — We  shall  say  but 
little  on  this  subject,  only  remarking  that  in  giving  a  formal 
contradiction  to  those  persons  who  have  pleased  themselves 
with  trumpeting  the  marvellous  recital  of  the  ancients,  and  who, 
doubtless  not  finding  it  extraordinary  enough,  have  yet  more 
enriched  it  from  the  fertility  of  their  own  imaginations,  our 
observations  bring  down  the  locomotive  powers  and  habits 
of  this  mollusc  to  a  normal  state,  that  is  to  say,  to  what  ob 
tains  among  other  animals  of  the  same  class,  and  it  is  a  reform 
which  no  naturalist  that  we  know  of  has  yet  dared  to  make, 
though  we  are  well  persuaded  that  many  among  them  put 
little  or  no  faith  in  these  artificial  descriptions. 

A  very  natural  reflection  flows  from  what  we  have  just  said  : 
how  could  the  important  question  relating  to  the  argonaut 
possibly  proceed  in  a  clear  and  straightforward  manner,  when 
we  see  that  for  about  two  thousand  years  we  have  pleased 
ourselves  with  going  aside  into  the  fields  of  the  picturesque ; 
and  that  naturalists  of  high  repute  even,  admitted  it  all  with- 
out a  previous  examination. 

If  these  men  had  dreamed  of  verifying  facts,  they  would 
have  discovered  the  real  use  of  the  supposed  sails,  and  the 
question  being  earlier  carried  out  would  perhaps  by  this  time 
have  been  resolved. 

Use  of  the  arms  furnished  with  membranous  lobes. — In 
discovering  the  use  of  the  arms  provided  with  membranous 
lobes,  we  thought  at  the  first  glance  that  the  solution  of  the 
problem  lay  there ;  and  it  was  this  impression  which  led  us 
to  express  ourselves  in  the  manner  we  did  in  our  note  trans- 
mitted to  the  Academy.  One  of  the  first  sensations  we  felt 
was  astonishment  at  what  we  saw ;  since  so  many  naturalists 
who  have  professed  to  know  the  argonaut  with  its  poulp  in 
a  living  state,  had  pointed  out  nothing  similar;  and  this  cir- 
cumstance which  led  us  to  reflect  earnestly,  encouraged  us 
to  carry  on  our  observations  with  the  most  minute  attention. 


528  M.  SANDER  RANG 

It  seemed  to  us  that  we  were  at  that  instant  enjoying  an  es- 
pecial good  fortune  that  we  only  owed  to  chance,  and  which 
no  naturalist  had  enjoyed  before  us. 

Many  days'  experience  however,  proved  to  us  that  it  was 
no  particular  good  fortune ;  for  the  poulps  that  we  were 
watching  all  presented  to  us  the  same  fact,  and  that  inva- 
riably ! 

In  order  to  be  better  understood,  and  to  leave  no  doubt  as 
to  the  position  which  this  mollusc  presents  in  the  shell  where 
it  is  constantly  found,  we  will  give  a  fresh  description  of  it, 
following,  step  by  step,  that  which  has  been  the  most  perfect 
of  our  experiments. 

The  poulp  with  its  shell,  lying  motionless  at  the  bottom  of 
the  vase  in  which  we  had  just  placed  it,  struck  us  first  by  the 
brilliancy  and  richness  of  its  hues,  which  our  sketch  is  far 
from  conveying.  It  was  little  more  than  a  shapeless  mass 
that  we  had  before  our  eyes  ;  but  this  mass  was  all  silvery, 
and  a  cloud  of  spots  of  the  most  beautiful  rose  colour,  as  well 
as  a  very  fine  dotting  of  the  same,  heightened  its  beauty.  A 
long  semicircular  band,  of  a  vivid  ultramarine  blue,  which 
melted  away  insensibly,  was  very  strongly  marked  at  one  of 
its  extremities  ; l  the  shell  was  nowhere  visible,  but  with  a 
little  attention  we  could  easily  recognize  its  general  form,  and 
we  could  even  distinguish  some  grooves  of  its  surface,  as  well 
as  the  tubercles  of  the  keel.  A  large  membrane  covered  all, 
and  this  membrane  was  that  of  the  arms,  which  so  peculiarly 
characterise  the  poulp  of  the  argonaut.  The  animal  was  so 
entirely  shut  up  in  its  abode,  that  the  head  and  the  base  of 
its  arms  were  very  little  raised  above  the  edges  of  the  open- 
ing of  the  shell.  On  each  side  of  the  head,  between  it  and 
the  partition  wall  of  the  shell,  a  small  space  left  free  allowed 
the  eyes  of  the  mollusc  to  see  what  was  without,  and  their 
sharp  and  fixed  gaze  appeared  to  announce  that  the  animal 
watched  attentively  what  was  passing  around  it.  The  slen- 
der arms  were  folded  back  from  their  base,  and  inserted  very 
deeply  round  the  body  of  the  poulp,  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
fill  in  part  the  empty  spaces  which  the  head  must  naturally 
leave  in  the  much  larger  opening  of  the  shell.  Of  these  six 
arms,  the  two  lower2  (or  abdominal)  ones  descended  on  each 

1  This  band  of  ultra-marine  blue  is  represented  in  the  drawing  which 
M.  Rang  has  given  as  extending  from  the  bases  of  the  palmated  arms  of 
the  poulp,  along  the  course  of  the  keel  of  the  shell  for  about  half  its 
length. — Ed. 

2  To  conform  to  custom,  but  without  admitting  the  correctness  of  the 
principle,  we  designate  the  membraniferous  arms  as  being  superior,  that 
is  to  say  on  the  dorsal  side,  and  the  two  opposite  arms  as  being  inferior. 


i 


i: 


I 


1 


0 


ON  THE  ARGONAUT.  529 

side  the  whole  length  of  the  carina,  leaving  a  space  between 
them,  within  which  we  perceived  to  open,  the  extremity  of  the 
tube  of  the  animal ;  whilst  the  four  others  were  disposed,  two 
to  the  right  and  two  to  the  left,  in  the  middle  part  of  the 
opening,  contracted  and  irregularly  bent  back.  As  to  the 
higher  arms,  their  disposition  was  altogether  different  from 
that  of  the  others.  Prolonging  themselves  towards  the  re- 
treating part  of  the  spire,  one  on  each  side,  they  encountered 
the  keel  by  the  tangent  line,  and,  without  again  quitting  it, 
stretched  out  as  far  as  its  exterior  extremity,  insinuating  them- 
selves between  the  tubercles,  and  in  such  a  manner  that  there 
remained  in  the  median  line  of  the  keel,  only  a  narrow  space 
that  was  not  covered. 

The  membranous  portions  of  these  arms,  dilated  beyond 
anything  we  could  have  pictured  to  ourselves  while  knowing 
the  animal  merely  by  specimens  preserved  in  spirits  of  wine, 
were  spread  over  the  two  lateral  surfaces  of  the  shell,  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  cover  it  completely,  from  the  base  of  the 
hard  edge  [bord  calleux]  to  the  anterior  extremity  of  the 
edge  of  the  opening,  and  consequently  the  keel.  The  appli- 
cation of  these  membranes  was  direct,  and  without  any  puck- 
ering or  irregularity  whatever :  the  lower  part  of  the  two  large 
arms,  being  completely  stretched,  formed  a  kind  of  bridge 
over  the  cavity  left  between  the  back  of  the  mollusc  and  the 
retreating  portion  of  the  spire,  in  which  the  extremity  of  a 
cluster  of  ova  was  floating. 

We  have  thought  it  right  to  bring  forward  this  new  descrip- 
tion, in  order  to  make  more  evident  what  is  wanting  in  the 
plate  which  accompanies  M.  de  Blainville's  letter,  and  in 
which  the  artist  has  not  sufficiently  pourtrayed  the  peculiar- 
ity which  relates  to  the  membranes  of  the  large  arms.  It,  in 
fact,  appears  to  us,  that  the  animal  being  represented  as  con- 
tracted in  its  shell,  the  six  arms  which  are  not  membranifer- 
ous  ought  not  to  float  freely  about  on  the  outside,  but  that 
they  should  be  bent  back  within,  as  we  have  just  said,  and 
as  we  represent  them  in  our  third  plate ; 1  then  the  siphon 
ought  not  to  appear,  not  being  of  sufficient  length  to  do  so ; 
and  the  large  arms,  instead  of  taking  the  direction  along  the 
base  of  the  lateral  angle  of  the  shell,  ought  to  carry  them- 
selves directly  lengthwise  along  the  keel,  to  follow  it  to  its 
extremity,  and  the  membrane  should  carpet  the  surface  of 
the  shell. 

It  is  very  true  that  when  the  mollusc  contracts  itself,  it 
frequently  draws  in,  more  or  less  completely,  its  large  arms 

1  Plate  6  of  our  Supplementary  Illustrations. — Ed. 
Vol.  III.— No.  35.  n.  s.         3  m 


530  M    SANDER  RANG 

and  their  membranes,  and  this  is  perhaps  what  they  wished 
to  represent ;  but  even  then  we  shall  show  that  they  are  in 
error,  for  when  the  poulp  makes  this  movement,  which  ap- 
pears to  be  a  voluntary  one,  it  draws  in  its  arms  backwards, 
and  uncovers  the  shell  only  in  front,  so  that  the  anterior  edge 
of  the  membrane  retires  parallel  to  itself,  as  well  as  to  the 
furrows  of  the  shell.  As  to  the  reversion  of  a  portion  of  the 
membrane  which  is  represented, — we  have  never  observed  it, 
and  we  must  remark  with  respect  to  it,  that  this  membrane, 
which,  in  the  living  animal,  appears  as  we  have  already  said 
closely  applied  to  every  part  of  the  shell,  merely  glides  over 
it  when  it  retires  or  advances,  exactly  as  do  the  lobes  of  the 
mantle  of  the  cowries  and  olives,  or  merely  the  appendages 
of  the  latter.  We  must  further  observe  that  we  have  never 
seen  the  eggs  in  the  place  where  they  are  represented  in  the 
plate  in  question,  but  much  more  within  the  opening. 

To  return  to  the  description  of  our  poulp,  which  we  left 
contracted  within  the  argonaut- shell,  and  watching,  with  an 
attentive  eye,  whatever  took  place  around  it;  we  now  see  it 
extending  itself  from  out  its  shell,  and  protruding  six  of  its 
arms,  then  it  throws  itself  into  violent  motion,  and  travels 
over  the  basin  in  all  directions,  often  dashing  itself  against 
the  sides.  It  is  easy  for  us  to  observe  that  in  these  different 
movements  the  body  leans  a  little  towards  the  anterior  part 
of  the  shell ;  and  that  the  long  slender  arms,  very  much  ex- 
tended and  gathered  into  a  close  bundle,  are  carried  before  it, 
as  well  as  the  tube,  which  shows  itself  open  and  very  much 
protruded.  The  large  arms  are  extended  along  the  keel,  and 
their  membranes  carpet  the  whole  of  the  shell.  As  to  loco- 
motion, it  is  effected  in  the  ordinary  manner  of  poulps,  that 
is  to  say,  it  progresses  backwards  by  means  of  the  contraction 
of  the  sac,  and  the  expulsion  of  water  through  the  siphon.  — 
We  have  endeavoured  in  our  second  plate1  to  represent  the 
disposition  of  the  mollusc  of  the  argonaut  under  these  cir- 
cumstances ;  and  it  appears  to  us  easy  to  see  that  all  is  there 
contrived  in  a  manner  the  most  favorable  for  accelerating  the 
progression  of  the  animal.  In  fact  the  lightness  of  the  shell, 
its  narrow  and  keeled  form,  its  width,  least  at  the  part  which, 
presenting  itself  first,  has  to  cleave  the  ambient  element; — 
that  membrane,  which  on  each  side  carpets  the  shell,  like  a 
sheath  intended  to  make  its  inequalities  disappear,  and  to  fa- 
cilitate the  gliding  of  the  water ; — this  bundle  of  arms  extend- 
ed behind  the  animal,  to  oppose  the  least  possible  resistance; 
and  then,  lastly,  the  two  arms  stretched  like  a  bridge  over  the 

1  Plate  5  of  the  Supplementary  Illustrations. — Ed. 


&:f. 


mmm*>- 


l      //s/r" 


/' 


ON  THE  ARGONAUT.  531 

cavity  of  eggs,  and  appearing  as  if  placed  there  to  prevent 
the  water  from  rushing  into  this  cavity,  and  opposing  a  re- 
sistance there  : — do  not  all  these  things  appear  exactly  adapt- 
ed for  a  locomotion  which  should  be  effected  with  quickness 
and  facility  ?  In  truth,  it  must  be  allowed,  that  whatever  be 
the  fabricator  of  the  shell,  it  is  very  appropriate  to  the  wants 
of  the  mollusc  which  to  this  day  we  have  never  ceased  to  find 
in  it. 

We  thought  we  perceived  in  its  movements  in  open  water 
that  the  poulp  of  the  argonaut  had  its  back  uppermost,  and 
consequently  the  tube  below ;  it  is  true  however  that  we  have 
not  constantly  seen  it  so  :  and  this  last  circumstance  we  have 
been  able  to  observe  with  much  more  certainty  in  specimens 
of  poulps  whose  arms  had  been  deprived  of  their  membranes. x 

Our  poulp  being  fatigued  with  the  useless  efforts  which  it 
had  made  in  the  narrow  space  where  it  was  confined,  and 
perhaps  hurt  by  the  shocks  it  had  sustained  against  the  side 
of  the  basin,  allowed  itself  to  fall  to  the  bottom,  and  half 
contracted  itself  in  order  to  take  some  repose  ;  after  which  it 
exhibited  to  us  another  spectacle  which  we  were  far  from  ex- 
pecting. Fixing  some  of  the  air-holes  of  its  free  arms  upon 
the  bottom  of  the  basin,  it  erected  itself  upon  its  head,  spread- 
ing out  its  disc  and  carrying  the  shell  straight  above  it,  and 
in  the  normal  position  of  the  shells  of  the  gasteropods  ;  then 
beginning  to  crawl,  it  presented  the  appearance  of  a  pectini- 
branchiate  mollusc,  as  we  have  said  in  our  note  to  the  Aca- 
demy of  Sciences,  without  wishing  to  deduce  from  it  any  other 
relation  of  agreement  than  that  of  a  general  disposition  in  the 
posture  and  employment  of  some  of  its  organs.  Half  drawn 
back  into  its  shell,  this  mollusc  appeared  to  crawl  upon  its 
disc,  the  palmatures2  of  which  were  a  little  raised  to  follow 
the  movements  of  its  arms.  The  body  was  hid  in  the  shell; 
the  siphon  placed  in  the  anterior  part  of  it,  was  turned  for- 
wards ;  those  of  its  arms  which  were  at  liberty  were  very 
much  protruded,  and  twisting  round,  two  before  and  two  on 
each  side,  like  so  many  appendages  or  tentacles ;  and  finally, 
the  base  of  the  two  large  arms  seemed  to  prolong  backwards 
the  locomotive  surface,  then  rising  along  the  keel  they  again 

1  If  it  he  really  the  fact  that  the  side  on  which  the  siphon  is  placed  is 
ventral,  this  manner  in  which  the  poulp  generally  swims,  namely,  with  the 
back  upwards,  would  be  an  anomaly  amongst  the  pelagian  molluscs,  all  of 
which  swim  with  the  ventral  side  upwards. 

2  It  will  perhaps  excite  surprise  to  hear  us  talk  of  palmatures  in  these 
poulps,  since  they  have  hitherto  been  unnoticed.  They  nevertheless  exist, 
though  it  is  often  difficult  to  see  them  in  specimens  preserved  in  spirits  of 
wine. 


532         M.  SANDER  HANG  ON  THE  ARGONAUT. 

covered  it  with  their  large  membranes,  as  we  saw  when  the 
poulp  was  swimming  in  deep  water. 

In  this  new  disposition,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  difference 
is  great ;  for  it  consists  in  means  and  a  mode  which  are  no 
longer  the  same,  and  also  in  the  position  of  the  animal,  which 
is  such  that  it  finds  itself  turned  over,  the  ventral  surface  be- 
ing uppermost.  Thus  this  mollusc,  at  once  pelagic  and  lit- 
toral, presents  a  most  singular  anomaly ;  when  it  swims  at 
the  surface  of  the  water  having  its  ventral  part  lowermost, 
and  when  it  crawls  along  the  bottom  having  it,  on  the  con- 
trary, uppermost ; — two  things  which  are  completely  contrary 
to  what  we  see  among  the  pelagian  molluscs  on  the  one  side, 
and  the  littoral  molluscs  on  the  other.  May  not  this 
seeming  anomaly  arise  from  the  circumstance  of  habit,  rather 
than  a  profound  study,  having  led  us  to  designate  by  the 
name  of  the  ventral  part  that  in  which  the  siphon  and  the 
opening  of  the  branchial  sac  are  found,  and  by  that  of  the 
dorsal  part  that  which  is  opposed  to  it,  whilst  perhaps  it  is 
just  the  contrary  ?  However,  the  learned  Professor,  whose 
opinion  upon  these  matters  has  so  much  weight  with  us,  re- 
jects altogether  this  last  idea. 

In  this  new  locomotive  power  of  the  mollusc  (in  which  we 
are  of  opinion  that  reptation,  as  it  is  generally  understood 
among  the  Mollusca,  was  only  apparent,  the  suckers  really 
causing  the  motion)  its  progress  was  slow,  and  quite  differ- 
ent from  what  we  had  previously  seen.  It  worked  itself  for- 
wards, like  the  gasteropodous  Mollusca. 

To  terminate  a  description  already  perhaps  too  long,  but 
which  we  judged  necessary,  in  order  to  give  a  clear  idea  of 
our  last  observations,  we  will  mention  that  when  the  poulp 
was  at  the  point  of  death,  it  drew  in,  by  little  and  little,  its 
large  arms  and  their  membranes,  and  contracted  them  upon 
themselves  and  all  the  other  arms,  so  as  to  obstruct  the  open- 
ing of  the  shell.  At  this  moment  we  moved  the  shell,  and 
the  poulp  immediately  separated  itself  from  it,  not  voluntari- 
ly but  accidentally,  for  it  no  longer  held  it  in  any  way.  It 
appeared  at  first  to  reanimate  itself  a  little,  made  some  move- 
ments in  the  basin,  walking  upon  its  head,  then  fell  from 
weakness,  and  very  soon  died.  All  this  passed  in  less  than 
ten  minutes.  We  should  add  that  we  have  repeated  these 
experiments  upon  many  specimens. 

(To  be  continued.) 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER.  533 

Art.  II. — On  the  Natural  History  of  the  German  Marmot  (Ham- 
ster).    By  W.  Weissenborn,  Ph.  D. 

(  Continued  from  page  483,) . 

Enemies. — Dogs  of  almost  any  breed  are  very  eager  to  de- 
stroy the  hamster,  but  never  devour  it.  They  are,  I  believe, 
in  many  neighbourhoods  the  great  means  of  preventing  the 
hamster  from  multiplying  to  an  injurious  extent.  Many  a 
plodding  citizen  is  working  for  the  good  of  the  community, 
in  wending  his  way  homewards,  accompanied  by  his  dog, 
from  some  distant  ale-house  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening ;  for 
whilst  he  talks  on  politics,  his  dog  is  more  usefully  occupied 
in  killing  hamsters  in  the  neighbouring  fields,  which  in  seve- 
ral instances  have  been  thoroughly  got  rid  of,  pro  tempore, 
along  the  roads  leading  to  places  of  public  resort,  where 
the  ale  happened  to  be  good.  The  fox  destroys  a  great  many 
hamsters,  but  their  most  inveterate  enemy  is  the  pole-cat, 
which  wages  the  same  unrelenting  war  against  the  hamster, 
as  the  weasel  does  with  the  rat.  The  pole-cat  makes  its  chief 
food  of  the  hamster  during  autumn,  penetrating  into  its  bur- 
rows, and  taking  up  its  abode  there,  if  convenient,  where  he 
lays  up  a  store  of  often  as  many  as  ten  dead  hamsters.  This 
is  a  well  known  feature  in  the  habits  of  the  pole-cat,  as  for 
instance,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  rivers  large  stores  of  eels 
have  been  found  in  the  burrow  of  that  animal.  The  large 
owls  are  also  among  the  enemies  of  the  hamster.  On  the 
means  employed  by  man  to  destroy  this  animal,  we  shall  treat 
further  below.  But  I  ought  to  mention  among  its  enemies, 
two  parasitic  creatures,  both  discovered  by  Dr.  Sulzer.  The 
first  is  the  Acarus  criceti  (ovalis,  albus,  pellucidus,  pedibus 
aequalibus,  aeque  dissitis,  obtusis)  ;  this  mite  is  about  half 
as  large  as  the  head  of  a  flea ;  it  has  eight  equidistant  feet  of 
e^ual  length  and  thickness,  which  are  as  long  as  the  body  is 
broad.  The  foremost  pair  has  eight  joints,  those  farther  behind 
have  more.  They  are  hairy  and  truncated.  Head  pointed, 
very  small,  with  two  antenna,  that  are  twice  as  long  as  the 
head,  and  after  embracing  the  latter  converge  towards  their 
extremities.  They  resemble  the  feet,  but  are  naked.  When 
the  insect  is  replete  with  blood,  its  belly,  which  is  bristly 
here  and  there,  looks  red.  It  runs  rather  quick,  is  found  on 
old  and  young,  even  sucking  specimens,  and  does  not  leave 
the  animal  during  its  winter  sleep,  which  it  does  not  share. 
The  hamster  diggers  are  often  bitten  by  these  Acari,  which 
cause  severe  burning  and  itching,  as  they  dig  themselves 
into  the  skin.  After  eight  or  ten  hours,  however,  all  pain 
ceases,  and  the  parasite  cannot  continue  in  existence  on  man 


534  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER. 

for  any  length  of  time.  Sulzer  has  moreover  found  in  the 
duodenum  a  tape-worm,  but  which  he  could  extract  only  in 
fragments.  It  was  extremely  flimsy,  and  its  joints  were 
broader  than  long. 

Propagation. — About  the  end  of  April  the  hamsters  begin 
to  copulate.  The  male  visits  the  female  in  her  burrow,  and 
resides  with  her  for  a  few  days  only.  They  then  evince  suf- 
ficient mutual  love  to  defend  each  other.  Sometimes  two 
males  meet  in  the  burrow  of  the  same  female,  when  a  furious 
battle  begins,  which  ends  in  the  death  or  flight  of  the  weaker. 
The  manner  in  which  they  copulate  is  not  known,  as  this 
act  takes  place  underground,  and  has  never  been  observed  in 
captivity,  although  much  pains  have  been  taken  to  make^hem 
propagate  in  rooms.  As  soon  as  the  act  is  completed  the 
female  drives  the  male  away.  The  duration  of  pregnancy  is 
not  known,  but  it  is  about  four  weeks.  Many  females  have 
been  taken  when  the  males  were  with  them.  They  grew  big 
and  thin  again,  without  their  litter  appearing ;  this  is  explain- 
ed by  an  observation  of  Dr.  Sulzer's,  who  saw  a  female  which 
he  had  kept  for  some  time,  in  the  very  act  of  devouring  a 
young  one  to  which  she  had  just  given  birth.  He  killed  her, 
and  found  in  the  uterus  six  others  which  were  capable  of 
living.  When  taken  out  of  the  foetal  membranes  they  were 
blueish,  but  became  almost  as  red  as  blood  when  dry.  Six 
hours  after,  nascent  hairs  were  distinctly  perceived.  When 
a  female  is  caught  with  her  litter,  she  will  continue  to  suckle 
them.  The  young  are  born  blind  and  naked,  but  with  the 
full  number  of  their  teeth.  Their  blindness  lasts  eight  or 
nine  days.  The  number  of  one  litter  is  from  6  to  18,  accord- 
ing to  the  age  and  size  of  the  female,  which  brings  two  litters 
at  least  every  year.  As  the  young  of  the  first  litter  get  fit 
for  propagation  within  the  same  season,  an  old  female  may 
produce  up  to  100  individuals  of  her  species  in  one  year. 
The  age  to  which  the  animal  lives  appears  to  be  eight  or  ten 
years.  The  young  grow  very  rapidly,  and  begin  to  dig  when 
but  a  fortnight  old.  It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  though  the 
male  and  female,  when  alone,  will  make  a  stout  defence,  when 
dug  after  by  men,  long  before  they  are  driven  to  the  farthest 
end  of  their  burrows,  yet  the  female,  when  with  her  litter, 
will  leave  them  in  the  lurch,  stop  the  turn-again  passage  of 
her  burrow  with  earth,  and  dig  away  as  fast  as  she  can,  often 
as  many  as  four  or  five  feet  from  the  place  where  she  has  left 
her  young  ones,  before  one  can  get  at  her.  Were  she  to  dig 
in  a  perpendicular,  instead  of  a  horizontal  direction,  she 
might  be  almost  sure  to  escape  for  good. 

Burrows. — The  subterraneous  habitations  of  the  hamster 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER.  535 

are  differently  constructed,  according  to  the  age,  sex  and  soil. 
Yet  what  all  the  burrows  have  in  common  with  each  other, 
may  be  reduced  to  the  following  terms.  Each  burrow  has 
two  openings  at  least,  one  of  which  descends  obliquely,  the 
other  perpendicularly.  The  former  is  excavated  from  with- 
out, the  latter  from  within,  wherefore  the  whole  of  the  earth 
which  is  carried  above  ground  is  lying  before  the  former, 
which  is  called  the  creeping  hole,  whilst  the  other  bears  the 
name  of  the  'plunging  hole,  and  may  often  be  sounded  with 
a  wand,  to  the  depth  of  3  or  4  feet.  But  before  it  opens  into 
one  of  the  chambers  it  always  bends  a  considerable  way  to 
one  side.  As  the  chambers  are  situated  between  the  creeping 
and  plunging-holes,  it  is  generally  found  that  when  a  burrow 
has  only  two  holes,  the  bend  of  the  plunging-hole  is  turned 
towards  the  creeping-hole.  The  external  openings  of  the 
two  holes  are  at  the  distance  of  at  least  4,  sometimes  as  many 
as  10,  feet  from  each  other.  The  creeping-hole  is  not  in  such 
constant  use  as  the  other,  and  in  an  inhabited  burrow  it  is 
regularly  found  stopped  with  earth  at  about  1  foot  from  its 
mouth,  for  a  length  of  about  half  a  foot.  The  plunging-hole 
is  never  stopped  in  summer.  A  hamster-burrow  is  at  once 
known  from  either  that  of  the  mole  or  of  the  Mus  amphibius 
by  the  heap  of  earth  never  being  hemispherical,  but  rather 
flat  and  spreading,  and  by  its  presenting  the  sub-soil  on  its 
surface.  The  chambers  which  approach  more  or  less  to  the 
oval  shape,  are  more  vaulted  in  the  ceiling  than  in  the  floor. 
Their  volume  is  between  that  of  an  ox-bladder  and  four  times 
that  size.  The  one  serving  for  the  habitation  (the  nest-cham- 
ber) is  commonly  small,  and  furnished  with  a  litter  of  soft  and 
fine  straw.  It  is  the  nearest  to  the  creeping-hole.  It  com- 
monly presents  three  openings,  one  in  the  continuation  of 
the  creeping-hole,  one  leading  to  the  plunging-hole,  and  one 
communicating  with  the  store  chambers,  of  which  there  are 
one,  two,  three,  or  more.  The  passage  which  leads  to  the 
creeping-hole  becomes  wider  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
nest-chamber,  and  there  the  hamster  deposits  its  excrements. 
The  store-chambers  contain  each  from  one  to  twelve  pounds 
of  corn  or  other  seeds.  Young  individuals  construct  only  one, 
which  is  not  even  large ;  but  the  old,  especially  males,  which 
have  much  leisure  to  lay  up  stores,  have  sometimes  as  many 
as  five  store-chambers  of  the  largest  size,  containing  up  to 
65flbs.  of  corn,  or  1  cwt.  of  horse  beans  together.  If  large 
seeds,  as  horse  beans,  peas,  vetches,  &c,  be  at  hand,  the 
store  is  commonly  larger  in  proportion.  The  chambers  are 
completely  filled  with  the  seeds,  which  are  rammed  into  them 
so  as  to  constitute  true  silos.     Sometimes  the  passages  lead- 


536  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER. 

ing  from  one  chamber  to  the  other  are  likewise  filled  with 
corn,  &c.  The  corn  and  other  seeds  are  collected  at  random, 
as  they  present  themselves  most  conveniently  during  the 
nightly  rambles  of  the  hamster.  If  the  chambers  are  found 
filled  with  a  particular  kind  of  seed  each,  this  is  merely  acci- 
dental. Thus  sometimes  summer  corn  is  found  in  one  cham- 
ber, and  winter  corn  in  another,  but  a  hamster  whose  burrow 
happens  to  be  in  a  winter  field  of  rye,  wheat,  &c,  will  first 
collect  of  this,  and  after  the  field  has  been  reaped,  he  will  be 
obliged  to  resort  to  some  other  field,  where  the  harvest  is 
still  standing.  Often  rye,  wheat,  peas,  vetches,  flax-husks, 
&c,  are  all,  or  partly,  found  mixed  together  in  the  same 
chamber.  Sometimes,  below  these  store-rooms  others  are 
found,  into  which  the  seeds  have  been  transported  when  they 
have  begun  to  germinate.  I  need  therefore  scarcely  say  that 
the  hamster  does  not  show  any  sense  of  order  in  collecting, 
nor  does  he  bite  out  the  germ  or  corculum  of  the  seeds,  to 
prevent  them  from  germinating,  as  has  been  advanced.  The 
burrow  where  the  female  has  her  young,  differs  in  some  es- 
sential points.  It  has  but  one  creeping,  but  often  as  many 
as  eight  plunging-holes,  distributed  over  a  space  of  8  or  10 
feet  in  diameter.  These  plunging-holes  all  terminate  in 
the  nest-chamber,  and  such  a  burrow  is  generally  abandoned 
as  soon  as  the  mother  drives  her  young  away  from  her.  The 
young  dig,  during  the  first  months  of  their  independance, 
burrows  only  two  feet  deep,  in  which  there  is  but  one  nest 
and  one  store -chamber,  the  latter  containing  but  4  or  5  lbs.  of 
seeds,  and  which  have  but  one  creeping  and  one  plunging- 
hole.  The  young  of  the  first  litter,  which  propagate  the 
same  season,  dig  larger  burrows  in  autumn,  and  all  interme- 
diate sizes  between  the  largest  and  smallest  may  then  be 
found.  The  depth  of  the  burrows  is  determined  by  the  nature 
of  the  soil  and  the  seasons.  Those  in  stony  and  strong  land 
are  less  deep  than  those  in  loose,  rich  mould.  Those  con- 
structed in  spring,  when  no  corn  is  collected,  are  compara- 
tively shallow.  The  later  in  the  season  the  deeper  they  are 
constructed,  and  the  winter-burrows  often  descend  to  the 
depth  of  six  or  seven  feet. 


(To  be  continued.) 


DESCRIPTIONS  OF  TWO  HEMIPTEROUS  INSECTS.  537 


Art.  III. — Description  of  two  Hemipterous  Insects.     By  Mr.  Adam 
White,  M.E.S.,  M.B.S. 

Of  the  habits  of  the  Hemiptera,  except  in  one  instance,  little 
or  nothing  is  known  ;  a  few  scattered  notices  in  Wolff's  work 
and  a  paper  by  Hausmann  being,  as  far  as  I  am  aware,  nearly 
the  sum  and  substance  of  what  has  been  registered  on  the 
economy  of  an  order  of  insects,  numerous  in  species,  ever 
varied  in  form,  often  most  beautifully  coloured,  and  frequently 
curiously  sculptured.  In  the  scutellated  division,  two  species 
of  which  I  intend  to  describe  in  this  paper,  an  Indian  species, 
Plataspis  silphoides,  (Tetyra  silphoides,  Fab.)  is  stated  by 
M.  Westermann  of  Copenhagen,  to  be  found  in  great  profusion 
in  rice  fields,  upon  the  crops  of  which  it  is  believed  by  the 
natives  to  commit  great  havoc. ■ 

It  would  be  difficult  to  find  out  the  principles  upon  which 
entomologists  have  acted,  in  assigning  the  various  terms  of 
Scutellera,  Tetyra,  and  Thyreocoris, — three  generic  names 
established  in  the  same  year,  and  evidently  intended  by  their 
respective  authors,  Lamarck,2  Fabricius,  3  and  Schrank4,  to 
be  applied  to  that  one  and  the  same  group  of  insects,  indi- 
cated by  Linnaeus  in  his  '  Systema  Naturae'  as  "  Cimices  scu- 
tellati ;  scutello  longitudine  abdominis".  Had  those  succeed- 
ing naturalists,  who  have  adopted  all  three  names  in  their 
divisions  (rendered  necessary  by  the  discovery  of  many  new 
species),  proceeded  upon  the  plan  laid  down  by  some  scien- 
tific legislators,  of  considering  the  first  species  described  as 
the  type  of  the  genus,  the  matter  would  have  been  set  at  rest ; 
Cimex  nobilis,  L.,  in  that  case,  would  have  been  universally 
regarded  as  the  type  of  Scutellera ;  Cimex  imperialis,  Fabr., 
the  type  of  Tetyra;  and  the  beautifully  marked  Cim.  lineatus, 
L.,  would  have  settled  down  as  the  Thyreocoris  lineata  of 
Schrank. 

Dr.  Leach,  however,  applied  the  first  of  these  names  to  the 
set  of  insects  to  which  Cim,  nobilis,  signatus,  &c.  belong ; 
the  second  to  the  species  lineatus,  maurus,  fuliginosus,  in- 
unctus,  scarabceoides  and  their  allies  ;  while  he  restricted  the 
name  Thyreocoris  to  Schrank's  last  species  the  Cimex  globus, 

1  Silbermann, '  Revue  Entomologique,'  I.  3e  livr.  p.  111. 
2  Syst.  des  Animaux  sans  Vert.  p.  293,  (Paris,  1801). 
3  Systema  Rhyngotorum,  p.  128,  (ed.  Brunsvigag,  1803.     I  have  never 
seen  the  1st  edition  of  this  work,  referred  to  by  Cuvier  in  the  alphabetical 
table  of  authors,  given  in  the '  Regne  Animal,'  and  by  Percheron  in  his  Bib- 
liographic Entomologique,  as  being  published  in  1801). 

4  Fauna  Boica,  II.  abth.  1,  p.  67,  (Ingolstadt,  1801). 
Vol.  III.— No.  35,  n.  s.  3  n 


538  DESCRIPTIONS  OF 

Fabr.1  He  did  not  include,  as  Burmeister  and  Germar  do, 
the  broad-headed  insects,  closely  allied  to  the  globus  division, 
in  his  genus  Thyreocoris,  for  we  find  him  shortly  afterwards 
publishing  in  the  appendix  to  '  Bowdich's  Mission  to  Ashan- 
tee'  a  large  red-spotted  black  species  as  the  Canopus  punc- 
tatus.2  Wolff  regarded  the  Tetyra  lateralis,  Fabr.,  'Icones 
Cimicum'jtab.l?,  fig.  169,  a  species  near  the  Tel.  Scarabceoides 
as  the  type  of  the  genus  T/tyreocoris, — see  his  posthumous 
MSS.  published  by  his  father  in  the  preface  to  the  5th  fascicle 
of  his  elaborate  and  indispensable  work.  By  Burmeister,3 
Spinola4  and  Germar,5  all  three  terms  are  employed,  though 
in  many  instances  in  different  acceptations. 

Hope,6  Halm,7  and  Laporte8  reject,  and  perhaps  very 
properly,  the  names  of  Telyra  and  Thyreocoris;  the  two 
first  give  the  name  to  that  division  to  which  the  first  species 
to  be  described  belongs,  while  Laporte  applies  to  the  genus 
the  name  of  Graphosoma.  I  follow  the  example  of  Laporte, 
Spinola,  and  partly  of  Germar  in  the  application  of  the  name, 
for  though  Lamarck  afterwards  quoted  the  Cimex  linealus  as 
forming  part  of  his  genus  Sculellera,  (Hist.  Nat.  des  Anim. 
sans  Vert.  iii.  p.  491)  his  originally  described  character  of  the 
sculellum  entirely  covering  the  hemelyira,  would  have  exclu- 
ded it.     (Systeme  des  Anim.  &c.  p.  293.) 

With  regard  to  the  second  species,  I  follow  Laporte,  Spi- 
nola and  Westwood,  in  giving  the  generic  name  of  Coptosoma, 
Laporte,  to  that  small-headed,  2-jointed-/arms  division,  of 
which  Cimex  globus  is  the  type,  while  to  the  broad-headed 


«  Zoological  Miscellany,  vol.  I.  p.  36  (1814).— The  Doctor's  MSS.  in  a 
very  useful  compendium  of  British  Annulosa,  published  by  Mr.  Samouelle. 
Encyc.  Edin.  vol.  ix.  quoted  by  Mr.  Stephens  in  the  second  part  of  his 
Systematic  Catalogue,  p.  338. 

2  P.  496  (Appendix  No.  4).  Mr.  G.  R.  Gray  has  published  a  figure  and 
description  of  this  species  in  the  2nd  vol.  of  Griffith's  Translation  of  Cuvi- 
er's  Animal  Kingdom,  p.  233,  pi.  92,  fig.  2.  It  may  be  mentioned  that  it 
is  in  the  4th  Appendix  of  Bowdich's  Mission  that  Leach  instituted  the  ge- 
nera Teffius  and  Pelrognatha,  the  Carditis  Meyerlei,~Fabr.  being  the  type  of 
the  former,  and  the  Lamia  gigas,  Fabr.  of  the  latter ;  so  that  the  name 
Omacanlha  of  Serville  must  give  place  to  Pelrognatha  on  the  score  of 
priority,  Bowdich's  Mission  having  been  published  in  1819,  and  the  4th 
volume  of  theAnuales  de  Soc  Entom.de  France,  containing  Serville's  dis- 
tinguished labours,  in  1835. 

3  Handbuch  &c.  ii.  1  abth.  Berlin,  1835. 
4  Essai  sur  les  genres  d'Insectes  appartenants  a  l'ordre  des  Hemipteres, 
&c.  Genes.  1837. 

5  Zeitschrift  fur  die  Entomologie,  heft  1,  1839. 

6  Catalogue  of  Hemiptera,  London,  1838. 

7  Essai  &c.  in  Guerin's  Magasin  de  Zool.  1832. 

8  Wanzenartigen  Insecten,  Nurnberg,  1831. 


TWO  HEMIPTEROUS  INSECTS.  539 

division,  Laporte's  name  Platycephala  would  be  applied, 
were  it  not  that,  as  Mr.  Westwood  has  pointed  out,  the  name 
has  been  pre-occupied ;  I  am  rather  inclined  to  think  that 
Serville's  Brachyplatys  is  synonymous  with  Laporte's  genus, 
in  which  case  Mr.  Westwood's  name  Plataspis  must  be  re- 
jected, on  the  score  of  its  being  given  after  the  publication 
of  Boisduval's  '  Faune  Entomologique  de  l'Ocean  Pacifi^^,' 
p.  627,  1832. 

Boisduval,  in  the  work  mentioned  above,  remarks  that  the 
extremity  of  the  scutellum  in  the  male  of  Brachyplatys  is 
notched,  Mr.  Westwood  however,  in  his  excellent  paper  on 
Coptosoma,  published  in  the  2nd  vol.  of  this  series,1  has 
pointed  out  that  it  is  the  female  that  is  so  distinguished ;  the 
transverse  folding  of  the  anterior  wings  seems  to  me,  to  be 
implied  by  Burmeister  in  his  expression  "  die  Haut  zurneck- 
geschlagen,"  as  is  the  occurrence  of  two  joints  only  to  the 
tarsus.  My  inexperienced  eyes  can  only  detect  four  joints 
to  the  antennae  in  the  species  described  below,  but  this,  added 
to  the  female  having  a  blunt  clypeus,  as  well  as  notched  scu- 
tellum, and  both  sexes  having  Hie  femora  much  compressed, 
as  well  as  the  last  joints  of  the  antennae,  which  are  also  hairy, 
with  a  few  other  rostral  characters,  may  perhaps  indicate  that 
the  insect  is  entitled  to  generic  separation ;  but  I  am  unwil- 
ling at  present  to  give  a  name,  lest  it  should  be  afterwards 
quoted  as  among  the  things  that  were. 

I  cannot  see  how  Halin  and.Spinola  can  possibly  apply 
the  term  Thyreocoris  to  a  division,  not  a  species  of  which  is 
quoted  by  Schrank  as  belonging  to  his  genus.  I  am  then  of 
opinion  that  the  Telyra  scarabaeoides,  lateralis  and  helopio- 
ides,  three  species  figured  by  Wolff,  as  well  as  many  of,  if  not 
all,  the  species  included  by  Germar  in  his  definition  of  the 
genus  Odonloscelis,  the  type  of  which  as  given  by  Laporte 
himself  in  his  '  Essai'  p.  74,  is  the  Telyra  fuliginosa  of  Fabr., 
(Ursocoris  fully inosus)  Hahn,  Arclocoris  fuliginosus,  Germar, 
(p.  47.)  I  propose  to  name  the  genus  (which  seems  almost  as 
peculiar  to  the  new  world,  as  Coptosoma  and  Plataspis  are  to 
the  old)  Corimelaena,  the  type  being  the  Telyra  lateralis  of 
Fabr.  and  Cor.  scarabaeoides,  helopioides,  niliduloides  and 
albipennis,  being  included  in  it ;  it  is  unnecessary  to  take  up 
space  in  describing  the  characters,  as  they  are  already  done 
in  such  an  able  manner  by  Professor  Germar,  in  his  '  Zeits- 
chrift,'  I.  pp.  36  and  37.  Our  first  species,  Graphosoma 
Wilsoni,  the  specific  character,  merely,  of  which  is  given 
beneath,  comes  near  the  G.  semipunciatum  of  authors,  from 

1  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.  New  Series,  ii.  pp.  23,  29. 


540 


DESCRIPTIONS  OF 


which  however,  it  is  abundantly  distinct.  In  the  elongated 
form  of  the  head  and  sctttellum,  as  well  as  in  having  the  sides 
of  the  scutellum  distinctly  sinuated  in  the  middle,  it  more 
nearly  approaches  a  species  from  Teneriffe,  in  the  collection 
of  the  British  Museum,  to  which  I  applied  the  name  Gar. 
interruptum,  in  a  paper  on  several  new  genera  and  species 
of  Hemiptera,  read  several  months  ago  before  the  Entomo- 
logical Society. 


a,  Grwphosoma  Wilsoni,  magnified. 
c,  Plataspis  ( ? )  coracina,  fem.  magnified 
e,  part  of  upper  side  of  head  &c.  of  female. 


b,  Ditto,  lateral  view,  natural  size. 
d,  lateral  view;  natural  size. 
/,  head  of  male,  viewed  from  above. 


I  characterize  my  species  as  follows : — 
Graphosoma  Wilsoni,  n.  sp.  fig.  68,  a. 

G.  sanguineum,  thorace  punctis  8  distinctis,  striaque  postica  laterali, 
nigris ;  scutello  basi  punctis  4  nigris,  lateralibus  elongatis  et  acuminatis  ; 
subtus  flavum  (in  spec,  mortuis)  nigro  punctatum.    Long.  lin.  6. 

Hah.  in  Persia. 

In  Mus.  Dom.  Wilson,  Edinensis,  nature,  insectorum  praesertira,  scru- 
tatoris  diligentissimi,  et  '  Entomologiae  Edinensis'  cum  Dom.  Duncan, 
auctoris. 

This  species  was  brought  over  by  Mr.  Wilson's  brother- 
in-law,  Sir  John  MacLean,  along  with  many  other  fine  insects 
and  spiders,  for  the  opportunity  of  examining  and  describing 
which,  I  am  indebted  to  the  great  kindness  of  Mr.  Wilson. 

The  second  species  may  be  thus  described : — 

Plataspis  (?)  coracina,  n.  sp.  fig.  68,  c. 

P.  aeneo-nigra,  nitida  (pectoreque  solum  fuliginoso),  thoracis  lateribus 
hemelytrorumque  basi,  abdominisque  lateribus  fulvo  anguste  marginatis. 


Mas,  clypeo  antice  rotundato,)    j         lin  53 
Fcem.       „         „       truncate    J         °*  4* 


Hah.  in  Java.    In  Mus.  Doctoris  Greville,  'Scottish  Cryptogamic  Flora 
celeberrimi  auctoris,  turn  insectorum  turn  plantarum  studiosissimi. 


TWO  HEMIPTEROUS  INSECTS.  541 

I  have  alluded  above  to  a  paper  on  Hemiptera,  as  yet  un- 
published; I  subjoin  the  characters  there  given  of  the 

Graphosoma  interruptum. 

G,  nigrum,  thorace  lineis  tribus,  dorsali  solum  elongato,  arcubus  partis  pos- 
terioribus  flavis  (in  vita  rubris  ?),  scutello  lineis  tribus,  margineque  tenui 
flavis. 

I  subjoin  also  the  characters  of  a  few  of  the  other  species 
there  described,  expecting  the  Society  to  publish  my  figures 
and  particular  descriptions. 

Of  the  Cimex  costatus  of  Fabricius,  a  species  seemingly 
unknown  on  the  continent,  I  have  made  a  genus,  which,  to 
the  remarkably  raised  edges  of  the  canal  for  the  beak,  so  pro- 
minent in  the  genus  Solenosthedium  of  Spinola,  Coeloglossa 
of  Germar,  (both  founded  by  their  respective  authors  on  the 
same  species, — the  Cimex  lynceus  of  Fabricius,  figured  in 
Coquebert's  Illustr.  Iconogr.  tab.  10,  fig.  7),  adds  a  thorax 
semicircularly  dilated  behind,  as  well  as  other  characters  to 
be  pointed  out  elsewhere. 

I  name  it  Coleotichus,  the  species  Col.  costatus,  the  origi- 
nal specimen  of  which  is  still  to  be  seen  in  the  Banksian  col- 
lection of  insects,  bequeathed  to  the  Linnean  Society.  In  the 
British  Museum  cabinet  there  are  two  specimens  of  this  rare 
insect,  presented  by  Mr.  Children,  the  officer  of  the  zoologi- 
cal department.  Mr.  Shuckard  tells  me  he  has  a  second  spe- 
cies in  his  collection,  but  this  I  have  not  yet  seen. 

Another  elongated  thick  species,  kindly  lent  me  by  Mr. 
Newman  from  the  valuable  collection  of  the  Entomological 
Club,  would  enter,  I  believe,  into  Germar's  genus  Calliphara, 
but  not  having  the  specimen  beside  me,  I  cannot  exactly  make 
out  whether  it  may  not  more  properly  belong  to  Scutellera. 
Its  specific  character  may  be  given  as  follows. 

Calliphara  (Scutellera  ?  J  bifasciata,  n.  sp. 

C.  luteo-aurantiaca ;  an  tennis,  capite,  thoracis  fascia  postica  transversa, 
scutelli  macula  dorsali  fasciaque  post  medium  transversa,  tibiisque,  caeru- 
lescenti-viridibus.     Long.  lat. 

Hah.  in  insula  Maris  Pacifici  Dom.  Newman  ignota. 
An  elegant  species  sent  by  Mr.  Daniel  Wheeler  to  the  En- 
tomological Club. 

Another  species,  placed  by  me  in  Laporte's  genus  Calidea 
{Callidea  Burm.  and  Germ.),  I  characterize  as  follows ;  it  is 
a  most  beautiful  species,  but  the  antenna  unfortunately  are 
wanting. 


54*2  DESCRIPTIONS  OF  TWO  HEMIPTEROUS  INSECTS. 

Calidea  parent  u?n,  n.  sp. 

C.  supra  ochraceo-rubra,  maculis  12  nigris,  thoracis  4,  prioribus  minutis, 
scutelli  8,  5  basi  :  • : ,  3  post  medium  ■  .  ■ ,  capite  supra  (2  maculis  rubris 
exceptis),  pectore,  abdominisque  maculis  lateralibus,  pedibusque  nitidis, 
nigro-violaceis.     Long.  lin.  8f :  lat  thor.  lin.  4-g-. 

Hab.  in  Australia.     In  Mus.  Brit. 

Another  species  is  very  strikingly  marked ;  I  call  it, 
Tectocoris  Childreni.  n.  sp. 

T.  luteo-fulva,  thorace  maculis  4,  scutello  11,  atris,  subtus  nigresceuti- 
purpurea,  pedibus  viridibus.     Long.  lin.  8^ ;  lat.  thor.  lin.  o£. 
Hah.  in  Nepalia  ? 

Found  in  the  valuable  collection  of  insects  bequeathed  by 
Major-General  Hardwicke  to  the  British  Museum,  and  named 
in  honour  of  John  George  Children,  Esq.,  late  Secretary  to 
the  Royal  Society,  whose  collection,  books,  and  advice  have 
been  ever  at  my  service. 

Many  other  species  I  have  described  in  the  paper  above 
alluded  to ;  a  rather  hairy  one  from  Sierra  Leone,  of  a  beau- 
tiful dark  green  colour,  with  six  black  spots  on  the  thorax, 
and  seven  on  the  scutellum,  with  a  dorsal  line  extending  from 
the  base  to  beyond  the  second  pair  of  spots,  I  have  named  Ca- 
lidea Moryani,  after  the  chaplain  of  the  colony  at  Sierra  Le- 
one, who,  amongst  many  valuable  insects  sent  to  the  national 
collection,  has  communicated  a  specimen  of  the  remarkable 
Hymenopterous  genus,  Agaon  of  Dalman,  as  pointed  out  to 
me  by  Mr.  Westwood. 

In  that  paper  I  also  characterized  a  genus  of  Coreida  from 
Nepal,  somewhat  connected  with  Menenotus  (Lap.),  agree- 
ing with  it  in  the  lateral  dilatations  of  the  thorax  being  bent 
forwards  and  upwards,  but  differing  from  both  it  and  Cerbus 
in  the  proportions  of  the  joints  of  the  antenna,  the  basal  joint 
being  longest,  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  differing  but  lit- 
tle in  length,  the  last  slightly  bent,  and  in  the  veining  of  the 
hemelytra.  The  femora,  in  both  sexes,  more  or  less  thick- 
ened, and  all  the  tibia,  in  both  sexes  of  the  typical  species, 
dilated. 

I  name  the  genus,  from  the  "winged"  neck,  Derepteryx ; 
the  first  species  being  Der.  Grayii,  of  a  brown  colour,  the 
thorax  rough  with  tubercles,  while  in  the  second — Der.  Hard- 
wickii — the  tibia,  in  our  specimen  (a  female)  are  sim- 
ple, the  thorax  above  being  comparatively  smooth.  I  have 
named  the  first  species  after  John  Edward  Gray,  Esq.  F.R.S. 
whose  uniform  extreme  kindness,  and  assistance  in  my  sci- 
entific pursuits,  I  embrace  this  opportunity  of  gratefully  ac- 
knowledging. 


FOSSIL  PLANTS  OF  BRITAIN.  543 

Another  very  flat  genus,  the  precise  locality  of  which,  in 
the  system,  I  have  not  yet  ascertained,  though  it  may  be  near 
Phytocoris,  wants  the  ocelli,  and  is  of  an  oblong  elliptical  form, 
the  head  being  small  and  somewhat  square,  with  a  distinct 
neck  behind  the  rather  prominent  eyes ;  the  thorax  is  nar- 
rowest in  front,  gradually  increasing  in  breadth  behind,  scu- 
tellum  large,  as  is  the  coriaceous  part  of  the  hemelytra ;  legs 
long  and  fringed  with  hairs ;  antennce  wanting  in  our  speci- 
men, all  but  the  basal  joint,  which  proceeds  from  a  slightly 
projecting  lobe  on  the  upper  side  of  the  head ;  the  beak  is 
short,  not  reaching  far  beyond  the  first  pair  of  legs  :  the  spe- 
cies is  7  lines  long,  and  nlay  be  characterized  as  follows. — 

Caliprepes  Grayii. 

C.  virescenti-luteus,  thorace  maculis  2  dorsalibus  posticis  triangularibus, 
scutello  2  basalibus,  rubris :  hemelytrorum  parte  coriacea,  linea  apicali 
transversa,  viridi, — membranacea,  linea  basali  obscura. 

Hob.  in  Nepalia  ?    Coll.  Mus.  Brit. 

Named  in  honour  of  George  Robert  Gray,  Esq.  late  Secre- 
tary to  the  Entomological  Society  of  London,  whose  works 
on  insects,  but  especially  on  Orthoptera,  must  always  rank 
among  the  most  important  Entomological  publications  of  the 
present  day. 


Art.  IV. — A  Systematic  Catalogue  of  the  Fossil  Plants  of  Britain. 
By  John  Morris  Esq. 

(Continued  from  page  457). 

NEUROPTERIDES,  Gopp. 

Frond  simple,  pinnate  or  bi-pinnate.  Secondary  veins  issuing  in  num- 
bers from  the  midrib,  which  does  not  extend  to  the  apex  of  the  pinnule  ; 
or,  all  the  veins  are  forked,  and  rise  in  a  fan-shaped  manner  from  the  base 
of  the  pinnule;  the  midrib  being  scarcely  apparent. 

Neuropteris,  Brong. 

Frond  pinnate  or  bi-pinnate.  Pinnce  or  pinnulce  cordate  or  subcordate 
at  their  base,  rarely  adnate  or  decurrent.  Midrib  thick,  not  extended  to 
the  apex,  secondary  veins  numerous,  slender,  usually  forked  and  curved. 
Sori  lanceolate,  even,  (with  an  indusium),  arising  from  the  veins  of  the  apex 
of  the  pinnule,  and  often  placed  on  the  bifurcations. 


544  FOSSIL  PLANTS  OF  BrvITAIN. 

*  Pinna  or  pinnulce  cordate,  rarely  subcordate  or  truncate. 

Neurop.  attenuata,   Lindl.  and  Hutt.  iii.  tab.   174.      Coal 

Measures,  Newcastle. 
smilacifolia,  Sternb.  part  ii.  pages  29,  33,  part  iv.  page 

16,  excluding  the  synonyme  of  Scheuchzer ;  Gopp.  page 

191 ;  Neur opt.  acuminata,  Brong.  Prod,  page  53  ;  Hist.  i. 

page  229,  tab.  63,  fig.  4;  Lind.  &  Hutt.  page  143,  tab  51. 

Coal  measures,  Schmalkalden  and  Dickeberg,  Germany; 

Felling,  England. 

cordata,  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  229,  tab.  64,  fig.  5  ;  Lind. 


and  Hutt.  page  119,  tab.  41 ;  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page 
60.  Coal  measures,  Leebotwood,  England ;  Alais  and  St. 
Etienne,  France ;  Waldenburg. 

—  Scheuchzeri,  Hoffm.  iv.  page  151,  fig.  1 — 4;  Karst. 
Arch.  xiii.  tab.  2,  page  27 ;  Sternb.  v.  and  vi.  page  70. — 
Phillites  miner  alls,  Lluid,1  page  12,  tab.  5.  Osmunda, 
Scheuch.  tab.  10,  fig.  3.  Coal  measures,  Osnabruck;  Wil- 
lekesbarre;  England. 

angustifolia,  Brong.  Hist,  page  231,  tab.  64,  fig.  8,  4; 


Sternb.  v.  and  vi.  page  70.     Coal  measures,  Bath ;  Wil- 
lekesbarre  ;  Radnitz  ;  Waldenburg. 

acutifolia,  Brong.  i.  p.  231,  tab.  64,  fig.  6,7;  Sternb. 


v.  and  vi.  tab.  19,  fig.  4.     Coal  measures,  Bath;  Willeks- 
barre ;  Bohemia ;  Waldenburg. 

—   Voltzii,  Brong.  Prod,  page  54;  Hist,  page  232,  tab.  67; 
Sternb.  v.  and  vi.  page  70.     Gres  bigarre,  Strasburg. 

crenulata,  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  234,  tab.  64,  fig.  2,  (ex- 


cluding synonymes) ;    Sternb.  v.   and  vi.  page  71.     Coal 
measures,  Saarbrtick. 

macrophylla,  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  235,  tab.  65,  fig.  1 ; 

Sternb.  v.  and  vi.  page  71.      Coal  measures,  Dunkerton  ; 
Somerset. 

Cistii,  Brong.  Prod,  page  53;  Hist.  i.  page  238,  tab.  70, 

fig.  3.     Coal  measures,  Willeksbarre. 

Grangeri,  Brong.  Prod,  page  53;  Hist.  i.  page  237, 

tab.  68,  fig.  1;  Sternb.  v.  and  vi.  page  71.     Coal  measures, 
Zanesville,  U.  States. 

rotundifolia,  Brong.  Prod,  page  51 ;  Hist.  i.  page  238, 


tab.  70,  fig.  1 ;  Sternb.  v.  and  vi.  page  71 ;  Gopp.  tab.  1, 
fig.  6.  Coal  measures,  Du  Plessis,  France.  Alpine  oolite, 
La  Roche  Macot ;  Col  de  Balme. 

—  Jlexuosa,  Sternb.  part  iv.  page  16,  part  v.  and  vi.  page 
71 ;  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  239,  tab.  65,  fig.  2,  3,  tab.  68,  fig. 

1  Lithophylacii  Britannici  Ichnographia,  1760. 


FOSSIL  PLANTS  OF  BRITAIN.  545 

2.  Osmunda  gigantea,  var.  0,  Sternb.  part  iii.  page  36,  tab. 
32,  fig.  2 ;  GeoL  Trans.  2nd  series,  vol.  i.  page  45,  tab.  7, 
fig.  2.  Coal  measures,  Axminster  and  Camerton,  England; 
Saarbriick;  France;  Waldenburg,  Silesia.  Alpine  oolite. 
La  Roche  Macot.     (Culm J,  Devon. 

gigantea,  Sternb,  part  iv.  page  16,  part  v.  and  vi.  page 


72  ;  Brong.  Prod,  page  54 ;  Hist.  i.  page  240,  tab.  69 
Lindl.  and  Hutt.  page  145,  tab.  52 ;  Gopp.  page  196. — 
Coal  measures,  Silesia ;  Saarbriick,  Bohemia ;  Newcastle, 
England.  Alpine  oolite,  Servoz,  Savoy. 
—  tenuifolia,  Sternb.  part  v.  andvi.  page  72;  Brong.  Hist, 
i.  page  241,  tab.  72,  fig.  3 ;  Gopp.  page  197;  Bronn,1  i.  tab. 
7.  fig.  4.  Coal  measures,  Saarbruck ;  Silesia ;  Newcastle. 
Alpine  oolite,  Petit- cceur. 

Loshii,  Brong.  Prod,  page  53 ;  Hist,  page  242,  tab.  73 ; 


Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  72;  Gopp.  page  198.  Lzth- 
osmunda  minor,  &c.  Lluid.  tab.  4,  fig.  189.  Coal  measures, 
Newcastle,  Lowmoor ;  Willekesbarre ;  Silesia ;  Valencien- 
nes ;  Liege. 

—  heterophylla,  Sternb.  part  iv.  page  17,  part  v.  and  vi. 
page  73  ;  Brong.  Prod,  page  53  ;  Hist.  i.  page  243,  tab.  71, 
Nenr.  Loshii,  Brong.  Hist.  i.  tab.  72.  fig.  1 ;  Gopp.  page 
198.     Coal  measures,  Charleroi ;  Saarbruck.2 

Brongniartii,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  73.     Neur. 


heterophylla,  Brong.  Hist.  i.  tab.  72,  fig.  2 ;    Gopp.  page 
199.     Coal  measures,  Charleroi ;  Saarbruck. 

Soretii,  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  244,  tab.  70,  fig.  2;  Sternb. 


part  v.  and  vi.  page  73.     Coal  measures,  Newcastle.     Al- 
pine oolite,  La  Roche  Macot,  Tarentaise. 
—  microphylla,  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  245,  tab.  74,  fig.  6 ; 
Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  73.     Coal  measures,  Willekes- 
barre. 

Gaillardoti,  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  245,  tab.   74,  fig.  3; 


Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  73  ;  Gopp.  page  200.  Mus- 
chelkalk,  Luneville. 

—  Dufresnoyi,  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  246,  tab.  74,  fig.  4,  5; 
Gopp.  page  200.  Otopteris  Dufresnoyi,  Lindl.  and  Hutt. 
ii.  page  142.     Red  sandstone,  Lodeves,  France. 

—  elegans,  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  247,  tab.  72,  fig.  1,  2 ; 


1  Lethaea  Geognostica. 

2  The  Neuropteris  Loshii  of  Brong.  Hist.  tab.  72,  fig.  1 ,  has  been  placed 
as  a  synonym  of  Neur.  heterophylla  upon  the  authority  of  Prof.  Goppert, 
although  it  appears  to  differ  in  decreasing  much  less  rapidly  than  the  lat- 
ter, and  the  terminal  portion  is  consequently  not  lanceolate,  which  Brong- 
niart  considers  characteristic  of  Neur.  heterophylla. 

Vol.  III.— No.  35.  n.  s.         3  o 


•46  FOSSIL  PLANTS  OF  BRITAIN. 

Stemb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  73;  Gopp.  page  201.     Red 
sandstone,  Sulz-les-Bains. 

plicata,  Sternb.  part  iv.  page  16,  part  v.  and  vi.  tab.  19, 


a  . 


fig.  1 — 3;  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  248;  Gopp.  page  201. 
Coal  measures,  Bohemia;  Silesia. 

—  obovata,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  74,  tab.  19,  fig.  2 
Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  248 ;  Gopp.  page  202.     Coal  mea- 
sures, Bohemia. 

**  Pinnae  or  pinnulce  obtuse  at  the  "base,  (never  cordate). 

—  Lindleyana,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  73 ;  Gopp.  page 
202.  Neur.  Loshii,  Lindl.  and  Hutt.  i.  page  139,  tab.  49, 
excluding  synonymes).     Coal  measures,  Felling,  England. 

thymifolia,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  75 ;  Gopp.  page 


203.     Neur.  Soretii,  Lindl.  and  Hutt.  i.  page  141,  tab.  50, 
(excluding  synonyms).     Coal  measures,  Felling. 

***  Pinna  or  pinnulce  adnate,  the  lower  ones  sometimes  decurrent. 
oblongata,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  75,  tab.  22,  fig. 


1  ;  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  249  ;  Gopp.  page  203.     Coal  mea- 
sures, Poulton,  Temsbury,  Somerset. 

decurrens,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  75,  tab.  20,  fig. 


2  ;  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  249  ;  Gopp.  page  203.    Coal  mea- 
sures. 

conferta,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  75,  tab.  22,  fig.  5; 

Gopp.  page  204.     Coal  measures,  Bohemia ;  Silesia. 

alpina,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  76,  tab.  22,  fig.  2  ; 

Gopp.  page  204. 

recentior,  Lindl.  and  Hutt.  i.  page  195,  tab.  68;  Gopp. 

page  205  ;  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  76.     Oolite  shale, 
Gristhorpe  Bay. 

ligata,  Lindl.  and  Hutt.  i.  page  197,  tab.  69;  Sternb. 


part  v.  and  vi.  page  76.     Pecopteris  ligata,  Phillips,1  tab. 
8,  fig.  14.     Oolite  shale,  Gristhorpe  Bay. 
—  serrata,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  76.     Odontopteris 
crenulata,  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  254,  tab.  78,  fig.  2.     Coal 
measures,  Terasson,  France. 

lobifolia,  Phillips,  tab.  8,  fig.  13;  Gopp.  page  206.— 


Pecopteris  lobifolia,  Lindl.  and  Hutt.  iii.  tab.  179.     Oolite 
shale,  Haiburn,  Yorkshire. 

—  bistriata,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  76 ;  Gopp.  page 
206,  Maschau,  Bohemia. 

—  dickebergensis,  Hoffm.  Karst.  Archiv.  xiii.  part  2,  page 

1  Illustrations  of  the  Geology  of  Yorkshire,  part  1, 1836. 


FOSSIL  FLANTS  OF  BRITAIN.  547 

271  ;  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  77 ;  Gopp.  page  207.— 
Coal  measures,  Osnabruck. 

ovata,  Hoffm.  loc.  cit.  page  272  ;  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi. 

page  77 ;  Gopp.  page  207.     Coal  measures,  Osnabruck. 

Doubtful  species. 

distans,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  77 ;  Brong.  Hist. 

i.  page  250  ;  Gopp.  page  207.     Coal  measures,  Eschwei- 
ler,  Germany. 

Martini,  Sternb.;  Gopp.  page  208.     Phytolithus  Os- 

munda  regalis,  Mart.  tab.  19,  fig.  1 — 3.     Coal  measures, 
Chesterfield ;  Alfreton. 

Odontopteris,  Brong. 

Frond  pinnate  or  bipinnate.  Pinnce  or  pinnulce  adnate  by  their  base  to 
the  rachis,  or  free,  generally  oblique,  midrib  wanting  or  scarcely  visible. — 
Veins  very  fine,  equal,  simple  or  forked,  springing  from  the  rachis. 

*  Veins  subparallel,  equal,  straight,  simple  or  dichotomous. 

a.  Frond  digitate-pinnate. 

Odont.  digitata,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  77,  tab.  23,  fig. 
3  ;  Gopp.  page  209.     Oolite  shale,  Yorkshire. 

b.  Frond  pinnate. 
undulata,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  tab.  25,  fig.  1  ;   Gopp. 


page  209.     Oolite  shale,  Yorkshire. 
—  falcata,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  tab.  23,  fig.  1 ;   Gopp. 
page  210.     Oolite  shale,  Yorkshire. 

Schmidelii,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  tab.  35,  fig.  2.    Neu- 


ropt.  dubia,  Sternb.  part  iv.  page  17.  Homstone,  Baruth. 
—  Bechei,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  78 ;  Gopp.  page 
210;  De  la  Beche,  Geol.  Trans.  2nd.  series,  vol.  i.  tab.  7, 
fig.  3.     Oolite,  Mamers,  France.     Lias,  Axminster. 

Bucklandi,  Sternb.  part  v.  &  vi.  page  79 ;   Gopp.  page 


211.     Filicites  Bucklandi,  Brong.;  De  la  Beche,  Geolog. 
Trans.  2nd  series,  vol.  i.  tab.  vii.  fig.  2.     Lias,  Axminster. 

*  *  Veins  arched,  ascending,  simple  or  dichotomous. 
a.  Frond  pinnate. 
—  acuminata,  Gopp.  page  211.     Otopteris  acuminata, 
Lindl.  and  Hutt.  ii.  tab.  132.     Oolite  shale,  Scarborough. 
Otopteris,  Gopp.  page  211.     Otopteris  obtusa,  Lindl. 


and  Hutt.  ii.  tab.  128.     Lias,  Memberg ;  Polden  Hill 
Upper  oolite  shale,  Scarborough. 

b.  Frond  bipinnate  or  bipinnatifid. 

Brardii,  Brong.  Prod,  page  60 ;  Hist.  i.  page  252,  tab 


548  NOTES  ON  IRISH  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

75,  76;  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  79;    Gopp.  page  212. 
Otopteris  crenulata,  Brong.  Hist.  i.  tab.  78,  fig.  1.     Coal 
measures,  Terasson,  France.     Alpine  oolile,  Petit-cceur. 
minor,  Brong.  Prod,  page  60 ;  Hist.  i.  page  253,  tab. 


77;  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  79;  Gopp.  page  213. — 
Coal  measures,  Terasson  ;  St.  Etienne. 

Schlotheirnii,  Brong.  Hist.  i.  page  256,  tab.  78,  fig.  5 ; 


Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  79;  Gopp.  page  213.  Neu- 
ropteris  nummularia,  Sternb.  part  iv.  page  17.  Filicites 
osmundceformis,  Schloth.  Petref.  page  412,  tab.  3,  fig.  5. — 
Coal  measures,  Manebaeh,  Germany. 

—  obtvsa,  Brong.  Prod,  page  60 ;  Hist,  i.  page  255,  tab. 
78,  fig.  3,  4;  Gopp.  page  214.     Coal  measures,  Terasson, 
France.     Alpine  oolite,  Col  d'Ecuelle,  near  Chamonix. 
Lindleyana,  Sternb.  part  v.  and  vi.  page  78;  Gopp. 


page  214,  tab.  1,  fig.  7,  8,  var.  £.  Odont.  obtusa,  Lindl.  & 
Hutt.  i.  tab.  40.  Coal  measures,  Leebotwood;  /3,  Silesia. 
—  Bergeri,  Gopp.  page  215.     Lias,  Coburg,  Saxony. 

(To  he  continued?) 


Art.  V. — Notes  on  Irish  Natural  History,  more  especially  Ferns. 
By  Edward  Newman,  Esq.,  F.L.S.,  &c. 

The  most  trivial  notes  on  any  branch  of  Natural  History  are 
always  so  acceptable  to  myself,  that  I  am  perhaps  too  confi- 
dent in  supposing  that  my  own  careless  memoranda  may  be 
pleasing  to  others.  On  the  28th  of  last  June  I  landed  at 
Newry,  and,  with  knapsack  on  back,  marched  off  in  a  north- 
erly direction,  to  see  with  my  own  eyes  a  country  of  which 
Englishmen  in  general  know  something  less  than  of  Kamkat- 
cha  or  South  Australia.  From  Belfast  to  Fairhead  I  coasted 
the  county  of  Antrim,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  miles ;  and 
although  I  found  nothing  particularly  striking,  yet  the  fine 
sea-views,  commanding  the  coast  of  Scotland,  the  Isles  of 
Arran,  Bute,  Jura,  Islay,  &c,  and  the  singular  Ailsa  Craig, 
amply  repay  the  pedestrian  for  his  time.  Fairhead  is  really 
grand ;  the  basalt  is  irregularly  columnar,  quite  perpendicu- 
lar, and  of  great  height:  during  the  lapse  of  ages  it  seems 
gradually  to  have  given  way,  vast  disrupted  masses  being 
crowded  and  jammed  together  below  the  cliff,  in  wild  and 
wonderful  confusion.  The  height  of  the  cliff  is  about  650 
feet  above  the  sea  ;  of  this,  a  portion  measuring  perhaps  300 
feet  is  perfectly  perpendicular,  the  remainder  is  a  mass  of 
fragments  decreasing  in  height  till  it  reaches  the  sea. 


NOTES  ON  IRISH  NATURAL  HISTORY.  549 

On  this  cliff  I  first  saw  the  red-legged  crow,  and  watched 
it  feeding  its  young  in  the  fissures  of  the  inaccessible  preci- 
pice :  compared  with  our  crow,  rook,  or  j  ackdaw,  it  is  a  grace- 
ful bird;  its  flight  is  easy  and  elegant,  and  its  gait,  when 
perched,  very  pleasing.  The  hooded  crow  and  raven  are  also 
abundant  here,  and  the  latter  wonderfully  familiar.  Ferns 
were  abundant;  Asplenium  marinum  occurs  in  profusion, 
and  grows  to  a  large  size,  but  the  fronds  of  the  present  year 
were  very  immature,  and  those  of  last  season  beginning  to 
decay.  In  the  basaltic  cliff  is  a  remarkable  fissure,  across 
which  a  mass  has  fallen  and  forms  a  natural  bridge ;  through 
this  fissure  is  a  foot-way  called  the  '  Grey  Man's  Path,'  lead- 
ing under  the  bridge  to  the  top  of  the  cliff;  this  path  is  liter- 
ally "  strewed  with  flowers,"  and  among  them  the  beautiful 
Papaver  Cambricum  was  very  conspicuous  and  abundant. 

The  singular  little  island  of  Carrick-a-Rede,  its  flexible 
bridge  of  ropes,  and  the  neighbouring  sea-caves  roofed  with 
Asplenium  marinum,  are  well  worth  a  visit;  and  so  is  the 
Giant's  Causeway  a  few  miles  to  the  westward,  for  of  a  sure- 
ty it  is  most  curious,  but  when  the  terms  "stupendous,"  "gi- 
gantic," "sublime,"  &c.  are  given  to  this  curiosity,  they  are 
certainly  misapplied.  When  the  guides  first  tell  him  "  that 
is  the  Causeway,"  and  point  to  a  low,  brown,  tame-looking, 
sea-beach,  the  most  phlegmatic  man  in  the  world  must  inevi- 
tably feel  disappointed ;  but  as  he  walks  onwards  and  finds 
that  he  is  treading  on  the  tops  of  basaltic  pillars,  of  various 
but  regular  figures,  triangles,  squares,  pentagons,  hexagons, 
and  heptagons,  he  cannot  but  be  struck  with  the  curiosity  of 
the  affair.  Compared  with  Staffa,  the  Giant's  Causeway  is  so 
insignificant  that  I  am  persuaded  that  were  it  on  the  beach  of 
that  magnificent  basaltic  island,  it  would  never  have  been  no- 
ticed up  to  the  present  hour.  The  guides  here  are  a  great 
and  insuperable  annoyance,  and  their  name  is  Legion ;  they 
are  of  no  use  whatever,  and  by  what  title  they  hold  the  right 
of  worrying  strangers  I  am  quite  at  a  loss  to  ascertain. 

Donegal  is  a  fine  county  for  the  naturalist ;  here  are  vast 
and  unbroken  tracts  of  mountains,  and  here  man,  that  is,  ci- 
vilized man,  has  rarely  set  his  foot.  The  bog  is  covered  with 
the  common  ling  [Calluna  vulgaris),  and  a  variety  of  Carices 
and  coarse  sour  grasses ;  a  few  scattered  sheep,  and  an  oc- 
casional flock  of  twenty  or  thirty  white  goats,  may  here  and 
there  be  seen  wandering  over  the  boggy  waste.  You  scarcely 
ever  see  a  tree,  although  the  bog  contains  the  remains  of  the 
trees  of  former  ages.  The  abundant  and  almost  universal  oc- 
currence of  the  remains  of  vast  timber-trees  in  the  wastes  of 
Scotland  and  Ireland,  where  trees  are  now  almost  as  rare  as 


550  NOTES  ON  IRISH  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

churches,  and  where  indeed  they  can  scarcely  be  coaxed  to 
grow  at  all,  has  never  yet  been  satisfactorily  explained.  A 
favourite  theory  on  this  subject  is,  that  in  time  of  war  the  fo- 
rests were  cleared,  lest  they  should  form  a  shelter  in  cases  of 
pursuit :  a  second  theory  is,  that  copper  and  lead  ore  were 
conveyed  from  Cornwall  and  Wales  to  the  coast  of  Ireland, 
in  order  to  be  smelted,  and  that  whole  forests  were  levelled 
for  the  supply  of  fuel.  The  fragments  of  trees  remaining  ap- 
pear to  be  preserved  by  the  bog,  and  to  have  suffered  little  or 
nothing  from  the  action  of  moisture.  The  recent  timber  must 
not  be  confounded  with  the  trunks  often  found  still  lower  in 
the  bog,  and  which  are  fairly  entitled  to  rank  as  bog  fossils, 
being  evidently  coeval  with  the  bones  of  the  extinct  Irish 
elks  and  cattle.  The  more  recent  timber  is  mostly  oak  and 
Scotch  fir. 

The  north-western  extremity  of  the  county  Donegal  is  wild, 
grand,  and  mountainous ;  the  summits  are  very  lofty,  white, 
and  perfectly  without  vegetation.  Having  selected  Arrigal 
as  the  highest  peak,  I  made  the  ascent,  which  is  by  no  means 
difficult,  a  good  road  having  been  cut  along  its  shoulder,  and 
passing  within  a  thousand  perpendicular  feet  of  its  summit. 
The  summit  is  a  sharp  crescent-shaped  ridge ;  the  descent 
on  the  inside  of  the  crescent  is  very  precipitous  and  remarka- 
bly barren :  the  form  of  the  mountain  is  what  is  usually  termed 
volcanic,  and  deep  within  the  vast  excavation  which  may  be 
regarded  as  analogous  to  a  crater,  is  a  still  lake.  The  view 
is  very  fine ;  the  lakes,  mountain -peaks,  sea-bays  and  islands 
being  almost  innumerable.  The  base  of  the  mountains  of 
this  district  is  boggy  and  very  rough,  higher  up  is  a  belt  of 
heath,  and  above  this  is  the  region  of  bare  stone. 

After  sleeping  in  a  hut  at  the  foot  of  Arrigal  I  turned 
southward,  crossing  the  Glendoan  mountains,  and  so  reached 
Docharty  bridge.  The  Glendoan  chain  is  of  less  height,  and 
the  summits  more  rounded :  you  may  often  walk  forty  or  fifty 
yards  on  an  unbroken  slab  of  stone,  perfectly  bare,  and 
bleached  by  the  action  of  wind  and  rain.  On  reaching  the 
lower  country  about  Docharty  Bridge,  Osmunda  regalis 
appears  in  profusion,  sometimes  fringing  the  margin  of  the 
streams  like  a  continuous  hedge,  sometimes  rising  from  the 
bog  in  large  isolated  bushes.  I  could  not  but  contrast  the 
fem  productions  of  this  wild  county  with  those  of  Argyle- 
shire  and  Caernarvonshire,  which  in  their  desolate  mountain- 
ous character  are  somewhat  similar.  Cryptogramma  crispa  is 
nowhere  to  be  seen  ;  of  Polypodium  Phegopteris  and  Dryop- 
teris  I  did  not  find  a  single  frond ;  and  of  Aspidium  Oreop- 
teris,  the  most  common  fern  of  the  Scotch  and  Welch  moun- 


MODIOLI  ENCLOSED  IN  LITHODOMI.  551 

tains,  I  saw  a  tolerable  sprinkling  near  Milroy  Bay,  and  one 
single  plant  at  Docharty  Bridge ;  in  the  mountain  tract  be- 
tween these  localities  it  does  not  once  occur.  In  the  moun- 
tain lakes  Isoetes  is  not  uncommon.  Athyrium  Jilix-fcemina 
is  ubiquitous ;  Nephrodium  filix-mas  comparatively  rare  : 
Nephr.  dllatatum  is  common,  and  of  three  distinct  types  of 
form  ; — the  first  elongate,  broad,  drooping,  and  nearly  flat ; 
the  second  short,  rigid,  erect,  brownish  green,  and  convex ; 
the  third  short,  less  rigid  and  erect,  bright  pale  green,  and 
concave,  not  simply  as  a  frond,  but  every  pinna  and  pinnule 
also  concave.  The  second  form  I  believe  to  be  Aspidium 
dumetorum  of  Smith ;  the  third  is  the  Asp.  dumetorum  of 
Mackay,  the  Asp.  dilatatum  var.  concavum  of  Babington,  and 
the  Asp.  spinulosum  of  the  Botanic  Garden  at  Belfast,  &c. 
This  form  is  far  more  distinct  and  constant  than  any  variety 
we  possess  in  England,  where  the  plant  is  confined  pretty 
much  to  the  first  form  mentioned  above ;  every  botanist  se- 
lecting one  or  two  fronds  broader  or  narrower,  longer  or  short- 
er, larger  or  smaller,  more  rigid  or  more  pendulous  than  the 
rest,  and  naming  them  Aspidium  spinulosum  or  (happy  de- 
ception ! )  Asp.  rigidum. 

(  To  be  continued). 


Art.  VI. — On  the  Fossil  Shells  of  the  genus  Modiola  being  frequent- 
ly found  in  the  Bath  Oolite,  enclosed  in  the  Shells  of  the  genus 
Lithodomus.     By  The  Rev.  H.  Jelly. 

In  the  superior  members  of  the  great  oolite  formation  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Bath  there  occur  masses,  sometimes  of  con- 
siderable size,  of  a  kind  of  Astr&a,  perforated  most  profusely 
by  several  species  of  Lithodomi.  Among  these,  specimens 
repeatedly  occur  in  which  three  or  four  or  even  more  shells 
lie  encased  as  it  were,  the  one  by  the  other,  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  leaves  it  extremely  difficult  to  account  for  their  collo- 
cation. Having  had  a  series  of  these  in  my  possession  for 
several  years,  and  still  without  discovering  any  satisfactory 
solution  of  the  problem,  I  am  desirous  of  calling  the  attention 
of  conchologists  to  the  subject,  through  the  medium  of  your 
valuable  Magazine,  and  of  ascertaining  in  this  way  whether 
any  facts  in  the  history  of  recent  shells  of  this  or  any  other 
allied  family,  can  be  adduced  in  explanation  of  what  I  cannot 
but  think  a  very  anomalous  circumstance  in  the  natural  his- 
tory of  the  tribe.     I  send  you  some  specimens  by  way  of  il- 


55*2  MODIOLI  ENCLOSED  IN  LTTHODOMI. 

lustration,  and  will  briefly  subjoin  such  observations  as  I  have 
made,  with  a  view  to  explain  the  appearances  they  present. 


69 


a,  the  Lithodomus  containing  one  or  more  specimens  of  Modiola.  b,  the  opposite 

side  of  the  same  specimen,  but  with  the  external  shell  broken  away,  so  as  to  show  one  of  the 
contained  Modiolce.  c,  a  Lithodomus  in  which,  from  the  gaping  of  the  valves  of  the 

inclosed  Modiolce,  three  or  four  individuals  may  be  distinguished. 

The  size  of  the  figures  is  eniarged  by  half  a  diameter. 

1.  It  will  be  observed  in  the  specimen  (fig.  69  a)  that  the 
outer  shell  is  extremely  different  from  that  which  it  contains 
(see  b).  Now  although  I  have  repeatedly  detected  a  similar 
arrangement — the  outer  smooth  shell  (Lithodoinus)  with  its 
strongly-marked  lines  of  growth  containing,  and  the  sharp, 
angulated,  reticulated  shell  (Modiola?)  being  contained — yet 
I  never  met  with  an  instance  in  which  this  order  was  reversed. 
This  I  conceive  to  be  a  particular  of  some  importance. 

2.  Among  the  many  specimens  that  have  come  under  my 
observation,  I  have  never  seen  a  single  instance  in  which  the 
contained  Modiola  (?)  could  be  distinctly  shown  to  be  a  bor- 
ing shell.  Even  when  it  appears  to  occupy  a  perforation  by 
itself,  the  difference  in  size  between  the  hole  in  which  it  is 
situated  and  itself,  and  sometimes  other  circumstances  addi- 
tional to  this,  seem  to  show  that  it  is  merely  the  inhabitant 
but  not  the  fabricator  of  the  orifice  in  which  it  has  existed. 

3.  In  cases  in  which  there  are  more  than  one  contained 
shell  (as  shown  by  fig.  69.  c),  the  additional  ones  are,  I  be- 
lieve, uniformly  of  the  same  species  with  the  first- contained 
shell,  which  is  constantly  a  Modiola  and  never  a  Lithodomus. 

4.  Although  these  shells  are  almost  invariably  found  enve- 
loping one  another  like  a  nest  of  pill-boxes,  yet  I  have  in  one 
instance  seen  two  small  ones  placed  endwise,  the  one  towards 
the  other,  filling  up  the  cavity  of  a  much  larger  Lithodomus. 

After  what  I  have  said  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that 
I  consider  the  contained  shell  a  true  Modiola,  and  conse- 
quently not  a  boring  animal : — that  it  occupied  the  cavities 
formed  in  the  coral  by  the  Lithodomi,  and  very  frequently 
filled  the  unoccupied  shells  of  the  Lithodomi  themselves. — 
But  although  it  might  be  supposed  that  one  Modiola  when 


ON  THE  STRATA  OF  LINCOLN.  553 

young  had  made  its  way  within  the  half-closed  valves  of  a 
Lithodomus,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  that  this  process  could 
go  on  in  a  second,  third,  or  even  fourth  instance,  since  in  each 
case  the  death  of  the  previous  inhabitant  must  have  been  a 
necessary  condition ;  and  the  former  occupant,  which  could 
have  obtained  entrance  only  in  a  very  young  state,  must  have 
lived  long  enough  to  fill  the  entire  cavity  with  its  shell.  It 
is  difficult  also  to  account  for  the  fact  of  the  same  species  only 
of  Modiola  enveloping  each  other,  upon  the  supposition  of  a 
fortuitous  occupation  of  the  empty  shell  by  the  young  animal ; 
since  as  there  are  more  than  one  species  of  Modiola  in  the 
same  locality,  it  would  have  been  quite  as  easy  for  one  of 
these  to  have  made  its  way  in  as  the  other. 

A  case  somewhat  analogous  had  recently  come  under  my 
observation  through  the  kindness  of  a  friend,  in  the  instance 
of  the  Saxicava  rugosa,  in  the  interior  of  which  specimens  of 
Venerupis  perforans  are  sometimes  met  with.  But  in  this 
case  the  size  of  the  contained  shell  does  not  at  all  correspond 
with  that  which  contains  it,  and  moreover  the  one  Venerupis 
does  not  in  any  instance  contain  another. 

[A  series  of  specimens  illustrative  of  the  present  communication  have 
been  kindly  submitted  to  our  examination  by  Mr.  Jelly ;  and  from  these 
we  selected  the  two  of  which  representations  are  given  (fig.  69).  We  can 
suggest  no  other  explanation  but  the  obvious  one  of  supposing  that  the  dead 
shell  of  the  Lithodomus  was  occupied  by  a  Modiola,  and  the  Modiola  itself 
subsequently  occupied  by  a  smaller  individual  of  its  own  species ;  the  same 
thing  being  repeated,  in  some  instances,  five  or  six  times.  The  introduc- 
tion however  of  the  Modiola  in  the  adult  state  would  be  opposed  by  the 
physical  condition  in  which  the  Lithodomus  is  placed.  Any  suggestions  or 
observations  from  our  conchological  readers,  bearing  upon  this  curious  fact, 
would  be  acceptable. — Ed.] 


Art.  VII. — An  Account  of  the  Strata  of  Lincoln,  from  a  recent 
Survey,  commencing  North  of  the  Cathedral,  and  descending  to 
the  bed  of  the  River.     Drawn  up  by  Mr.  Wm.  Bedford.1 

The  strata  may  be  comprised  in  twenty-six  beds,  which 
slightly  vary  and  thin  off,  in  some  parts ;  but  lie  horizontally, 
from  six  to  eighteen  inches  in  thickness,  (with  the  exception 
of  the  Upper  Oolite),  till  we  descend  to  the  Ochry  Ferrugi- 
nous-stone beds. 

1.  Alluvial  soil,  from  six  to  ten  inches  in  thickness. 

2.  Rubbly  stone; — Cardia  or  stone  cockles  are  profusely 

distributed  here. 

1  Communicated  by  Sir  Edward  Ff.  Bromhead,  Bart. 
Vol.  III.— No.  35,  n.  s.         3  p 


554  ON  THE  STRATA   OF  LINCOLN. 

3.  Called  the  Blue  bed,  a  hard  limestone,  wherein  spar  and 

crystalline  cockles  are  found. 

4.  Knobbly  or  Boss  rubble ; — contains  casts  of  shells. 

A  layer  of  marie  lies  underneath. 

5.  The  Shell  bed ; — stone  cockles  in  great  variety  are  found 

in  this  bed. 

A  layer  of  marie  lies  underneath. 

6.  The  Blue  Limestone  bed ; — contains  the  Mactra,  a  kind 

of  muscle. 

7.  Three  beds  of  the  Grey  Limestone,  each  bed  intercepted 

with  marie ; — oysters,  Murex,  the  lobster- tailed  nautilus 
or  miller's  thumb,  and  the  Chiton,  [? — Ed.]  are  found 
in  these  beds. 

8.  Three  beds  of  fractured  limestone,  each  bed  intercepted 

with  a  layer  of  marie, 

9.  A  strong  limestone  bed  called  the  Roof  bed,  under  which 
the  ancient  builders  excavated  or  rather  mined,  for  supe- 
rior stone  for  building  the  Cathedral,  which  may  account 
for  the  numerous  caverns  and  subterraneous  places  to  a 
great  extent.  A  very  large  portion  of  the  upper  part  of 
Lincoln,  and  nearly  the  whole  of  Eastgate,  is  thus  un- 
dermined. 

10.  Three  thin  knobbly  beds  intercepted  with  marie. 

11.  The  Oolite  Freestone  bed; — calc  spar  occurs  here  in 
rhombic  and  prismatic  crystals.  Large  Ammonites,  and 
the  Teredo  or  Lapis  Syringoides,  and  fossil  wood,  are 
found  in  this  bed. 

12.  The  Silver  bed  ; — it  abounds  with  cornbrash  and  Archi- 

medes shells ;  it  is  allied  to  the  forest-marble,  and  when 
faced,  is  used  for  chimney-pieces  and  for  floors  of  pas- 
sages ;  it  decomposes  oily  matters,  and  is  a  durable  stone 
for  buildings  in  dry  situations ; — prismatic  and  rhomboid 
calc  spar  is  found  in  this  bed. 

13.  A  bed  of  good  building  stone,  superior  to  the  silver  bed, 

about  sixteen  inches  in  thickness ; — this  bed  abounds  in 
some  parts  with  cornbrash  and  Archimedes  shells,  the 
same  as  the  silver  bed ;  in  other  parts  it  is  free  from 
cornbrash.  Between  the  fissures  in  this  bed,  the  agaric 
mineral  occurs  in  delicate  opaque  crystals.  The  dag- 
ger shells,  razor-sheath,  and  various  other  shells,  are 
found  in  this  bed. 

14.  Two  beds  of  good  stone,  with  oolite  disseminated,  useful 
for  foundations  and  building  purposes.  In  the  first  bed 
fossilized  branches  of  trees  sometimes  occur,  lying  hori- 
zontally. Prismatic  calc  spar  in  bold  crystals  occurs  in 
this  bed. 


ON  THE  STRATA  OF  LINCOLN.  555 

The  quarrymen  in  the  present  day  do  not  work  below 
these  beds. ' 

15.  The  Oolite2  or  Roe-stone  bed  is  nearly  two  feet  in  thick- 
ness. Newport  Arch,  erected  nearly  1700  years  ago,  and 
for  its  Roman  origin  an  object  of  much  interest  to  travel- 
lers, was  built  of  the  stone  from  the  oolite  bed.  It  is  a 
hard  oolite,  and  becomes  harder  by  exposure  to  a  humid 
atmosphere,  which  may  account  for  its  durability.  In 
some  parts  of  this  stratum  it  is  Blue-hearted.  Large 
blocks  of  this  oolite  may  be  seen  in  the  main  street,  a 
little  above  the  Hospital  gates,  being  the  remains  of  the 
south  Roman  gate,  long  since  destroyed.  The  Cathedral 
is  evidently  built  of  the  stone  from  the  silver  bed — of 
that  which  underlies  the  silver  bed — and  from  the  beds 
now  used  for  foundations  and  walls,  with  a  portion  of  the 
oolite  bed.  John  of  Gaunt's  house,  now  a  modernized 
dwelling,  and  many  years  the  residence  of  the  late  Mr. 
Boot,  seems  chiefly  built  of  this  oolite. 

16.  A  bed  of  indurated  clay,  six  inches  in  thickness. 

17.  A  bed  of  very  hard  blue  stone,  which  divides  itself  into 

two  beds,  by  a  flaw  passing  longitudinally  through  the 
middle. 

A  bed  of  very  hard  indurated  clay,  four  inches  thick, 
divides  the  above  bed  from 

18.  A  thin  bed  of  hard  fine  sandstone,  firmly  united  to 

19.  The  Grey  oolite  bed,  which  is  as  firmly  united  to 

20.  The  White  oolite  bed.    These  three  contiguous  beds  form 

indeed  one  massive  bed,  nearly  four  feet  in  thickness, 
equal  in  hardness  to  the  oolite  bed  of  which  Newport 
Arch  is  built.  About  an  inch  of  clay  intervenes  between 
this  white  oolite  and  the 

21.  Lower  oolite  bed,  which  is  not  so  hard  as  the  beds  above, 

and  which  lies  upon  a  bed  of  yellow  ochry  earth,  under- 
neath which  the  springs  begin  to  appear.3 

22.  4  Ochry  ferruginous-stone  bed ; — the  spring  water  near 

Monks'  House  flows  through  its  fissures,  and  deposits 
the  ferruginous  ochre  as  it  streams  along. 

23.  Ferruginous  gravel  and  sand  bed,  underneath  which  Py- 
rites in  masses  occur  in  some  parts,  just  as  we  enter  the 

1  The  stone-quarries  are  the  best  places  for  examining  the  strata. 
2  The  oolite  will  not  burn  into  quicklime. 

3  There  are  no  springs  in  the  lower  part  of  Lincoln,  the  water  obtained 
there  by  the  sinking  of  wells,  is  the  river  water,  which  is  filtered  through 
the  sand  bed. 

4  This  may  be  seen  to  advantage  at  the  north-east  corner  of  the  Monk's 
Leas. 


556  ON  THE  STRUCTURE  AND  HABITS 

24.  Thick  bed  of  Chinch  clay ; x  Ammonites,  Nautili,  and 

Belemnites  occur  in  this  bed. 

25.  Ferruginous  gravel  and  sand  bed, — intervenes  between 

the  two  beds  of  clay,  with  nodules  of  iron  Pyrites. 

26.  Thick  bed  of  Blue  clay-shale,  an  excellent  clay,  when 

ground,  for  tiles  and  floor-bricks.  In  this  bed  are  three 
seams  of  rubbly  ironstone- clay,  which  dip  towards  the 
east,  from  three  to  four  inches  in  thickness  ; — the  second 
seam  is  two  feet  below  the  first,  and  the  third  seam  be- 
tween three  and  four  feet  below  the  second.  Fossilized 
oysters,  muscles,  and  periwinkles  are  found  in  this  bed. 
This  clay  bed  is  of  great  thickness,  and  declines  with  the 
slope  of  the  hill ;  it  dips  beneath  the  sand  bed  of  the  ri- 
ver, and  rises  again  as  we  ascend  Cross  o'  Cliff  hill. 
The  minerals  and  fossils  of  the  various  beds  have  been 

carefully  selected  for  the  Museum  of  the  Lincoln  Mechanics' 

Institution. 


Art.  VIII. — On  the  Structure  and  Habits  of  the  Physalia  (ofCuvier) 
or  Portuguese  Man- of- War  ;  Holothuria  Physalis,  of  Linnmus. — 
By  Jonathan  Couch,  Esq.,  F.L.S. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  find  in  any  book  to  which  I  have  ac- 
cess, such  an  account  of  the  Physalia  as  affords  an  insight 
into  its  manner  of  existence,  or  adequately  represents  its  pe- 
culiarities of  form  or  structure.  The  former,  indeed,  may  be 
regarded  as  very  simple,  as  is  the  case  with  the  greater  part 
of  animals  which  are  low  in  the  scale  of  organization.  But 
wherein  they  are  deficient  in  extent  of  endowment,  they  obtain 
compensation  in  the  precision  of  that  one  function  with  which 
their  existence  is  identified  ;  and  in  this  respect  our  judgment 
in  regard  to  some  of  the  obscure  or  ill-understood  functions 
of  the  organs  of  higher  animals,  may  be  informed  and  cor- 
rected by  what  is  more  clearly — because  more  singly — seen 
in  the  actions  of  these  creatures. 

In  the  days  of  Pennant  the  Physalia  had  not  been  recog- 
nized in  the  British  seas.  Yet  it  is  not  of  rare  occurrence, 
and  sometimes  appears  in  considerable  numbers,  keeping  in  a 
loose  arrangement  of  companies,  floating  buoyantly  on  the 
surface,  and  carried  wherever  the  wind  and  tide  are  disposed 
to  bear  them. 

1  In  the  descent  of  the  Steep  Hill,  the  great  thoroughfare  of  Lincoln,  the 
clay  is  indurated,  and  cannot  be  made  plastic.  This  clay-shale  is  from  60 
to  90  feet  in  thickness,  and  must  he  bored  through  into  the  heart  of  a  rocky 
crust  lying  below,  before  water  can  be  obtained.  Water  can  only  be  ob- 
tained above  and  below  this  indurated  clay. 


OF  THE  PORTUGUESE  MAN-OF-WAR.  557 

To  a  cursory  observer  the  appearance  of  this  animal  is  that 
of  a  bladder  rilled  with  air,  with  a  low,  longitudinal  crest, 
supposed  to  resemble  a  sail  both  in  shape  and  function,  and 
many  tendrils  of  various  lengths  hanging  loosely  in  the  water 
below;  without  a  visible  orifice  or  organs  of  voluntary  motion. 

More  closely  examined  in  its  native  element,  it  is  found  to 
possess  a  front  which  is  marked  by  a  small  perpendicularly 
oval  space,  thinner  than  the  neighbouring  surface,  and  con- 
veying the  idea  of  a  mouth ;  and  to  the  inner  side  of  which 
is  attached  an  organization  presently  to  be  described  more  at 
length. 

From  the  margin  of  what,  for  the  sake  of  distinction,  I  have 
designated  the  oral  space,  a  number  of  lines  proceed  longitu- 
dinally along  the  surface,  converging  again  near  the  pointed 
posterior  portion,  round  a  space  and  apparent  aperture  in  a 
line  not  exactly  straight  above  the  extremity.  Examined 
within,  the  wall  of  this  membrane  is  encircled  by  another  set 
of  fibres,  which  encompass  the  sides  at  right  angles  to  the 
former ;  and  it  is  by  the  combined  action  of  these,  that  the 
complicated  motions  are  performed  of  which  the  creature  is 
capable. 

What  is  denominated  the  sail  or  crest,  is  a  plaited  mem- 
brane passing  lengthwise  from  a  short  distance  above  the  oral 
space,  to  within  about  an  equal  distance  of  the  posterior  ex- 
tremity. It  varies  a  little  in  breadth  in  different  specimens, 
but  in  a  large  individual  is  about  an  inch  in  height,  with  an 
edge  on  the  summit,  but  spreading  below  like  the  ridge  of  a 
house,  and  within  the  eavity  is  divided  into  segments.  The 
structure  of  the  inflated  body  is  diaphanous  ;  and  viewed  by 
the  aid  of  light  on  the  anterior  portion  of  the  right  side,  ris- 
ing above  the  tendrils  with  which  below  it  is  connected,  is 
an  extended  opacity,  irregularly  circular  above,  and  well  de- 
fined, indicating  a  structure  differing  from  the  other  portion, 
though  not  such  as  interferes  with  the  arrangement  of  the 
muscular  fibres. 

The  tendrils  are  of  three  sorts.  The  first,  towards  the  front, 
are  placed  on  and  under  one  side  of  the  ordinary  line  of  sus- 
pension in  the  water :  they  are  short,  clustering,  and  tufted 
on  their  pedicles.  The  other  two  sorts  of  tendrils  are  long  ; 
some  a  few  inches,  and  some  nearly  a  yard  in  length,  but 
none  placed  behind  the  middle  of  the  body;  and  the  first 
elongated  ones,  placed  below,  are  formed  of  a  thread  of  mem- 
brane accompanied  and  encircled  by  a  line  of  flattened  beads, 
which  obey  the  influence  of  the  will  in  contraction,  extension 
and  lateral  motion.  The  third  sort  are  the  longest ;  their  base 
is  thick  and  firm,  having  the  muscular  structure  continued 


558  ON  THE  STRUCTURE  AND  HABITS 

along  their  course,  and  at  the  end  a  membranous  dilatation, 
from  which  springs  a  thread  encircled  by  a  beaded  line,  which 
at  first  is  convoluted  and  doubled  on  the  base,  and  then  ac- 
companies the  thread  to  the  end.  The  peduncles  of  these 
latter  tendrils,  about  an  inch  in  length,  are  fixed  higher  on  the 
side  than  the  former;  but  seem  exceedingly  liable  to  injury, 
since  it  is  rare  that  all  of  them  are  perfect.  The  membranous 
threads  appear  to  be  the  branchiae,  but  the  anterior  branched 
tendrils  seem  rather  to  be  absorbent  organs,  like  the  roots  of 
a  tree,  affording  the  only  source  of  nutriment,  which  I  ima- 
gine to  be  assimilated  in  the  reddish  side  of  the  internal  sac; 
and  which,  besides  its  redness,  is  of  a  rather  thicker  substance 
than  the  surrounding  structure. 

In  its  healthy  state  the  colours  of  this  animal  are  beautiful ; 
the  crest  being  striped  alternately  with  light  blue  and  crimson 
or  pink,  and  the  sides  similarly  tinted,  with  reflections.  The 
tendrils  are  of  a  darker  blue,  and  sometimes  a  dull  purple. — 
Examined  within  there  is  a  thin  membranous  structure,  which 
is  necessarily  pierced  when  the  cavity  is  opened.  On  its  an- 
terior portion  it  is  firmly  attached  to  what  I  have  denominated 
the  oral  space ;  it  is  also,  but  very  slightly,  attached  posteri-, 
orly ;  and  along  the  upper  margin  there  is  a  varying  number 
of  branched  appendages,  each  of  which  occupies  a  portion  of 
the  chambers  of  the  crest.  In  some  specimens,  where  the 
crest  is  low,  they  are  fewer,  less  branched,  and  more  obtuse  ; 
in  others,  long,  slender  and  much  divaricated.  In  the  living 
state  this  membranous  structure  is  so  closely  applied  to  the 
external  muscular  parietes,  as  not  to  be  discerned  through  it, 
the  cavity  appearing  empty.  They  are  also  so  little  adher- 
ent, except  at  the  end,  as  to  separate  spontaneously ;  but  still 
between  them  both  is  a  slight  villous  coat,  adhering  to  the 
external  or  containing  portion,  and  which  is  the  chief,  if  not 
the  only  seat  of  the  colour.  It  is  probable  that  the  chief  in- 
terchange of  vital  action  is  through  this  structure,  which,  al- 
though so  slight  and  unadherent,  is  as  closely  connected  as 
in  some  other  animals  or  structures  in  which  no  more  certain 
mode  of  communication  has  been  traced.  Many  morbid 
growths  in  the  human  body  have  even  less  connection  with 
the  common  vitality.  This  internal  sac  contains  nothing  but 
air,  which  appears  to  be  secreted  into  it  by  the  crest,  that 
being  its  chief,  if  not  the  only  office.  No  trace  of  food  can 
be  found,  nor  any  separate  organization,  except  a  reddish 
thickening,  already  alluded  to,  at  one  portion  of  the  surface. 
It  is  this  which  appears  externally  ;  and  it  seems  just  to  owe 
its  appearauce  to  vascularity,  though  no  separate  vessel  can 
be  distinguished ;  it  is  probably  the  seat  of  the  vital  actions, 


OF  THE  PORTUGUESE  MAN-OF-WAR.  559 

from  which  the  splendid  colours,  and  the  acrid  fluid  covering 
the  surface,  as  well  as  the  ordinary  supply  of  nutriment,  are 
derived. 

It  has  been  a  general  opinion  that  the  air  in  the  cavity  of 
the  body  is  collected  at  the  will  of  the  animal,  and  that  it  can 
be  expelled  at  pleasure,  or  through  fear  of  danger.  Neither 
of  these  ideas,  however,  appears  to  be  accurate  ;  for  in  regard 
to  its  accumulation,  it  is  clearly  not  received  from  without, 
and  as  to  the  power  of  expulsion  in  any  manner  of  haste,  es- 
pecially in  storms,  and  to  enable  it  to  sink  from  danger,  com- 
mon observation  proves  the  contrary ;  for  they  are  seen  float- 
ing on  the  most  turbulent  waves,  and  are  frequently  thrown 
ashore  in  tempests.  Examination,  indeed,  cannot  fail  to  per- 
suade any  one  that  a  creature  with  so  little  of  solid  substance 
in  its  composition,  cannot  be  made  to  sink  without  the  almost 
total  expulsion  of  its  air,  which  ordinary  mechanical  com- 
pression does  but  little  towards  effecting ;  and  when  this  ex- 
pulsion is  procured  by  puncture,  which  may  amount  to  what 
the  creature  can  effect  by  great  effort,  the  animal  may  be  made 
to  shrink  into  a  comparatively  small  compass,  without  at  all 
approaching  to  a  condition  in  which  it  can  sink  below  the 
surface.  I  have  discharged  nine-tenths  of  the  contained  air, 
thereby  causing  a  shrivelling  of  the  external  membrane,  with- 
out bringing  it  to  a  state  in  which  it  did  not  swim  buoyantly 
on  the  water. 

But  an  examination  of  the  Physalia  when  in  undisturbed 
liberty  will  show  that  the  real  use  of  the  inflated  condition  is 
not  buoyancy  alone.  The  accumulation  of  air  will  then  be 
seen  absolutely  necessary  as  a  fulcrum  or  point  of  support  for 
the  action  of  the  muscular  structure ;  and  accordingly,  the 
creature,  by  the  contractions  of  portions  of  its  surface  and  the 
relaxations  of  others,  projects  the  oral  extremity  into  the  form 
of  a  snout,  lifts  or  moves  it  towards  either  side,  and  depresses 
portions  of  the  centre,  lengthening  or  shortening  itself,  and 
especially  dilating  towards  the  side  from  which  the  tendons 
are  dependant,  according  to  its  pleasure.  But  perhaps  none 
of  its  actions  are  so  capable  of  displaying  the  management  of 
a  complicated  intention,  as  those  by  which  the  animal  con- 
trives to  fall  on  its  side  from  its  more  usual  position  with  the 
crest  aloft.  The  anterior  portion  is  first  dilated,  by  which  a 
basis  is  formed  capable  of  sustaining  the  whole  bulk :  the 
hinder  part,  for  about  a  third  of  the  length,  is  then  rendered 
slender  and  elevated  ;  in  which  condition  but  little  of  the  sur- 
face is  immersed,  and  a  very  small  degree  of  inclination  to 
either  side  causes  it  to  fall  over,  with  the  crest  on  the  surface 


560  STRUCTURE  AND  HABITS  OF  THE  PHYSALIA. 

of  the  sea :  a  position  perhaps  rendered  necessary  when,  from 
drying  winds,  the  top  of  the  membrane  has  become  rigid. — 
Its  most  favourite  position  in  the  water  is  resumed  by  again 
taking  an  elongated  shape  ;  and  it  must  be  remembered  that 
these  actions  take  place  in  an  animal,  in  which  minute  re- 
search has  not  been  able  to  detect  a  nervous  system.  These 
motions  also,  of  a  creature  inflated  with  air,  derive  much  in- 
terest from  the  explanation  they  afford  of  those  faculties  of 
some  animals  which  appear  to  have  received  an  erroneous  or 
imperfect  interpretation.  Thus  the  prehensile  organs  of  Echi- 
nus and  Asterias,  which  are  hollow,  and  capable  of  being 
drawn  close  to  or  within  the  body,  are  described  as  being  pro- 
truded by  simply  propelling  a  fluid  along  their  course,  which 
fluid,  when  no  longer  wanted  for  this  purpose,  is  again  re- 
turned to  the  cavity.  At  this  point  the  explanation  ends  ; 
propulsion  being  regarded  as  the  sole  object  of  the  function. 
Such,  however,  does  not  appear  to  be  the  case ;  the  disten- 
sion effected  by  the  propulsion  of  fluid  in  the  radiate  animals, 
and  of  air  in  Physalia,  being  only  the  first  step  in  the  pro- 
cess, and  providing  a  fulcrum  for  the  support  of  muscular  ef- 
fort the  chief  object  in  view.  In  the  tube  of  the  Lepades  the 
action  is  of  a  similar  kind,  though  more  complicated,  owing 
perhaps  to  its  annulated  structure.  The  distension  caused  by 
the  contained  fluid  in  the  latter  is  less  considerable,  and  the 
animal  sometimes  hangs  in  a  flaccid  state,  at  its  full  length. 
When  about  to  move,  compression  of  the  fluid  fixes  the  cen- 
tre of  motion,  which  is  rendered  still  more  energetic  by  col- 
lecting and  fixing  it  at  the  root,  or  in  particular  departments. 

The  remarks  here  offered  may  be  extended  to  many  of  the 
voluntary  motions  of  other  animals  of  soft  texture ;  develop- 
ing a  contrivance  by  which  apparent  contrarieties  are  recon- 
ciled, and  creatures  having  so  little  firmness  in  their  com- 
position enabled  to  perform  motions  requiring  tense  support : 
the  fulcrum  which  in  the  higher  animals  is  the  heaviest  por- 
tion of  their  structure,  and  acts  by  gravity  as  well  as  strength, 
being  in  them  no  less  effective  as  a  moving  power,  and  yet  so 
light  as  to  serve  the  office  of  a  balloon. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  Physalia,  and  several  species  of 
Medusa,  are  capable  of  inflicting  a  stinging  sensation  on  the 
hands  that  touch  them.  The  certainty  of  this  admits  of  no 
doubt;  the  effect  being  severe  even  in  persons  whose  skin 
cannot  be  supposed  endued  with  remarkable  delicacy.  A 
sailor-boy,  a  short  time  since,  was  so  severely  affected  from 
handling  a  single  specimen,  that  the  skin  peeled  from  the 
whole  surface  of  his  hand.     Yet,  with  the  intention  of  expe- 


PLANTS  IN  THE  NEIGHBOURHOOD  OF  SWANSEA.  561 

riencing  this,  I  have  repeatedly  handled  numerous  specimens 
of  both  genera,  swimming  at  large  and  out  of  the  water,  liv- 
ing and  dead,  yet  without  being  made  sensible  of  any  unplea- 
sant effect.  * 


Art.  IX. — A  Catalogue  of  some  of  the  most  interesting  Plants  col- 
lected in  the  neighbourhood  of  Swansea,  Glamorganshire,  during 
the  past  Summer  [1839].  By  Thomas  Bruges  Flower,  Esq., 
F.L.S. 

Ranunculus  Lingua.  In  great  abundance  on  Cromlyn  bog  and  Neath 
canal. 

Trollius  Europaus.  "  On  the  banks  of  the  Dylais,  above  the  waterfall  at 
Aberdylais,  and  in  moist  meadows  between  Pont  nedd  Vachu  and 
Usgord  Eynon  Gard." — Dillwyn. 

Helleborus  fcetidus.  In  the  woods  at  Park  mill,  towards  Pennard  cas- 
tle, in  great  abundance. 

Delphinium  Consolida.  I  have  not  been  able  to  detect  this  plant  in  Swan- 
sea Bay ;  it  is  mentioned  in  New  Bot.  Gui.  as  growing  there  in  plenty 

Nymph^ea  alba.    Abundantly  in  the  canal  going  to  Neath. 

Meconopsis  Cambrica.  "  At  the  waterfalls  about  Pont  nedd  Vachu,  in 
the  Dylais  Valley  above  Aberdylais,  plentiful." — Dillwyn. 

Glaucium  luteum.  Frequent  about  Salthouse  point,  and  in  many  places 
by  the  sea-shore. 

Matthiola  sinuata.  On  the  sands  between  Swansea  and  the  Mumbles, 
but  is  now  much  less  plentiful  than  formerly. 

Cochlearia  danica.  Very  abundant  on  rocks  about  the  Mumbles  light- 
house. 

Draba  aizoides.  "  Found  growing  in  the  greatest  abundance  on  the  walls 
of  Pennard  castle,  near  Swansea,  where  it  was  first  noticed  by  the  late 
Mr.  Lucas."  It  was  still  in  great  plenty  when  I  visited  the  spot,  Au- 
gust, 1839. 

Thlaspi  alpestre.    "  About  Pont  nedd  Vachu." — Dillwyn. 

Hutchinsia  petrcea.     On  the  walls  of  Pennard  castle. 

Teesdalia  nudicaulis.  "  On  wastes  and  roadsides  about  Swansea,  not  un- 
common ." — Dillwyn. 

Lepidium  Smithii.     Everywhere  on  the  sea-shore. 

Draba,    "  The  station  given  for  this  plant  is  now  destroyed,  the 

ground  having  been  built  upon." — Dillwyn. 

ruderale.     "  Occasionally  found  on  rubbish-heaps  and  ballast- 


banks  about  Swansea." — Di 
Brassica  cheiranthus.  "  This  interesting  plant  was  detected  on  the  sands 
near  Pennard  castle,  in  the  summer  of  1838,  by  Mr.  Woods."  It  was 
still  plentiful  in  the  place  mentioned  when  I  visited  the  spot  in  com- 
pany with  my  friend  C.  C.  Babington,  Esq.  in  August  last. 


1  Some  interesting  remarks  on  the  Physalia,  which  perhaps  may  not  have 
fallen  under  the  observation  of  Mr.  Couch,  are  to  be  found  in  the  '  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  Zool.  Society  for  1837,  page  43,  by  Mr.  George  Bennett. 
— Ed. 

Vol  III.— No.  35,  n.s.         3q 


56*2  CATALOGUE  OF  PLANTS 

Crambe  maritima.    "  Rocks  about  Port  Eynon." — Dillwyn. 

Diplotaxis  tenuifolia.  Very  frequent  about  Fox-hole,  in  company  with 
Dipt,  muralis. 

Viola  lutea.  "The  Black  Mountain  has  been  noticed  as  a  habitat  of  this 
plant  since  the  days  of  Merrett ;  and  though  generally  an  inhabitant 
of  mountains,  I  have  found  it  growing  on  Cromlyn  burrows." — Dillw. 

Helianthemum  canum.     On  the  Worms  head,  plentifully. 

Drosera  rotundifolia.    Very  frequent  in  many  places. 

longifolia.     "  Cromlyn  bogs  with  Dros.  anglica." — Dillwyn. 

Hypericum  Androscemum.  Frequent  about  Singleton,  Neath,  and  Brit- 
ton  Ferry. 

calycinum.      "  In  Nicholston  wood,  near  Penrice  castle." — 

Dillwyn. 

Dianthus  Armeria.     Banks  about  Britton  ferry. 

Saponaria  officinalis.  Frequent  about  the  sands  at  Singleton,  and  in  ma- 
ny other  places. 

Spergula  nodosa.     On  the  sand-hills  between  Swansea  and  the  Mumbles. 

Cerastium  tetrandrum.  "  On  sand-hills,  not  uncommon,  growing  with 
Cer.  semidecandruniy  of  which  I  am  satisfied  it  is  nothing  more  than  a 
variety." — Dillwyn. 

Geranium  sanguineum.  In  abundance  on  the  sands  near  Pennard  castle, 
and  "  on  cliffs  in  Gower." — Dillwyn. 

pyrenaicum.     Between  Swansea  and  Cromlyn. 

Erodium  cicutarium.  Common.  The  var.  a,  incanum,  is  also  met  with 
plentifully  on  the  sands  near  Swansea.  Although  by  many  botanists 
considered  to  be  only  a  variety  of  the  above,  I  cannot  satisfy  myself 
respecting  it,  and  should  therefore  recommend  it  to  further  investiga- 
tion. 

Rhamnus  catharticus.  Frequent  in  Cline  wood,  in  company  with  Rham. 
Frangula. 

Melilotus  leucantha.     Frequent  on  the  ballast-banks  about  Swansea. 

TRiFOLiuM/ra^i/mm.     Salt-house  point  and  banks  of  Neath  canal. 

— — —    glomeratum. )      u  Qn  Swansea  and  Skitt    burrows."— Dillwyn. 

scabrum.       J  J  * 

Lathyrus  sylvestris.     "  About  the  top  of  the  cliff,  on  the  right  of  the  en- 
trance to  Caswell  bay." — Dillwyn.     And  about  Oystermouth  castle. 

Cerasus  Padus.  "  Pont  nedd  Vachu,  but  not  so  plentiful  as  it  is  about 
Merthyr  Tydfil."—  Dillwyn. 

Rosa  spinosissima.  "  On  the  sand-hills  between  Swansea  and  the  Mum- 
bles, very  abundant." — Dillwyn. 

Potentilla  verna.  Above  the  cliffs,  between  Port  Eynon  and  the  Worms- 
head. 

Sanguisorba  officinalis.  Common  in  boggy  meadows  at  Witch-tree  bridge, 
and  also  at  Neath. 

Pyrus  torminalis.      "  Neath  valley,  and  woods  about  Penrice." — Dillwyn. 

Epilobium  roseum.  Cromlyn  bog,  and  by  the  side  of  the  canal  going  to 
Neath. 

Oenothera  biennis.  Naturalized  in  many  places  about  Swansea  and  Brit- 
ton ferry. 

Myriophyllum  spicatum.     Cromlyn  bog. 

Hippuris  vulgaris.     In  boggy  places  about  Cromlyn  burrows. 

(Enanthe  pimpinello'ides .  Marshy  places  near  Port  Tennant,  and  in  other 
places,  frequent. 

Carum  verticillatum.     "In  great  plenty  in  meadows  near  Cocket." — Dill. 

Hydrocotyle  vulgaris.    Frequent  in  boggy  situations. 


COLLECTED   IN  THE  NEIGHBOURHOOD  OF  SWANSEA.      563 

Asperula  Cynanchica.      In  plenty  at  Pennard  castle,  and  beyond  the 

Mumbles. 
Lobelia  Dortmanna.     "  Lakes  at  Pont  nedd  Vachu  and  Aberpergain." — 

Dillwyn. 
Inula  crithmdides.     On  the  rocks  beyond  the  Mumbles,  in  plenty. 
Aster  Tripolium.     Marshes  about  Port  Tennant  and  Salt-house  point. 
Solidago  Virgaurea,  var.  Cambrica.      Frequent  in  the  woods  about  Cwm 

Neath. 
Gnaphalium  Margaritaceum.     "Near  Clydach,  on  the  road-side  between 

Witch-tree  bridge  and  Neath  Abbey,  and  in  other  places." — Dilluryn. 
dioicum.    "  On  the  mountains  above  Pont  nedd  Vachu." — 

Dillwyn. 
Senecio  viscosus.    On  the  wastes  a  little  above  high  water  mark,  between 

the  ferry  and  the  entrance  to  Port  Tennant. 

erraticus.     Frequent  about  Singleton.     This  plant  is  quite  distinct 

from  Sen.  aquaticus,  and  well  deserving  of  attention  ;  (see  Bab.  Flor. 
Sarn.) 

Artemisia  maritima.  -  About  Port  Tennant  and  Salt-house  point. 

Achillea  Ptarmica.     Frequent  in  many  places. 

Cnicus  eriophorus.  "  Occasionally  found  on  the  road-side  between  Neath 
and  Pile,  and  is  much  more  common  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  the 
county." — Dillwyn. 

Carduus  tenuifiorus.     Fabian's  bay,  and  many  places  by  the  sea-side. 

Lactuca  virosa.     On  the  walls  of  Oystermouth  castle,  plentiful. 

Hieracium  paludosum.  "  On  the  rocky  shore  of  the  Neath  river,  and  about 
Uscoed,  Eynon  Gard,  near  Pont  nedd  Vachu." — Dillwyn. 

Lithospermum  purpuro-caruleum.  "Abundant  in  several  places  on  the 
coast  of  Gower,  particularly  in  Nicholston  wood." — Dillwyn. 

Anchusa  sempervirens.  "  At  Bagland  near  Neath,  and  about  the  ruins  of 
Neath  Abbey." — Dillwyn. 

Convolvulus  sepium,  var.  incarnatus.  Fabian's  bay,  and  frequent  about 
Neath. 

Soldanella.     On  the  sand-hills  between  Swansea  and  the 

Mumbles,  frequent. 

Statice  spathulata.  On  the  rocks  between  the  Mumbles  and  Casewell 
bay,  in  great  plenty. 

Andromeda  polifolia.  Cromlyn  bog,  chiefly  towards  its  northern  extremity. 

Erythr^ea  pulchella.  Salt-house  point,  and  frequent  beyond  the  Mumbles. 

Verbascum  nigrum.     Frequent  about  Britton  ferry. 

Blattaria.     In  fields  near  the  Infirmary,  and  about  Newton. 

Utricularia  minor.     On  Cromlyn  bog. 

Bartsia  viscosa.  "  Plentifully  in  marshy  fields  in  Cromlyn  dingle  and 
other  similar  situations." — Dillwyn. 

Orobanche  barbata.  On  ivy  on  the  walls  of  Oystermouth  castle,  and  al- 
so at  Britton  ferry. 

Mentha  rotundifolia.  Very  abundant  about  Britton  ferry,  and  "  at  Pen- 
rice  castle." — Dillwyn. 

Scutellaria  minor.     In  boggy  places,  frequent. 

Polygonum  Raii.     About  Neath  and  Fabian's  bay. 

Bistorta.     In  damp  meadows,  but  not  general. 

Reseda  fruticulosa.     Fields  near  the  Infirmary. 

Euphorbi a portlandica.     Frequent  about  the  Mumbles  and  Carsewell  bay. 

Myrica  Gale.    Cromlyn  bog. 

Acorus  Calamus.     "  Britton  ferry."— Mr.  Player. 

Sparganium  nutans.     Frequent  about  Cromlyn  bog  and  Singleton  marsh. 

Ruppia  maritima.     Neath  canal  and  Salt-house  point. 


564  ELECTRIC  EEL  AT  THE  ADELAIDE  GALLERY. 

Alisma  natans.     Cromlyn  bog  and  near  Singleton. 

-  ranunculo'ides.     Skitty  bogs. 

Neottia  spiralis.     On  the  Town -bill  and  Mumbles. 

Listera  Nidus-avis.    "  In  a  small  wood  near  Pondandive." — Dillwyn. 

Asparagus  officinalis.     Singleton  marsh. 

Scilla  verna.  "  Plentiful  about  the  Mumbles  light-house,  and  the  Worms- 
head.'  ' — Dillwyn . 

Juncus  acutus.     Cromlyn  burrows  and  Britton  ferry. 

Narthecium  ossifragum.     In  boggy  ground,  frequent. 

Eriophorum  vaginatum.     Cromlyn  bogs. 

Cladium  Mariscus.  By  the  side  of  the  canal  going  to  Neath,  and  on 
Cromlyn  bog. 

Carex  dioica.     "  Boggy  places  about  the  waterfall  at  Aberdylais." — Dill. 

stellulata.     \ 

— ' curta. 

strigosa.        [-Cromlyn  and  Skitty  bogs. 

limosa. 

ampullacea. , 

armaria.     Frequent  between  Swansea  and  the  Mumbles. 


SHORT  COMMUNICATIONS. 

Electric  Eel  at  the  Adelaide  Gallery. — I  feel  persuaded  that 
your  readers  will  be  interested  in  hearing  that  the  Gymnotus 
I  described  in  my  letter  to  you,  is  still  living  and  thriving. 
Kept  in  a  room  daily  frequented  by  multitudes  of  persons, 
with  only  a  borrowed  light  from  a  skylight,  and  never  feeling 
the  direct  rays  of  the  sun ;  confined  in  a  vessel  in  which  it 
cannot  now  stretch  itself  out  at  full  length ;  kept  warm  by 
water  artificially  heated ;  and  fed  with  fish  not  indigenous  to 
the  country  it  inhabits  ; — what  must  be  the  power  of  adapta- 
tion to  external  circumstances  possessed  by  the  animal  which 
admits  of  its  not  only  living,  but  even  growing  and  increas- 
ing in  strength,  under  such  a  total  change  of  habits,  food  and 
climate  ! 

I  believe  you  remember  that  when  we  first  began  to  expe- 
riment on  its  electrical  powers,  we  could  only  produce  those 
phenomena  which  depend  on  the  tension  of  the  electricity, 
as  the  spark,  &c,  by  employing  secondary  currents;  now, 
on  the  contrary,  we  have  discarded  Henry's  coil  from  our 
apparatus,  and  invariably  succeed,  not  only  in  obtaining  a 
direct  spark,  but  even  the  deflagration  of  gold  leaves,  these 
leaves  being  mutually  attracted  from  a  sensible  distance  and 
burning  on  coming  into  contact :  if  this  arises  partly  from 
increased  skill  in  our  mode  of  manipulation,  it  must  also  be 
assigned  in  an  equal  degree  to  increased  power  in  the  eel. 

Nevertheless,  convinced  as  I  am  that  not  even  the  vital 
power  of  this  animal  can  long  withstand  so  total  a  change 


YOUNG  OF  THE  CROSSBILL. — ACHATINA  ACICULA.  565 

in  its  natural  habits,  I  should  be  very  glad  to  transfer  it  to 
some  Institution,  where,  while  it  could  enjoy  fresher  air  and 
direct  light,  it  would  meet  with  attention  to  temperature  and 
cleanliness  equal  to  what  it  has  had  from  us ;  and  in  that  case 
I  see  no  reason  why  it  might  not  be  kept  alive  for  years. — 
Thomas  Bradley,  Director. — Royal  Gallery  of  Practical  Sci- 
ence, Adelaide  Street,  Oct.  23,  1839. « 

Young  of  Loxia  curvirostra,  Temm.  (Cross-bill.) — On 
the  10th  of  July,  1839,  as  I  was  riding  under  some  fir-trees, 
my  attention  was  attracted  by  the  peculiar  note  of  the  Loxia 
curvirostra ;  my  stopping  to  pry  too  minutely  into  their  ac- 
tions caused  them  to  change  their  quarters  to  an  ash  tree, 
where  they  and  their  motions  were  more  distinctly  discernible, 
and  I  could  clearly  see,  and  watched  for  a  considerable  time 
the  two  old  ones,  in  shabby  plumage,  and  four  young  ones, 
full  two- thirds  grown,  which  appeared  very  hungry  and  ex- 
ceedingly clamorous  for  food,  fluttering  their  wings,  opening 
their  beaks,  and  incessantly  importuning  the  parent  birds  for 
sustenance ;  thus  proving,  if  additional  proof  were  wanting, 
that  the  cross-bills  do  occasionally  build  and  breed  here,  al- 
though it  is  probably  of  rare  occurrence,  which  is  not  to  be 
accounted  for,  as  so  many  do  remain  during  that  season  of 
the  year  when  all  our  other  birds  are  engaged  in  the  usual 
and  necessary  occupation  of  reproduction. — Joseph  Clarke. 
—Saffron  Walden,  Oct.  18th,  1839. 

Note  on  Achatina  acicula. — Of  all  the  British  land  shells, 
the  remnants  of  this  species  seem  to  be  found  in  the  most 
singular  places.  Instances  are,  I  believe,  recorded  where 
these  shells  have  been  found  in  Danish  coffins,  &c.  I  beg 
to  add  another  instance  of  this  shell  being  found  in  connexion 
with  Danish  remains.  While  carefully  examining  the  tym- 
panum of  a  skull  found  at  Limbury,  a  hamlet  of  Luton,  Bed- 
fordshire, in  conjunction  with  old  pottery,  urns  and  a  key, sup- 
posed to  be  of  Danish  origin,  I  was  rather  surprised  to  find 
in  addition  to  the  perfect  chain  of  bones,  the  lower  two  whorls 
and  a  half  of  a  shell,  which  upon  examinination  proved  to 
be  the  remains  of  Achatina  acicula,  (Agate  shell)  a  species 
of  rare  occurrence  at  the  present  time  in  the  vicinity  of  Lu- 
ton. How  this  shell  could  have  found  its  way  into  the  cavity 
of  the  ear  I  do  not  pretend  to  say.  I  merely  bring  it  forward 
as  another  proof  of  the  species  having  been  again  discovered 
in  connection  with  Danish  remains. — Daniel  Cooper,  Sur- 
geon, 82,  Blackfriars  Road,  London. 

1  For  Mr.  Bradley's  former  letter  on  the  Gymnotus,  see  Mag.  Nat.  Hist. 
Vol.  ii.  n.  s.  (1838),  p.  668. 


566  DERIVATION  OF  "ADDER." 

Derivation  of  the  Name  of  the  Adder,  [Viper). — Professor 
Bell  in  his  history  of  British  Reptiles,  when  giving  the  ety- 
mology of  the  word  adder,  as  one  of  the  names  of  the  viper, 
states  that  it  was  anciently  written  Nedre,  which  he  derives 
from  the  Saxon  N<edre,  nether  or  lower,  in  allusion  to  its 
creeping  position ; — a  derivation  too  far-fetched,  in  my  opin- 
ion, when  there  is  one  much  better  nearer  at  hand,  viz. — 
"Neidr"  the  ancient  British,  and  also  the  modern  Welch 
name  of  the  reptile  in  question.  In  the  plural  form  it  is 
much  more  apparent, — " Nadroedd"  (the  word  is  used  for 
the  common  snake  as  well  as  the  viper) ;  by  only  altering  the 
Welsh  plural  termination  for  the  English  one, — Nadrs, — the 
name  is  formed  at  once.  The  change  of  neidr  into  adder  is 
not  so  bad  as  what  has  happened  to  a  companion  of  it,  viz., 
the  change  of"  glein  neidr'"  into  "adder*  claim"  or  "snakes' 
claim"  the  "  anguinum  ovum  "  of  the  ancients,  the  supersti- 
tious virtues  of  which  are  not  yet  lost  in  the  estimation  of 
many  of  the  ignorant  country  people,  although  it  has  sunk 
very  much  in  its  dignity,  being  now  chiefly  accounted  valua- 
ble as  a  cure  for  wens  or  glandular  swellings  of  the  neck,  in- 
stead of  insuring  to  its  possessor  all  sublunary  prosperity,  as 
it  used  to  do  in  ancient  days.  The  manner  of  forming  the 
glein  neidr,  as  preserved  by  tradition  to  the  present  day,  and 
as  I  have  heard  it  related  by  several  persons,  who  knew  not 
it  had  ever  been  described  by  any  author,  differs  but  little 
from  the  account  given  by  Pliny  many  centuries  ago.  The 
modern  version  being  that  it  is  formed  of  the  saliva  of  adders 
upon  the  body  of  one  of  their  number,  which  accounts  for  the 
perforation  in  it.  After  it  is  fully  formed  it  must  be  snatched 
away  by  the  observer  (who  must  have  concealed  himself  from 
the  observation  of  the  adders) ;  as  soon  as  he  has  obtained  it 
he  must  fly  with  the  greatest  speed  he  can  possibly  exert,  un- 
til he  crosses  some  stream  of  water,  it  matters  not  how  small 
it  be,  a  running  drain  or  ditch  will  suffice  to  stop  the  pursu- 
ers :  but  if  he  should  be  overtaken  by  the  adders,  it  would  be 
instant  death  to  him,  as  from  their  excited  state  their  poison 
would  be  doubly  powerful.  I  had  one  of  these  articles  pre- 
sented to  me  some  years  ago,  by  a  believer  in  its  virtues,  in 
whose  family  it  had  been  for  several  generations.  It  is  an 
irregular,  roundish  bead,  about  ■§•  of  an  inch  long  and  f  of  an 
inch  in  diameter ;  the  perforation  being  about  J  of  an  inch 
in  diameter.  The  colour  is  a  bright  green  and  the  substance 
apparently  glassy,  and  it  is  deeply  striated  longitudinally. — 
James  Bladon. — Pontypool. 

Projection  of  its  eggs  by  the  Crane-Fig. — Having  seen  it 
stated  in   some  entomological  works   that  the  eggs  of  the 


0V1P0S1TI0N  OF  CRANE-FLY. — COUNT  STERNBERG.        567 

crane-fly  and  some  others  were  propelled  to  a  great  distance 
like  pellets  from  a  pop-gun,  I  could  not  conceive  what  power 
could  reside  in  the  ovipositor  to  produce  such  effects,  as  from 
their  conformation  it  could  not  be  done  by  the  compression 
of  air.  I  at  last  caught  a  gravid  female  just  upon  the  point 
of  laying  its  eggs.  When  it  began  to  lay  they  were  propel- 
led about  three  inches  in  a  direct  line  from  it.  I  could  then 
by  the  aid  of  a  lens  perceive  by  the  successive  distension  and 
contraction  of  the  last  segment  of  the  abdomen,  the  passage 
of  the  egg  down  the  egg-tube.  When  it  came  between  the 
valves  at  the  apex  of  the  abdomen  it  remained  a  short  time 
stationary,  when  I  observed  at  the  base  of  the  valves  a  strong 
muscular  contraction,  which  kept  increasing  until  the  egg 
was  forced  out  by  the  pressure  of  the  valves  upon  it.  In 
exactly  the  same  manner  we  oftentimes  see  children  in  sport 
shooting  the  pippins  (seeds)  of  apples  from  between  the  tips 
of  the  thumb  and  fore  finger.  It  will  be  evident  from  the 
above  description  that  it  can  be  only  very  hard  or  smooth- 
shelled  eggs  that  can  be  ejected  in  the  manner  described. — 
Id. 

Count  Caspar  Sternberg- Serowitz. — ( Born  on  the  6th  of 
January,  1761),  died  on  the  20th  of  December,  1838,  at  Brz- 
ezina,  near  Radnitz,  in  Bohemia.  In  literature  his  fame  rests 
chiefly  on  his  Fossil  Flora,  ('Versuch  einer  geognostisch-bo- 
tanischen  Darstellung  der  Flora  der  Vorwelt,  Prag.  1825'), 
though  his  other  botanical  works,  as  that  on  the  Saxifragea, 
the  Asclepiadece,  and  the  Flora  of  Bohemia,  are  likewise  held 
in  deserved  and  high  esteem.  In  his  country  he  will  always 
be  honoured  as  one  of  its  greatest  benefactors.  In  1822  the 
National  Museum  of  Prague  was  chiefly  founded  through  his 
exertions  and  liberality.  He  became  the  president  of  that 
institution,  to  which  he  had  presented  his  great  collections 
and  library,  and  the  existence  of  it  has  hitherto  so  much  de- 
pended on  his  individual  support,  that  the  Bohemian  States 
must  make  up  the  deficiency,  or  the  institution  will  perish. — 
TV.  TVeissenborn. —  Weimar. 

Nature  of  mineral  precipitates.  — At  the  meeting  of  the 
Society  of  Friends  of  Natural  History,  held  at  Berlin,  Jan- 
uary 1 5th,  Mr.  Link  communicated  some  observations  on  the 
formation  of  crystals.  If  fresh  precipitates  of  many  of  the 
minerals  are  examined,  they  are  found  to  be  entirely  composed 
of  little  globular  bodies,  which  change,  under  the  eye  of  the 
observer,  into  the  crystals  peculiar  to  the  metal.  This,  how- 
ever, is  not  effected  by  their  juxtaposition,  but  by  their 
bursting  into  each  other,  and  uniting  like  soap-bubbles. — 
That  these  globules  are  hollow  is  not  only  proved  by  their 


568       EXTRACT  OF  A  LETTER  FROM  MR.  GOULD. 

difference  in  size  in  the  same  precipitate,  but  also  by  the 
angular  and  irregular  forms  which  they  present  when  dried 
up. — Id. 

A  valuable  collection  brought  together  in  Borneo  for  the 
Dutch  government,  but  whose  acquisition  was  refused  by  the 
latter,  has  been  bought  by  the  government  of  Belgium,  and 
the  city  of  Brussels,  for  30,000  fr.  It  contains  eight  skele- 
tons and  skins  of  the  orang-utang,  skeletons  of  the  rhinoce- 
ros, tiger,  bear,  &c,  a  stuffed  crocodile,  30  ft.  long,  several 
fossil  remains,  and  1200  birds.  The  share  of  the  government 
has  been  distributed  among  the  universities  of  Liege,  Lou- 
vain,  Brussels,  and  such  towns  as  possess  Museums,  for 
instance,  Tournay. — Id. 

Of  the  Ushar  or  Abuk,  (Asclepias  procera)  of  the  Senaar. 
— Dr.  Max  Koch,  a  Bavarian  traveller,  gives  the  following 
description  in  one  of  his  letters.  It  is  a  tree  with  broad 
leaves  of  a  very  bright  green,  and  peculiar  to  the  Sennaar. 
The  seeds  of  it  are  enveloped  in  a  fine  silk,  wherefore  it  is 
also  called  Asheyr  (silk-tree.)  In  the  plain  of  Gohr  the  na- 
tives use  that  substance  for  the  matches  of  their  guns.  The 
milk-like  sap  which  oozes  from  the  young  twigs,  is  collected 
and  sent  to  Jerusalem,  where  the  druggists  prescribe  it 
against  inveterate  colds.  The  flower  is  poisonous.  A 
French  physician  in  Dongola  was  poisoned  with  it  in  coffee, 
with  which  the  dried  and  powdered  flowers  had  been  mixed. 
— Id. 

Extract  of  a  Letter  from  Mr.  Gould,  the  Ornithologist, 
dated  June  30,  City  of  Adelaide,  South  Australia. — "  I  wish 
it  were  in  my  power  to  give  you  a  faithful  picture  of  this 
famed  city  of  two  years  standing.  People  live  in  tents,  and 
customs  are  so  different  from  what  they  have  been  used  to, 
that  I  really  wonder  how  they  reconcile  themselves  to  their 
new  mode  of  life.  On  the  whole,  however,  I  think  South 
Australia  may  be  considered  as  flourishing,  and  its  condition 
will  ultimately  be  prosperous. 

The  Zoology  here,  from  what  I  have  already  seen,  is  likely 
to  be  of  a  most  interesting  description,  totally  different  in  its 
nature  from  that  of  Sydney,  but  probably  approaching  nearer 
in  its  character  to  the  productions  found  beyond  the  Liver- 
pool range,  or  what  is  more  properly  called  the  interior  of 
New  South  Wales." — J.  Gould. — Addressed  to  Mr.  Prince, 
Broad  Street,  Golden  Square. 


THE  MAGAZINE 

OF 

NATURAL  HISTORY 


DECEMBER,   1839. 


Art.  I.— Notes  on  Irish  Natural  History,  more  especially  Ferns 
By  Edward  Newman,  Esq.,  F.L.S.,  &c. 

{Continued  from  page  551.) 

On  the  ruins  of  Castle  O'Donnel  I  found  a  number  of  the 
commoner  ferns,  and  among  them  a  few  fronds  of  Scolopen- 
drium  vulgare.  On  the  banks  of  Lough  Derg,  Osmunda 
regalis  again  made  its  appearance  in  abundance.  It  was  late 
in  the  evening  when  I  reached  this  celebrated  lake,  and 
crossed  to  its  wonder-working  island,  on  which  hundreds  of 
invalids,  and  cripples,  and  sinners,  were  patiently  awaiting 
miraculous  cures  for  body  and  mind.  This  little  island  is 
built  to  the  water's  edge,  and  a  solitary  sycamore  is  the  only 
tree  it  nourishes.  I  passed  through  Pettigoe,  along  the  east 
side  of  Loch  Erne,  and  between  the  upper  and  lower  lough 
to  Inniskillin  and  Manorhamilton.  In  approaching  Sligo  the 
country  assumed  a  different  appearance  to  any  I  had  before 
seen ;  the  hills  had  rounded  summits  and  rocky  precipitous 
sides.  The  number  and  variety  of  ferns  here  greatly  increased; 
Cystopteris  fragilis  was  most  abundant  and  polymorphous, 
as  it  ever  is  when  once  established  in  a  congenial  habitat. — 
Scolopendrium  vulgare  hung  its  bright  green  streamers  from 
the  rocks,  and  filled  the  hedge-rows,  for  near  Sligo  there  are 
hedge-rows.  Asplenium  Adiantum-nigrum,  Rut a-mur aria, 
and  Trichomanes  were  everywhere  abundant,  more  particu- 
larly on  the  stone  walls. 

At  Ballisodare  is  a  very  fine  rapid  of  the  Owenbeg.  This 
stream  is  of  respectable  width,  and  roars,  foams,  and  dashes 
along  over  a  slaty-looking  bottom  in  fine  style  :  the  rapid  is, 

Vol.  III.— No.  36,  n.  s.  3  r 


570  NOTES  ON  IRISH  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

properly  speaking,  a  succession  of  falls;  the  bed  of  the  river 
seems  to  be  broken  into  a  series  of  unequal  steps,  ceasing  on- 
ly when  its  waters  mingle  with  those  of  the  Atlantic.  I  was 
told  that  great  numbers  of  salmon  annually  amuse  themselves 
by  leaping  at  these  falls,  and  that  some  sunnount  them  all ; 
the  majority  however  find  the  labour  too  severe,  and  are  car- 
ried back  to  the  sea,  or  captured,  bruised  and  exhausted,  on 
the  shelves  of  rock.  From  Ballisodare  to  Ballina  the  road  is 
over  a  dreary  bog,  and  without  interest ;  thence  to  Crossmo- 
lina  its  character  is  the  same,  but  here  I  left  the  usual  track, 
and,  rounding  the  base  of  the  huge  Slieve  Nephin,  found  a 
way  to  Newport.  Below  Nephin  is  a  finely- wooded  bog; 
there  appeared  to  be  nothing  like  cultivation,  and  the  wood 
seems  quite  a  natural  one.  Newport  is  a  miserable  place  ; 
the  traveller  will  find  no  rest  there.  It  is  the  only  town  I  had 
ever  entered  in  which  I  could  find  no  inn,  but  here  there  is 
none  at  all ;  some  twenty  or  thirty  filthy  spirit-shops,  but  no- 
thing like  an  inn. 

The  next  morning  there  was  a  wind  blowing  against  which 
it  was  all  but  impossible  to  stand ;  it  blew  clouds  of  spray 
off  the  surface  of  the  river :  however  I  was  early  on  my  way, 
skirting  Clew  Bay,  and  gazing  on  its  innumerable  islands. — - 
I  would  fain  have  gathered  some  information  about  these 
beautiful  spots  of  verdure  ;  but  alas  !  everything  here  is  to  be 
received  with  hesitation.  The  number  of  islands  is  variously 
stated  by  almost  every  one  you  meet,  but  the  favourite  num- 
ber is  three  hundred  and  sixty-five — one  for  every  day  in 
the  year,  a  number  corresponding  precisely  with  the  lakes 
of  Glengariff.  Of  these  islands  one  hundred  and  seventy  are 
well  cultivated  and  inhabited.  Looking  over  this  wilderness 
of  isles,  Croagh  Patrick  fills  up  the  horizon,  its  summit  hid- 
den in  the  clouds.  On  the  banks  of  Clew  Bay  I  found  Erica 
Mediterranea  in  the  greatest  abundance  ;  I  first  saw  it  close 
to  the  road,  after  passing  the  little  village  of  Molyrhany, — a 
cluster  of  some  dozen  or  eighteen  cabins,  and  from  this  spot 
as  you  enter  Coraan  Achill  it  is  scattered  in  profusion  over 
hundreds  of  acres  :  I  speak  of  the  heath  known  at  present 
by  our  botanists  as  E7'ica  Mediterranean  but  I  have  heard 
many  doubts  expressed  as  to  the  propriety  of  this  name, 
and  from  what  I  could  gather  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that 
this  heath  will  turn  out  an  undescribed  species.  In  walking 
among  this  heath  I  found  it,  on  the  average,  up  to  my  shoul- 
ders in  height,  some  rather  higher,  and  a  good  deal  much 
lower.  Below  the  heath  the  bog  was  thickly  sprinkled  with 
Pinguicula  Lusitanica. 

At  Achill  Sound  there  is  an  inn  lately  erected,  and  here  a 


NOTES  ON  IRISH  NATURAL  HISTORY  571 

ferry-boat  takes  you  across  to  the  island  of  Achill.  The  sea 
was  very  rough,  the  raft  had  broken  adrift  with  the  violence 
of  the  waves,  and  the  people  said  it  was  "  too  severe  "  to  at- 
tempt the  passage.  However,  there  appeared  nothing  worth 
waiting  for,  so,  after  talking  a  good  bit,  the  raft  was  obtained, 
but  directly  I  was  on  board  a  wave  gave  it  a  cant,  and  T  un- 
fortunately lost  my  centre  of  gravity,  fell  against  a  seat,  and 
in  an  instant  lay  sprawling  on  the  bottom,  having  scarified 
one  shin  in  performing  the  summerset.  I  mention  this,  as  a 
hint  to  future  pedestrians,  because  the  wound  was  a  constant 
walking-companion  the  rest  of  my  journey,  and  a  considerable 
drawback  to  its  pleasure.  At  night  I  reached  "  the  Settle- 
ment," an  establishment  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  the  na- 
tives to  renounce  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  Rome  for 
those  of  the  Church  of  England. 

The  island  of  Achill  is  more  like  a  foreign  land  than  any  I 
have  visited ;  the  natives  reside  in  huts,  which  a  good  deal 
resemble  those  of  the  Esquimaux  Indians ;  they  are  without 
chimneys  or  windows,  and  the  roof  seems  continuous  with 
the  walls  :  the  interior  is  generally  undivided,  and  is  tenanted 
by  men,  women,  children,  pigs  and  poultry,  and  often  goats 
and  cows.  These  little  cabins  or  huts  are  built  in  what  may 
be  called  loose  clusters,  varying  from  twenty  to  eighty  in  a 
cluster ;  these  clusters  or  villages  are  sixteen  in  number,  some 
of  them  are  summer  residences  only,  and  are  entirely  deserted 
in  the  winter;  —  others  winter  residences  only,  and  deserted 
in  the  summer.  The  island  of  Achill  is  very  mountainous  : 
it  rises  principally  towards  the  west,  where  it  attains  a  great 
elevation,  and  then  falls  perpendicularly  to  the  sea :  it  seems 
like  a  remote  corner  of  some  vast  continent,  which  has  sunk 
for  ever  beneath  the  waves :  its  soil,  like  that  of  the  greater 
part  of  the  west  of  Ireland,  is  bog,  or,  as  it  is  termed,  turf, 
and  this  is  covered  with  heath  and  sedge,  intermixed  here 
and  there  with  a  fine  velvety  turf.  The  inhabitants  possess 
a  good  number  of  cows,  sheep,  and  goats  ;  the  latter  are  al- 
most invariably  white,  and  ramble  the  mountains  in  large 
flocks.  The  heaths  are  Calluna  vulgaris,  Erica  cinerea  and 
Tetralix,  of  all  which  I  found  beautiful  white  varieties.  Se- 
dum  anglicum  occurs  in  great  abundance  on  the  rocks,  and 
Anagallis  tenella  forms,  in  many  places,  a  pink  turf,  so  pro- 
fusely does  it  flower. 

In  birds  the  island  appears  to  be  poor ;  it  is  doubtless  vi- 
sited by  a  variety  of  sea  birds,  but  I  saw  nothing  but  gulls 
and  terns.  Eagles  are  very  abundant,  particularly  (perhaps 
exclusively)  Aquila  albicilla :  and  of  hawks  I  saw  several 
species.     The  red-legged  crow  breeds  in  the  cliffs;  and  I 


57*2  NOTES  ON  IRISH  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

found  a  colony  of  this  bird  in  a  look-out  station,  built  when 
our  government  was  afflicted  with  the  Napoleonphobia,  but 
now  a  mass  of  ruins  :  these  birds  did  not  seem  abundant. — 
Curlews  appeared  to  be  breeding  here ;  their  whistle  was  in- 
cessant, and  the  old  ones  would  constantly  rise  before  me,  and 
counterfeit  inability  to  fly,  as  if  desirous  of  enticing  me  away 
from  their  nests  or  young. 

The  first  morning  after  my  arrival  in  Achill,  I  walked  over 
the  cliffs  at  Cim  to  Achill-head.  The  cliffs  at  Cim  are  said 
to  be  more  than  1000  feet  in  perpendicular  height;  Achill- 
head,  the  extreme  western  point,  is  much  lower,  I  should  fan- 
cy less  than  500  feet:  but  turning  thence  northward,  I  reached 
the  summit  of  Slieve  Croaghan,  a  height  more  than  double 
that  of  Cim,  and  sliced  down  perpendicularly  to  the  Atlantic. 
I  imagine  this  cliff  has  never  been  measured ;  it  was  variously 
stated  to  me  at  2000,  2300,  and  2600  feet :  I  am  not  compe- 
tent to  form  an  accurate  opinion  of  its  height,  but  as  I  lay 
quietly  looking  over  it,  I  could  not  hear  the  huge  waves  of  the 
Atlantic,  as  they  broke  in  foam  along  its  base.  This  might 
arise  in  part  from  the  roaring  sound  of  the  wind  among  the 
rocks  around  me,  or  even  from  the  wind  sweeping  away  the 
sound  of  the  waves  in  some  other  direction  ;  but  it  gave  an 
idea  of  vast  depth  that  I  never  before  realized.  From  this 
point  I  coasted  the  north  of  the  island,  and  found  near  the 
margin  of  the  cliff  a  beautiful  little  fresh-water  lake,  surround- 
ed by  an  amphitheatre  of  hills.  I  should  think  its  surface 
was  600  feet  above  the  sea,  and  its  distance  from  the  edge  of 
the  cliff  scarcely  300.  I  doubt  whether  any  Englishman  but 
myself  has  ever  seen  this  lone  and  beautiful  sheet  of  water ; 
its  singularly  round  form,  the  depth  of  the  basin  in  which  it 
reposes,  the.  precipitous  sides  of  that  basin,  its  height  above 
the  sea, — all  these  are  characters  of  no  ordinary  interest.  As  it 
was  not  yet  evening,  and  the  weather  very  fine,  I  ascended 
Slieve  Mor  on  my  way  to  the  Settlement,  an  operation  of  an 
hour  and  a  half,  in  order  to  see  the  sun  set  in  the  ocean  from 
that  elevated  point.  It  was  a  glorious  sight,  but  when  he  was 
gone  night  came  on  almost  immediately,  and  I  had  to  find 
my  way  to  the  Settlement  after  nightfall,  in  a  country  to  which 
I  was  an  utter  stranger,  where  there  was  no  track,  and  no  tree, 
house,  or  any  other  object  to  mark  the  way. 

The  next  day  I  walked  along  the  top  of  the  cliff  south- 
ward ;  this  height  is  called  Menaan ;  it  is  the  favourite  resort 
of  eagles,  hawks,  gulls,  and  red-legged  crows.  Although 
magnificent  in  comparison  with  any  cliffs  I  have  seen  in  Eng- 
land,—  and  although  the  natives  collecting  sea- wrack  on  the 
sands  below  were  visible  only  as  specks,  the  nature  of  which 


NOTES  ON  IRISH  NATURAL  HISTORY.  573 

I  could  not  have  determined  with  the  naked  eye; — yet  Me- 
naan  is  a  mere  plaything  compared  with  the  stupendous  Croag- 
han,  and  sinks  into  insignificance.  The  summit  of  this  cliff 
is  thickly  covered  with  plants,  and  I  doubt  not  would  amply 
reward  the  botanist  who  would  carefully  explore  it.  The 
plants,  dwarfish  though  they  be,  are  not  sufficiently  humble  to 
escape  the  power  of  the  Atlantie  breezes.  There  is  an  extent 
of  miles  covered  with  a  dense  net-work  of  vegetation,  every 
twig  of  which  leans  away  from  the  ocean;  this  network  or  mat 
springs  beneath  the  feet  with  great  elasticity :  it  is  principally 
composed  of  Salix  herbacea,  Salix  repens,  Arbutus  Uva-urs?y 
Juniperus  nanus,  Calluna  vulgaris,  Erica  cinerea,  and  a  va- 
riety of  Carices.  Descending  from  these  heights  I  visited  a 
farm  in  the  bosom  of  the  mountains ;  it  is  the  only  one  of  any 
extent  in  the  island,  and  is  occupied  by  a  Mr.  Long.  I  no- 
tice this  farm  as  bearing  on  the  extreme  productiveness  of 
the  soil  of  Achill ;  it  had  abundant  crops  of  oats  and  pota- 
toes, the  former  so  heavy  that  the  only  fear  respecting  them 
was  that  they  would  be  laid  by  the  high  winds.  The  soil 
will  produce  oats  and  wheat,  year  after  year,  without  manure, 
but  wheat  is  not  a  desirable  crop  on  account  of  the  want  of  a 
good  market.  Mr.  Long's  garden  contained  cabbages,  sa- 
voys, sea-cale,  broad  beans,  peas,  early  potatoes,  carrots,  pars- 
nips, lettuces,  onions  and  turnips,  all  of  them  kept  free  from 
weeds,  and  in  a  slate  of  vigour  and  luxuriance  that  would  not 
be  despised  by  the  London  market-gardeners.  The  farm  con- 
sists of  600  acres.  From  this  farm  to  the  village  of  Dukinelly 
the  land  is  well  cultivated,  although  divided  into  infinitely 
small  patches.  The  entire  island  is  the  nominal  property  of 
the  Marquis  of  Sligo,  but  let  for  ever  to  Sir  Richard  O'Don- 
nel,  who,  when  the  land  is  reclaimed  and  producing  crops, 
obtains  the  enormous  rent  of  one  shilling  per  Irish  acre  from 
his  tenantry. 

The  natives  of  Achill  are  charged  with  being  thieves  and 
murderers  ;  and  if  I  were  to  place  full  reliance  on  all  I  heard 
at  the  Settlement,  they  would  appear  to  be  so.  Mr.  Long, 
however,  with  everything  constantly  exposed, — walls  and 
hedges  being  here  unknown,  and  living  amongst  a  population 
from  whom  he  has  no  power  at  all  to  defend  himself,  has  ne- 
ver lost  even  a  potato.  I  allude  not  to  this  subject  politically  ; 
but  bearing  in  mind  solely  the  natural  history  of  the  island  and 
its  capability  of  improvement,  I  pronounce  without  hesita- 
tion, that  if  goodness  of  soil,  lowness  of  rent,  cheapness  of 
labour  and  safety  of  property  be  recommendations,  —  then 
that  no  spot  I  have  ever  seen  is  more  likely  to  reward  the 
emigrant  than  the  island  of  Achill.     Would  that  some  unpo- 

3  it  3 


574  NOTES  ON  IRISH  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

litical  and  imsectarian  philanthropists, — men  who  took  a  hu- 
man view  of  the  human  wants  and  human  failings  of  these 
poor  islanders, — would  settle  among  them,  and  place  in  their 
hands  the  plough  and  the  spade,  teach  the  children  to  read 
and  write,  the  boys  to  make  shoes  and  coats,  to  fish,  and  to 
dig,  and  rake,  and  sow,  and  reap,  and  build  houses,  and  the 
girls  to  knit,  and  spin,  and  make  gowns, —  use  them  like 
brothers,  sisters,  and  children, — then  might  this  island  be- 
come a  centre  of  happiness  and  prosperity. 

At  Mr.  Long's,  on  the  banks  thrown  up  to  divide  the  fields, 
and  in  land  not  yet  fully  reclaimed,  I  observed  Osmunda  re- 
galis  in  most  luxuriant  bushes ;  he  complained  of  it  as  a  weed 
that  gave  much  trouble.  Aspidium  dilatatum  was  equally 
common :  in  the  former  part  of  my  paper,  at  page  551,  I  spoke 
of  the  Irish  concave  variety  as  being  the  Asp.  dumetorum  of 
Mackay,  supposing  that  the  Asp.  dumetorum  of  Smith  was  dif- 
ferent. I  have  since  learned  from  Mr.  Moore,  of  Dublin,  that 
he  has  seen  the  very  plants  on  which  Sir  J.  E.  Smith  founded 
his  species ;  they  are  still  growing  in  the  Botanic  Garden  at 
Liverpool,  and  are  decidedly  of  that  variety  called  dumetorum 
by  Mackay,  concavum  by  Babington,  and  recurvum  byBree, 
in  <  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.'  vol.  iv.  p.  162>  fig.  32,— the  figure  is 
a  very  good  one.  I  saw  the  specimens  myself  when  at  Liver- 
pool towards  the  end  of  August  last,  but  not  meeting  with 
Mr.  Sheppard  the  curator,  I  was  not  aware  they  were  those  to 
which  Sir  J.  E.  Smith  alludes.  I  am  anxious  to  correct  my 
error  on  this  subject,  as  the  observation  implied  an  inaccu- 
racy on  the  part  of  Mr.  Mackay.  Mr.  Babington' s  plant  (the 
identical  specimen  is  before  me)  is  elongated,  and  rendered 
more  vigorous  by  having  grown  in  the  vicinity  of  a  waterfall. 

Coasting  the  island  as  nearly  as  I  could  accomplish  it  from 
Dukinelly,  I  at  length  reached  Achill  Sound,  and  then  cross- 
ed to  the  inn  on  the  other  side.  Near  this  place  I  observed 
a  great  quantity  of  heath ;  some  of  the  Erica  cinerea  being 
beautifully  white.  I  also  gathered  what  at  the  time  appeared 
to  me  an  unusual  variety  of  Erica  Tetralix,  the  leaves  being 
shorter,  broader,  and  very  white  beneath ;  I  afterwards  learned 
that  this  is  the  Erica  Mackaiana.  I  am  too  shallow  a  bo- 
tanist to  offer  any  opinion  as  to  its  being  specifically  distinct, 
particularly  as  it  is  stamped  with  the  weighty  authority  of  Sir 
W.  J.  Hooker. 

Returning  over  Coraan  Achill  to  Newport,  I  bent  my  course 
southward  to  Westport,  and  thence  to  the  little  place  called 
Leenanc,  at  the  head  of  the  Killery.  The  scenery  here  is  wild 
and  picturesque ;  the  rocks  are  covered  with  Saxifraga  um- 
broza,  I  use  the  name  in  ignorance,  not  knowing  the  genera 


NOTES  ON  IRISH  NATURAL  HISTORY.  575 

and  species  into  which  that  plant  has  been  divided :  I  had 
better  say  "  London  Pride,"  for  we  cockneys,  who  cultivate 
the  plant  in  our  sooty  gardens,  generally  combine  the  species 
under  this  one  familiar  term.  It  is  very  delightful  to  see  this 
plant  in  its  native  wilds,  adorning  the  rugged  rocks  with  its 
elegant  panicle  of  flowers  ;  in  such  situations  it  seems  to  pos- 
sess an  interest  which  we  never  attach  to  it  in  a  state  of  cul- 
tivation. 

Immediately  on  starting  from  the  little  inn  at  Leenane,  or 
"  Jack  Joyce's  "  as  it  is  usually  termed,  I  found  the  first  spe- 
cimen I  had  seen  of  the  Irish  heath, —  Menziesia  poli folia : 
up  to  that  moment  I  was  unacquainted  with  the  plant,  and 
its  appearance  was  as  pleasing  as  it  was  unexpected.  The 
scenery  here  is  fine ;  the  Killery,  a  little  creek  or  arm  of  the 
sea,  runs  up  to  Leenane  between  two  picturesque  chains  of 
hills,  and  travellers  usually  hire  a  boat  and  disport  themselves 
on  the  water,  in  order  to  obtain  a  better  view  of  these  hills. 
An  excellent  road  has  lately  been  made  from  Leenane  to  Clif- 
den,  but  the  day  being  very  fine,  I  prolonged  the  journey  by 
turning  off  to  the  left,  among  the  hills,  and  was  repaid  by 
some  very  pretty  scenery.  Behind  me,  or  rather,  to  my  left, 
rose  that  singular  group  of  hills  called  the  Twelve  Pins,  and 
before  me,  through  occasional  openings,  I  frequently  saw  the 
sea.  There  is  but  little  cultivation  in  these  parts  ;  the  bog 
appears  rich,  and  capable  of  producing  good  crops ;,  the 
heaths  are  luxuriant  beyond  anything  I  had  ever  seen ;  the 
day  was  very  warm  and  the  walking  good,  the  bog  being 
firm  and  elastic,  and  in  the  best  possible  state  for  progression. 
It  was  evening  when  I  reached  the  little  inn  at  Clifden. 

The  next  morning  I  arrived  at  Roundstone,  a  place  with 
which  a  naturalist  must  be  pleased.  On  approaching  it,  an 
enormous  seal  {Halichceriis  GrypJms),  apparently  8  or  9  feet 
long,  and  of  a  light  or  whitish  colour,  with  a  black  face,  and 
another,  much  less  and  nearly  black,  were  basking  in  the  sun- 
shine on  a  rock  in  the  bay.  These  seals  are  most  abundant 
all  round  the  coast  of  Cunnemara,  from  Galway  to  the  Kil- 
lery ;  indeed  I  imagine  on  nearly  every  part  of  the  coast  of 
Ireland :  they  are  strong,  resolute,  and  ferocious  animals,  and 
totally  different  from  the  Phoca  vitulina,  which  is,  in  these 
respects,  the  very  reverse.  Halicharus  Gryphus  grows  oc- 
casionally to  an  enormous  size,  sometimes  attaining  even  the 
length  of  12  feet;  and  Mr.  Ball  of  Dublin  told  me  of  one  he 
had  killed  at  Howth  harbour,  which  he  believed  to  weigh  five 
hundred  pounds.  Phoca  vitulina  occurs  not  unfrequently  on 
the  north  coast  of  Ireland  and  among  the  Scotch  islands,  but 
it  appears  to  be  nearly  expelled  from  the  southern  half  of  Ire- 


576  NOTES  ON  IRISH  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

land  by  the  more  powerful  and  savage  species  above  referred 
to,  much  in  the  same  manner  as  the  old  English  black  rat  has 
yielded  to  the  more  powerful  animal  from  Asia,  known  as  the 
brown  or  Norway  rat. 

I  ascended  Urrisbeg,  a  rugged  little  hill  at  the  back  of  the 
town,  and  was  very  much  delighted  with  the  singular  view 
from  its  summit :  the  sinuosity  of  the  ocean-coast,  and  the 
multiplicity  of  islands  in  the  sea,  and  of  lakes  on  the  land,  is 
very  remarkable.  All  over  this  district  Menziesia  grows  in 
the  utmost  profusion,  and  at  the  base  of  Urrisbeg  occurs  Eri- 
ca Mediterranean  though  not  abundantly,  and  here  it  was  first 
discovered  by  Mr.  Mackay.  This  plant  has  since  been  re- 
corded as  occurring  in  En-is,  and  on  the  side  of  the  Mullrea 
mountain,  near  the  Killery ;  but  I  believe  I  have  the  pleasure 
of  first  recording  its  most  abundant  habitat — Coraan  Achill. 
At  the  foot  of  Urrisbeg,  on  the  shore  of  Lough  Bulard,  Mr. 
Babington  found  Adiantum  Capillus-  Veneris.  When  at 
Roundstone,  I  was  not  aware  of  the  exact  locality,  and 
searched  for  this  rare  plant  in  vain,  having  no  more  precise 
habitat  than  "near  Roundstone."  But  though  unsuccessful 
in  this  instance,  I  was  delighted  with  the  variety  of  ferns 
which  I  here  found  among  the  boulders  by  the  sea.  Aspidi- 
um  aculeatum  and  dilatatum,  Nephrodium  filix-mas,  Athy- 
rium  jilix-foemina,  Blechnum  boreale,  Asplenium  marinum, 
Aspl.  Adiantum-nigrum,  Aspl.  Tricliomanes,  Aspl.  Ruta-mu- 
raria,  Pteris  aquilina,  and  Osmnnda  regalis,  are  crowded 
together  in  profusion  and  endless  variety.  In  the  evening  I 
dined  with  some  great  men's  great  men,  or  rent-collectors  for 
land-proprietors,  and  from  them  I  learned  much  as  to  the  fish- 
ing &c.  in  this  district.  The  salmon-fisheries  are  perhaps  the 
best  in  the  world  :  about  four  miles  from  Roundstone  is  one 
taken  by  a  Scotchman,  in  which,  the  day  I  was  there,  two 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  salmon  were  taken.  The  contract- 
or, I  was  told,  had  taken  the  fishery  at  2d.  per  fish.  The 
fishery  was  the  property  of  Mr.  Martin  of  Ballinahinch. 

On  our  breakfast-table  next  morning  were  herrings,  two 
kinds  of  trout,  and  salmon,  all  three  in  the  perfection  of  fresh- 
ness;  indeed  the  fish  of  the  west  of  Ireland  is  beyond  all 
comparison  the  finest  in  flavour  that  I  ever  ate ;  it  is  fresh, 
and  in  all  probability  had  been  swimming  at  large  within  an 
hour  of  its  being  placed  on  the  table.  The  white  trout  of  the 
west  of  Ireland  is  a  fish  with  which  I  was  before  unacquaint- 
ed ;  as  a  species  it  is  perfectly  distinct  from  the  salmon  or  trout 
Mr.  Yarrell,  in  his  '  History  of  British  Fishes,'  vol.  ii.  p.  37,* 
says  that  the  Salmo  trutta  of  Linnaeus,  the  sea  trout  of  Flem- 
ing, and  his  salmon  trout,  is  the  white  trout  of  Ireland ;  but 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER.  577 

there  is  not  a  close  correspondence  between  the  two.  In  con- 
tradistinction to  the  common  trout,  the  flesh  of  the  white  trout 
is  of  richer  flavour,  and  of  a  deeper  orange  colour ;  its  skin  is 
much  thicker  and  more  oily,  its  colour  bright  silvery,  with 
the  exception  of  the  back,  which  is  darker ;  it  is  destitute  of 
orange  spots.  It  is  taken  abundantly  in  salt  water,  and  very 
seldom  in  fresh. 

After  breakfast  I  resumed  my  knapsack  and  turned  my  back 
on  Roundstone,  amidst  pelting  rain.  I  saw  two  eagles  soar- 
ing in  circles  far  above  the  summit  of  Urrisbeg,  and  others 
sailing  majestically  on  their  way  to  and  from  the  Twelve  Pins. 
I  stopped  awhile  at  the  salmon-fishery  :  to  this  spot  the  ang- 
lers of  England — the  real  knowing  ones — find  their  way, 
and,  enveloped  in  Mackintoshes,  stand  for  hours  at  the  pools, 
whipping  them  with  a  fly.  I  saw  an  extremely  fashionable- 
looking  man  at  this  locale;  he  was  accompanied  by  a  Mr.  Larry, 
a  very  knowing  native,  who  killed  the  fish  of  which  he  —  the 
Englishman — was  to  be  supposed  the  executioner.  The 
salmon  were  pounded  in,  like  sheep  in  a  fold,  and  patiently 
awaited  the  evening's  hawl;  the  Englishman  threw  his  fly  with 
untiring  diligence,  and  drew  it  spinning  over  the  water ;  the 
huge  salmon  leaped  around  it  almost  every  second,  and  I  saw 
Larry  hawl  to  shore  a  fish  of  at  least  eight  pounds  weight ; 
this  will  doubtless  cut  a  conspicuous  figure  in  my  unknown 
countryman's  journal :  it  was  on  the  17th  of  July,  1839. 

Ballinahinch,  like  most  of  the  towns  laid  down  in  the  maps 
of  Cunnemara,  is  a  single  house,  the  residence  of  the  Martin 
of  Galway  for  the  time  being,  a  man  possessing  land  suffi- 
cient for  a  German  principality.  It  is  a  pleasant  spot,  sur- 
rounded by  the  wildest  scenery  that  can  be  imagined,  and  the 
bog  half  covered  with  the  beautiful  Menziesia. 

(To  be  continued.) 


Art.  II.— Oh  the  Natural  History  of  the  German  Marmot  (Ham- 
ster).    By  W.  Weissenborn,  Ph.  D. 

(Continued  from  page  536.) 

Hybernation. — About  the  beginning  or  middle  of  October 
the  hamsters  shut  their  burrows,  first  the  creeping-holes  and 
then  the  plunging-holes.  With  occasional  interruptions, 
they  fill  the  whole  length  of  the  passages,  with  earth  formed 
into  little  rounded  lumps  of  the  size  of  a  pea  or  French  bean, 
which,  though  they  be  rammed  together  very  firmly,  and  ef- 


578  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER. 

fectually  keep  out  the  cold,  yet  admit  of  a  partial  circulation 
of  air.  The  nest  is  of  the  average  size  of  an  ox-bladder,  and 
filled  with  the  softest  straw.  It  communicates  with  the  store- 
chambers,  as  before  stated ;  and  the  animal  continues  awake 
for  about  two  months,  during  which  it  consumes  about  two 
thirds  of  its  stores  and  becomes  very  fat,  till  the  winter  fairly 
sets  in,  when  it  becomes  torpid.  After  the  middle  of  Febru- 
ary one  generally  finds  the  first  hamsters  that  are  awake ; ■ 
but  unless  the  sun  shine  very  warm,  they  do  not  open  their 
holes,  but  occupy  themselves  with  digging  new  canals,  &c, 
as  it  would  seem  merely  for  the  sake  of  exercise.  At  this 
season  one  finds  but  two  or  three  handfuls  of  corn  left.  About 
the  middle  of  March  they  usually  begin  to  open  their  bur- 
rows, commencing  with  the  plunging-hole,  which  they  throw 
open  very  widely,  so  that  it  resembles  the  burrow  of  a  rabbit. 
They  abandon  their  winter-burrows  soon  after,  and  dig  new 
ones ;  they  take  rambles  and  collect  young  weeds,  as  well  as 
the  fresh-sown  summer  corn,  whereby  they  become  very  inju- 
rious. The  male  awakes  from  his  winter  sleep  sooner  than 
the  female;  and  herein  we  may  observe  a  very  interesting  pro- 
vision of  nature.  The  female,  on  account  of  the  care  neces- 
sary to  be  bestowed  on  her  progeny,  not  having  time  to  collect 
so  large  a  store  as  the  male,  digs  her  winter-burrow  much 
deeper,  whereby  she  the  sooner  becomes  torpid,  and  awakes 
later  than  the  male ;  and  but  for  this  many  would  die  of  hun- 
ger. All  the  hamsters  which  have  been  dug  out  in  winter 
were  males,  the  females  lying  so  deep  that  the  traces  of  their 
burrow  have  been  lost  before  getting  at  them.  They  seldom 
open  their  holes  before  the  beginning  of  April. 

When  a  torpid  hamster  is  dug  out,  it  is  found  lying  on  one 
side,  rolled  up  in  a  lump  ;  the  head  being  under  the  belly, 
which  is  embraced  by  the  fore-paws,  the  hind-paws  being 
joined  above  the  snout.  The  animal  is  perfectly  clean,  and 
the  hairs,  especially  the  whiskers,  beautifully  arranged.  The 
hairs  are  stiff,  and  their  becoming  pliant  marks  the  first  stage 
of  the  animal's  awaking.  The  eyes  are  closed  ;  and  if  open- 
ed by  artificial  means,  they  shut  again  spontaneously.  The 
animal  does  not  breathe.  When  opened  in  this  torpid  state, 
it  does  not  show  any  symptom  of  feeling  pain,  although  the 

1  As  an  exception,  I  have  a  few  times  seen  hamsters,  even  at  an  earlier 
season,  basking  before  the  creeping-hole  of  their  burrows,  in  the  sunshine  of 
a  bright  winter  day.  The  creeping -hole  was  thrown  wide  open  on  such  oc- 
casions; the  animals  retreated  on  my  approach  ;  and  had  they  not,  in  every 
instance  of  that  sort,  peeped  out  again  in  defiance,  with  their  well-known 
squeaking-,  I  could  not  positively  state  that  I  had  seen  hamsters  behaving 
thus  in  the  middle  of  winter. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER.  579 

respiration  returns  at  long  intervals ;  the  heart  contracts  only 
fourteen  or  fifteen  times  in  a  minute  ;  whereas,  in  the  animal 
when  awake,  it  does  so  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty  times. 
The  blood  is  far  more  bright  and  fluid  than  in  summer,  and 
its  surface  is  covered  with  oily  spots.  The  intestines  are  mo- 
tionless, and  neither  alcohol  nor  sulphuric  acid  are  able  to 
make  them  contract :  they  are  partly  filled  with  chyme  and 
excrements.  The  fat  is  rather  solid,  and  the  bladder  partly 
filled  with  urine.  A  torpid  hamster  may  be  carried  in  the 
pocket  for  miles  from  the  fields  without  awaking.  If  brought 
into  a  moderately  warm  room  it  gradually  awakes :  the  feet 
by  degrees  assume  a  more  natural  position ;  the  breathing 
begins  with  deep  and  rare  inspirations ;  the  animal  is  then 
sensible  to  stimuli  of  various  kinds ;  it  stretches  itself,  utters 
a  disagreeable  rattling  sound,  and  at  last  opens  its  eyes.  It 
then  totters  about  as  if  intoxicated,  and  frequently  falls  on 
one  side  in  trying  to  attain  a  sitting  posture.  When  this  point 
has  been  gained  it  remains  quiet  for  a  while,  then  walks  about 
and  directly  begins  to  eat  if  food  be  thrown  before  it.  The 
time  in  which  they  become  perfectly  awake  in  a  moderately 
warm  room,  is  two  hours  in  very  cold  weather,  when  their 
sleep  is  proportionately  sound,  but  much  less  in  warm  weather. 
The  principal  external  cause  of  the  torpidity  of  the  ham- 
ster is  the  lowness  of  the  temperature  of  the  medium  in  which 
it  happens  to  be.  Underground  a  temperature  of  +  6°  or  7° 
Reaum.  is  competent  to  effect  it ;  when  kept  in  a  box  above 
ground,  the  animal  will  fall  asleep  at  a  temperature  of  +5° 
R.,  but  awake  from  time  to  time.  In  heated  rooms  the  state 
of  torpidity  never  takes  place ;  but  although  the  hamster  will 
thus  sometimes  live  through  the  winter,  it  is  drowsy,  ill,  and 
often  dies.  It  is  evident  that  the  closing  of  the  burrows,  by 
which  the  external  agents  are  in  a  great  measure  excluded, 
must  be  instrumental  in  bringing  about  the  torpid  state  much 
earlier  than  it  would  otherwise  take  place.  Then,  I  suspect, 
the  influence  of  the  earth  itself  has  a  similar  tendency  ;  this 
opinion  I  may  support  by  the  following  observation.  In  my 
youth,  in  company  with  a  few  more  boys,  I  once  gave  chase 
to  a  pair  of  dormice  [Myoxus  nitela).  We  secured  one,  the 
other  entered  a  hole  in  the  slope  of  a  sandy  hill.  I  went  home 
to  fetch  the  necessary  instruments  and  returned  in  about  half 
an  hour,  and  after  digging  only  a  length  of  a  few  feet,  I  found 
the  dormouse  fast  asleep,  though  the  burrow  continued  much 
farther.  Thinking  I  had  killed  the  animal  with  the  pickaxe, 
I  took  it  carefully  in  my  hand,  when,  after  having  handled  it 
a  short  time,  it  made  its  escape  so  rapidly  that  only  the  skin 
of  its  tail  remained  between  my  fingers.     I  succeeded  how- 


580  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER. 

ever  in  catching  it  again,  and  found  that  it  had  sustained  no 
other  injury. 

As  to  the  physiological  points  which  appear  to  be  most 
closely  related  to  the  hybernation,  they  are,  1st,  the  great  de- 
velopment of  the  venous  in  proportion  to  the  arterial  system ; 
2ndly,  the  peculiar  composition  of  the  blood,  which  never  per- 
fectly coagulates,  the  more  solid  parts  retaining  a  certain  de- 
gree of  fluidity,  and  the  more  watery  portion  not  becoming 
transparent  and  nearly  colourless,  as  in  most  other  animals, 
but  constituting  a  crimson-coloured  fluid  ;  when  the  hamster 
is  torpid,  these  qualities  of  the  blood  exist  to  a  greater  degree 
than  in  summer :  and  lastly,  the  condition  of  the  fat,  which, 
as  in  other  winter-sleepers,  for  instance,  the  badger,  hedge- 
hog, dormouse,  bat  &c.  is  oily,  and  chiefly  composed  of  elaine. x 

Injury  and  Use. — As  the  hamsters  consume  a  great  quan- 
tity of  valuable  green  fodder  as  well  as  corn,  from  the  time  it 
begins  to  ripen,  during  spring,  summer,  and  autumn, — and  as 
an  old  one  sometimes  lays  up  a  winter  store  of  1  cwt.  of 
horse-beans,  or  65  lbs.  of  corn,  &c,  which  is  lost  to  the  pro- 
prietor or  farmer,  it  may  be  imagined  what  a  calamity  this 
animal  must  be  to  the  agricultural  population,  where  the  soil 
is  favorable  to  its  excessive  multiplication,  and  where  no  ex- 
traordinary means  are  resorted  to,  in  order  to  check  its  pro- 
pagation. It  is  true  that  nature  herself  puts  a  stop  to  the 
hamsters1  multiplying  to  an  indefinite  extent,  by  epizootics, 
or  other  causes,  which  cannot  be  precisely  determined  ;2  but 
she  does  so  much  later  than  the  interest  of  man  requires. — 
The  parishes  which  are  much  infested  with  this  nuisance, 
have  therefore,  from  an  early  period,  paid  premiums  out  of 
their  public  money  for  dead  hamsters  which  were  brought  to 
the  proper  office.  Latterly  this  has  been  done  in  several  do- 
minions of  Germany  with  more  regularity,  and  more  systemat- 
ically than  before ;  and  as  1  think  it  will  interest  the  readers 
of  this  journal,  I  shall  communicate  here  an  extract  from  the 
official  records  kept  at  the  mansion-house  of  Goth  a,  and  com- 
prehending a  period  of  twenty-one  years.  It  commences  in 
1817,  when  a  general  crusade  was  undertaken,  which  had  the 

1  Haller's  opinion,  that  the  right  auricle  of  the  heart  loses  its  sensibility 
latest,  among  all  the  organs,  is  confirmed  in  a  striking  manner  in  the  in- 
stance of  the  hamster.  If,  in  a  living  hamster,  the  heart  he  exposed  by 
laying  open  the  chest,  it  will  continue  to  heat  for  about  seven  minutes,  then 
become  motionless  for  a  short  time,  whereupon  the  right  auricle  begins  to 
beat  alone,  the  pulsations  being  at  first  about  110  in  a  minute,  continuing 
for  an  hour  and  a  half  or  even  two  hours,  and  becoming  gradually  slower, 
till  at  last  only  two  are  observed  within  a  minute. 

2  Migrations  of  this  animal  have  never  been  observed,  as  far  as  I  know ; 
but  in  some  vears  it  is  scarce,  without  the  cause  being  known. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER.  581 

effect  of  greatly  reducing  the  number  of  hamsters ;  and  since 
that  period  the  magistracy  have  succeeded  in  preventing  the 
multiplication  of  the  animal  from  becoming  a  public  calamity. 


Years. 

1817  ..., 

Number  of  Hamsters  delivered 
at  the  mansion-house  of  Gotha. 

111,817  

Sums  paii 

Doll. 

..  2,237 

..      197 

..      285 

..      103 

..      122 

..      273 

88 

..      181 

..      205 

..      148 

..      320 

..      125 

..      112 

..     234 

..     397 

..      186 

20 

49 

39 

21 

43 

i  in  Premiums, 
Gros.    Pfen. 
19       7 

1818  ... 

13,054  

21       1 

1819  ... 

22,370  

14       7 

1820  ... 

7,331   

14       6 

1821    ... 

8,689  

20       8 

1822  ... 

19,087  

14       6 

1823  ... 

5,429  

23       1 

1824  ... 

12,084  

23     10 

1825  ... 

14,248  

15       0 

1826  ... 

7,002  

7     10 

1827  ... 

14,735  

19       8 

1828  .... 

6,133  

13       7 

1829  ..., 

5,686  

11       3 

1830  ... 

10,049  

0      i 

7       9 

1831   ... 

18,953  

1832  ..., 

8,288  

9       8 

1833  .... 

1834  ..., 

886  

2,692  

19       7 
15       9 

1835  .... 

2,282  

4       3 

1836  .... 

1,101    

3       6 

1837  .... 

1,923  

0       0 

Total, 286,839  5,396     19       91 

During  this  whole  period  old  females  were  paid  for  at  the 
rate  of  1  groschen  (1  Jd.)  each,  old  males  at  6,  4,  or  3  pfennige 
in  different  years,  and  young  ones  at  1  pfennig2  throughout. 
If  we  look  back  to  more  remote  times,  we  find  that  in  the 
years  1699,  1710,  1751,  and  1761,  orders  were  issued  by  the 
government  of  Gotha  to  destroy  the  hamsters.  They  must 
have  been  very  numerous  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  as  in  1721,  54,429  (19,145  old  and  35,284  young) 
hamsters  were  paid  for  at  the  mansion-house  of  Gotha,  as 
well  as  25,707  in  the  neighbouring  villages.  After  the  mid- 
dle of  the  same  century  their  numbers  had  decreased,  as  the 
registers  kept  at  the  mansion-house  of  Gotha  record  27,574 
(6629  old  and  20,945  young)  from  Michaelmas  1768  to  Mi- 
chaelmas 1769,  and  22,812  (7244  old  and  15,568  young), 
during  the  twelve  months  beginning  with  Michaelmas  1771. 
It  ought  to  be  understood  that  the  whole  of  the  fields  be- 

1  From  this  table  it  appears  that  very  wet  years  are  as  favourable  to  the 
increase  of  the  hamster  as  dry  and  hot  ones.  For  1817  was  a  very  wet  year 
as  well  as  its  predecessor,  and  yet  in  the  five  years  of  1822, 1825, 1827, 1830 
and  1831,  the  hamsters  contrived  to  become  comparatively  very  numerous. 

2  There  are  12  pfennige  to  a  groschen.  One  fourth  of  the  premiums  was 
paid  out  of  the  public  funds,  and  three  fourths  by  the  proprietors  or  farmers. 


58*2  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER. 

longing  to  the  town  of  Gotha  comprise  an  area  of  less  than 
7000  English  acres. 

Although  the  injury  done  by  the  hamsters  greatly  overbalan- 
ces their  usefulness,  yet  the  latter  is  by  no  means  trifling. 
They  firstly  destroy  a  great  many  field-mice,  larvae,  insects, 
and  other  vermin ;  then  their  fur  is  esteemed  for  lining  coats, 
night-gowns,  &c,  as  being  light  and  durable.  A  good  one 
is  paid  at  the  rate  of  1  Jd.  Lastly,  their  flesh  is  a  very  good 
and  wholesome  dish,  and  but  for  the  stupid  prejudice  which 
prevails  against  it,  the  more  easy  classes  of  society  might 
relish  it  as  much  as  the  ancient  Romans  did  that  of  marmots 
and  dormice.1  However,  it  is  thrown  away  to  rot,  and 
thought  fit  food  only  for  gipsies  or  the  poorest  people,  who 
do  consume  it  in  some  neighbourhoods.  The  gardeners  of 
Erfurt  do,  and  the  poor  people  in  Silesia  are  said  to  eat  a 
great  many  hamsters.  Hunerwolf  (see  Ephem.  Nat.  Cur. 
Dec.  II.  Ao.  viii.  obs.  16,  pag.  59)  says  that  a  poor  old  la- 
bourer at  Arnstadt  in  Thuringia,  who  had  for  some  time 
wholly  subsisted  on  hamster-corn  and  hamster-meat,  died  of 
a  sort  of  leprosy.  This  is  the  only  instance  in  which  bad 
consequences  have  been  ascribed  to  that  description  of  food, 
and  the  conclusion  is  evidently  fallacious,  as  the  man  in 
question  was  probably  affected  with  scabies  senilis. 

Besides,  the  stores  which  the  hamsters  collect  in  their 
burrows  are  partially  reclaimed  by  such  people  as  possess  or 
farm  no  land.  Where  hamsters  abound,  they  effect  a  sort 
of  equitable  arrangement  between  the  proprietors  or  farmers 
and  the  cottagers.  The  hamster  insists  on  his  natural  right 
to  steal  the  corn,  and  the  cottager  avails  himself  of  the  posi- 
tive law  to  sacrifice  the  thief  and  possess  himself  of  the  stolen 
property.  At  Gotha  the  hamster-diggers  have  to  take  out  a 
license.  They  are  mostly  labourers  or  soldiers,  and  if  skilled 
in  this  branch  of  their  profession  they  gain  a  good  livelihood. 
From  March  till  St.  John's  day,  when  the  fur  of  the  hamster 
is  finest,  they  dig  after  the  animal  merely  for  the  sake  of  the 
fur  and  the  premium,  which  they  get  on  producing  the  skins 
at  the  mansion-house,  where  the  tails  are  cut  off  and  burnt. 
The  hamster-diggers  have  the  right  to  dig  even  in  the  fields 
sown  with  white  crops  till  St.  John's  day,  but  they  must  fill 
the  excavation  again  with  the  earth,  which  they  need  not  do 
in  the  stubble  fields.  Then  there  is  a  pause  till  the  winter- 
corn  is  cut,  when  they  dig  both  for  the  animal  and  the  store 

1  For  the  table,  the  hamster  should  he  obtained  about  the  time  that  the 
animal  first  becomes  torpid  (about  the  beginning  of  November),  when  it  is 
in  high  condition,  and  may  be  killed  without  exciting  its  passion. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER.  583 

in  the  burrows,  which  however  is  very  small  at  that  season, 
and  never  exceeds  8  lbs.  But  after  the  summer- corn  has 
been  reaped,  and  throughout  the  autumn,  the  trouble  of  the 
hamster  diggers  is  much  better  repaid,  as  they  often  find 
50lbs.  or  more  of  corn  in  one  burrow.  The  wheat  and  rye 
are  cleaned  and  washed  by  them,  and  after  having  become 
dry  they  are  as  good  for  household  purposes  as  any  other. 
Barley,  oats,  peas,  beans,  french-beans,  &c,  obtained  in  this 
manner  are  commonly  sold  at  half  the  price  of  what  they 
cost  in  the  market,  and  used  for  feeding  pigs  or  poultry,  with- 
out the  same  careful  preparation  to  which  wheat  and  rye  are 
subjected.  At  the  season  when  the  hamsters  are  persecuted 
only  for  obtaining  the  skins,  a  skilful  hamster-digger  may 
catch  (and  has  often  caught)  as  many  as  120,  both  young 
and  old,  on  the  same  day ;  and  in  autumn,  when  two  com- 
rades commonly  work  together,  a  pair  of  hamster-diggers 
have  sometimes  obtained  400lbs.  of  corn,  &c,  within  the 
same  time. 

Methods  of  catching  and  destroying  the  hamster.  —The 
most  usual  way  in  which  the  animal  is  caught,  is  by  digging 
it  out  of  its  burrow.  For  this  operation  a  spade  is  used,  and 
a  peculiar  kind  of  instrument  consisting  of  an  iron  rod  about 
a  foot  and  half  long,  and  having  a  sharp  hook  on  one  end, 
and  a  little  shovel  or  scraper  on  the  other.  The  hook  is  used 
to  pull  the  animal  out  as  soon  as  it  makes  its  appearance  in 
the  course  of  the  operation  of  digging,  which  begins  from 
the  creeping-hole  ;  the  scraper  serves  to  keep  the  canal  clear 
and  to  loosen  the  contents  of  the  store-chambers.  Besides, 
the  people  have  sacks,  into  which  to  put  the  hamsters,  corn, 
&c.  They  see  the  burrows  at  a  considerable  distance  by  the 
heap  of  earth.  When  this  is  small,  and  the  holes  are  narrow 
and  little  distant  from  each  other,  they  know  that  the  inha- 
bitant is  young,  that  there  is  scarcely  any  corn,  and  that  they 
will  get  only  1  pfennig  for  the  trouble  of  digging  out  such  a 
burrow,  as  the  skin  is  of  no  value.  Therefore  they  leave 
such  a  hamster  alone,  that  he  may  grow  old  and  profitable. 
But  if  the  burrow  have  many  plunging-holes,  which  are 
smooth  and  not  mouldy,  they  know  that  it  is  inhabited  by  a 
female  with  her  young.  It  is  then  worth  while  to  dig  after  a 
litter  of  from  five  to  eighteen  young  ones,  which  are  got  at 
with  but  little  trouble.  Formerly,  when  only  3  pfen.  were 
paid  for  the  old  one  at  the  mansion-house,  she  was  allowed 
to  escape,  in  order  that  she  might  bring  more  grist  to  the  mill 
by  producing  a  fresh  litter,  and  she  is  sure  to  make  the  best 
of  her  way  by  digging  onward  in  an  horizontal  direction ;  but 
now,  as  her  price  is  1  gro.  there  is  inducement  enough  to  dig 


584  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  HAMSTER. 

after  her,  and  quarter  is  no  longer  granted  her.  If  the  heap 
before  the  creeping-hole  be  very  large,  and  mixed  with  much 
chaff  and  pieces  of  straw, — and  if  a  well-trodden  plunging- 
hole  exist  at  the  distance  of  six  feet  or  more, — the  burrow 
belongs  to  an  old  male ;  and  the  hamster- digger  exults  in  the 
prospect  of  a  good  prize.  If  the  season  be  not  far  advanced, 
the  people  possess  themselves  only  of  the  stores,  sparing  the 
old  knowing  fellow,  not  out  of  gratitude,  but  that  he  may  col- 
lect another  store  that  very  season.  No  legislation,  unless 
incompatible  with  true  justice  can  prevent  the  hamster-dig- 
gers from  doing  what  they  think  most  profitable  to  them- 
selves, so  far  as  the  killing  or  sparing  of  the  animals  is  con- 
cerned. x 

The  hamsters  are  also  easily  caught  in  traps  set  before  their 
holes.  The  different  kinds  of  rat-traps  will  answer  the  pur- 
pose with  more  certainty  for  the  hamster  than  for  the  rat,  the 
former  being  far  less  cautious.  The  trap  in  most  general  use 
is  a  pot  dug  into  the  ground,  the  cover  of  which  shuts  when 
the  hamster  enters  to  take  the  bait.  There  is  also  a  very  sim- 
ple trap,  the  construction  of  which  is  founded  on  the  irritable 
disposition  of  the  hamster.  In  the  middle  of  a  board  ten 
inches  square,  is  made  a  hole  four  inches  in  diameter.  A 
strong  nail  projects  from  each  side  of  the  board,  near  the  rim 
of  the  hole ;  the  sharp  points  of  the  nails  are  bent  into  the 
hole,  so  as  to  be  opposite  each  other,  with  a  distance  of  about 
two  inches  between  them.  There  are  nooses  at  the  four  cor- 
ners of  the  board,  which  is  fixed  over  the  plunging-hole  by 
means  of  pegs  driven  into  the  ground.  In  trying  to  leave  or 
to  enter  its  burrow,  the  hamster  glides  over  one  of  the  nails 
and  is  pricked  by  the  other,  upon  which  the  animal  gets  into 
a  passion,  and  in  rushing  violently  backwards,  after  having 
been  repeatedly  wounded  by  the  point  opposite,  he  is  impaled 
by  the  nail  over  which  he  first  glided. 

The  animal  may  also  be  forced  to  leave  its  burrow  by  pour- 
ing into  it  a  large  quantity  of  water,  which  is  perhaps  the 
most  convenient  method,  if  a  large  tun  or  a  cart  can  be  had, 
and  the  object  be  merely  to  destroy  the  animal,  without  ob- 
taining its  stores. 

Weimar,  August  25th,  1839. 

1  The  laws  which  were  given  for  the  cercles  of  Magdeburg  and  Halber- 
stadt,  in  August  1696  and  May  1714,  were  more  arbitrary.  The  proprietors 
were  ordered  to  deliver  at  the  justice's,  each  year,  fifteen  hamster-skins  for 
every  rood  (30  acres)  of  land ;  and  the  cottagers  had  each  to  furnish  ten 
skins.  For  every  skin  that  was  wanting  in  these  numbers,  they  had  to  pay 
a  fine  of  2  groschen. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  SCOTLAND.  585 


Art.  III. — Zoological  Motes  on  a  few  Species  obtained  from  the 
South  West  of  Scotland.  By  William  Thompson,  Esq.,  F.L.S. 
&c. — Vice-President  of  the  Natural  History  Society  of  Belfast. 

I  shall  here  follow  up  a  few  notes  commenced  in  this  Ma- 
gazine in  1838,  (p.  18),  with  reference  to  the  occurrence  of 
some  of  the  rarer,  or  otherwise  interesting  species,  procured 
within  a  limited  portion  of  the  south-west  of  Scotland. 

Chestnut  Shrew.  Sorex  castaneus,  Jenyns.,  '  Ann.  Nat. 
Hist.'  v.  ii.  p.  43.  From  the  neighbourhood  of  Ballantrae1 
I  have  received  specimens  of  shrews,  which,  from  agreement 
with  Mr.  Jenyns'  description,  I  am  disposed  to  regard  as  the 
Sor.  castaneus.  Some  of  the  species  belonging  to  this  genus 
approach  so  closely,  that  it  is  almost  necessary  to  have  a 
comparison  of  specimens  before  a  certain  conclusion  can  be 
arrived  at, — in  the  present  instance  I  have  not  had  this  ad- 
vantage, but  judge  from  the  comparison  of  the  individuals 
under  consideration,  with  others  belonging  to  the  most  nearly 
allied  species,  Sor.  tetragonurus,  of  which  I  possess  two 
specimens  (of  different  ages)  so  named  by  Mr.  Jenyns, — the 
one  taken  at  Twizell,  and  favoured  me  by  P.  J.  Selby,  Esq., 
the  other  taken  by  myself  at  Leamington,  Warwickshire. 

Ciliated  Shrew.  Sorex  ciliatus,  Sowerby  ;  Sor.  remifer 
of  subsequent  British  authors.  Of  this  well-marked  species 
I  obtained,  when  at  Ballantrae,  in  August  last,  an  individual 
taken  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood. 

Bank  Vole.  Arvicola  pratensis,  Baillon;  Bell's  'Brit. 
Quad.'  p.  330.  Of  this  handsome  species,  distinguished  as 
British  only  a  few  years  since,  I  have  obtained  two  specimens 
from  the  vicinity  of  Ballantrae.  Mr.  Macgillivray  mentions 
its  occurrence  at  "  Kelso  and  Bathgate,  in  the  county  of  Lin- 
lithgow."    *  Naturalists'  Library,  Brit.  Quad.'  p.  272. 

Pomarine  Skua.  Lestris  Pomarinus,  Temm.  I  am  in- 
debted to  a  friend  for  the  examination  of  a  specimen  of  this 
bird,  which  was  kindly  brought  from  Ballantrae  to  Belfast 
for  the  purpose ;  it  is  a  young  bird  of  the  year,  and  was  "found 
dead  on  the  beach  near  this  village,  in  the  winter  of  1837-8. 
The  following  measurements  may  perhaps  enable  any  one 
interested  in  the  subject,  to  judge  that  it  is  the  species  here 
set  down. 

1  To  my  friend  John  Sinclaire,  Esq.  and  to  Dr.  Wylie,  I  am  indebted 
for  all  specimens  hence  obtained. 

3  s 


586  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF 

IN.  LINES. 

Length  total 19  9 

„        excluding  central  tail  feathers  (which  are  rounded 

at  the  extremity)    19  2 

„        of  wing   14  2 

„        of  hill  above,  measuring  curve 1  7 

„        of  hill  to  rictus   2  3 

„        of  naked  tibia „  7 

„        of  tarsus 2  1 

„        of  middle  toe  and  nail   2  1 

Two-spotted  Goby.  Gobius  Ruthensparii>  Euph.  Go- 
bius  bipunctatus,  Yarr. — Of  this  fish,  I,  a  few  years  ago,  ob- 
tained specimens  from  Portpatrick,  through  the  kindness  of 
Capt.  Fayrer,  R.N.  It  is  recorded  as  inhabiting  the  eastern 
coast  of  Scotland,  by  Dr.  Johnston  and  Dr.  Parnell. 

Variable  Wrasse.  Labrm  variabilis,  Thomps. ; "  Lab.  ma- 
culatus,  Bloch. ;  I  have  seen  taken  commonly  on  the  rocky 
coasts  of  Wigton  and  Ayrshire.  It  seems  common  in  such 
localities  around  the  British  Islands. 

Montagu's  Sucker,  Liparis  Montagui,  Flem.,  has  on 
two  occasions  been  sent  me  from  Portpatrick  by  Capt.  Fayrer. 
In  one  instance  four  individuals  were  taken  at  the  same  time 
adhering  to  sea- weed  (Fuci)  after  it  had  been  thrown  ashore 
for  manure.  Dr.  Johnston  has  met  with  this  species  on  the 
coast  of  Berwickshire. 

^Equoreal  Pipe-fish.  Syngnathus  mquoreus,  Linn.  I 
have  been  favoured  with  a  beautiful  and  perfect  specimen  of 
this  fish,  20  inches  in  length,  and  which,  along  with  a  still 
larger  one,  was  found  dead  on  the  beach  near  Ballantrae  in 
the  summer  of  1838.  In  this  specimen,  as  in  the  last  I  noticed, 
(Ann.  Nat.  Hist.),  a  caudal  fin,  though  very  minute,  little 
more  than  half  a  line  in  length,  is  distinctly  visible  to  the 
naked  eye ;  under  the  lens  five  rays  are  very  apparent. 

The  Worm  Pipe-fish.  Syngnathus  lumbriciformis,  Je- 
nyns.,  has  been  procured  at  Portpatrick,  and  thence  kindly 
sent  me  by  Capt.  Fayrer.  This  species,  and  the  S.  cequoreus 
have  been  obtained  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Scotland,  near 
Berwick-on-Tweed,  by  Dr.  Johnston;  but  to  Dr.  Parnell,  who 
has  so  successfully  investigated  the  Ichthyology  of  the  Frith 
of  Forth  ■  and  other  portions  of  the  British  coast,  neither  they 
nor  the  Liparis  Montagui  have  occurred. 

Eight-armed  Cuttle.  Octopus  octopodia,  Flem.  l  Br. 
Anim.'  Penn.  '  Brit.  Zool.'  vol.  iv.  p.  44,  pi.  28,  fig.  44.     A 

1  See  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  1837,  p.  159. 
1  Here  the  first  British  specimen  of  the  Syng.  cequoreus  on  record,  was 
obtained  by  Sir  Robert  Sibbald. 


THE  SOUTH-WEST  OF  SCOTLAND.  587 

specimen  of  this  cuttle-fish  favoured  me  by  Capt.  Fayrer,  was 
found  on  the  shore  (I  believe)  at  Portpatrick,  in  April  1835. 
The  length  of  body  is  3  inches,  the  breadth  2j,  head  1  J,  arms 
7  inches.  This  individual  differs  only  from  that  described 
by  Dr.  Grant, '  Flem.  Brit.  Anim.'  p.  254,  in  size,  and  in  the 
trivial  difference  of  the  arms  being  webbed  beyond  the  twelfth 
sucker.  The  specimens  which  I  have  seen  cast  ashore  on 
the  opposite  coast  of  Ireland  were  generally  about  the  size  of 
the  present  one. 

Horrid  Crab.  (Penn.  Brit.  Zool.  vol.  iv.  p.  6,  pi.  8,  fig. 
14.)  Lithodes  Maja,  Leach.  By  Dr.  Wylie,  of  Ballantrae, 
I  have  been  favoured  with  a  very  fine  specimen  of  this  crab, 
which  was  taken  in  a  herring  net  there  in  the  summer  of  1838, 
and  in  water  from  twenty  to  thirty  fathoms  in  depth.  It  was 
brought  to  Dr.  W.  by  the  fishermen,  as  a  species  they  had 
never  before  met  with. 

Hyas  coarctatus,  Leach.  In  April  1835,  specimens  of  this 
crab  were  sent  me  from  Portpatrick  by  Capt.  Fayrer. 

Long-horned  Crab.  (Penn.  Brit.  Zool.  vol.  iv.  p.  3,  pi. 
1,  fig.  3.)  Porcellana  longicornis,  Edw.  Crust,  t.  2,  p.  257. 
Received  with  the  last. 

Plaited  Lobster.  (Penn.  Brit.  Zool.  vol.  iv.  p.  15,  pi.  14). 
Galathea  strigosa,  Fabr.     Received  with  the  last. 

Long-clawed  Lobster.  (Penn.  Brit.  Zool.  vol.  iv.  p.  14, 
pi.  13).  Galathea  rugosa,  Edw.  Crust,  t.  ii.  p.  274.  Re- 
ceived with  the  last. 

All  the  species  here  enumerated,  except  the  three  first 
mentioned,  have  been  obtained  on  the  opposite  coast  of  Ire- 
land. 

Belfast,  Nov,  12th,  1839. 


Art.  IV. — On  the  Monkeys  known  to  the  Chinese,  from  the  native 
authorities.  By  Samuel  Birch,  Esq.  Assist,  in  the  Dept.  of  Ant. 
of  the  Eng.  Sec.  Brit.  Mus.;  Assist.  Sec.  to  the  Archaeological 
Institute  of  Rome. 

At  a  period  not  very  remote  the  writer  of  the  present  article, 
to  aid  the  researches  of  a  naturalist  relative  to  the  monkeys 
known  to  the  Chinese,  undertook  a  series  of  translations  from 
the  '  San  tsae  too  hwuy,'  or  '  Pictorial  Encyclopedia  of  the 
Three  Sciences/  of  the  descriptions  annexed  to  the  plates  of 
the  various  monkeys  that  are  found  in  the  division  of  Zoolo- 
gy in  that  exceedingly  interesting  work.  The  great  Ency- 
clopedia of  Ma  twan  lin  did  not  at  that  time,  to  the  writer's 
knowledge,  exist  in  London  ;  and  the  distractions  incident  to 


588  ON  THE  MONKEYS  KNOWN  TO  THE  CHINESE. 

the  business  of  life  have  not  allowed  him  the  leisure  to  inspect 
a  copy  of  it,  should  it  be  in  the  possession  of  University  Col- 
lege, in  the  splendid  library  of  Dr.  Morrison.  Although  the 
'Kang-he  tsze  teen'  was  not  minutely  examined,  it  was  occa- 
sionally referred  to ;  but  since  Chinese  plates  are  far  better 
than  descriptions  for  the  general  enquirer,  the  '  San  tsae  too 
too  hwuy  '  was  the  work  chiefly  consulted,  and  other  works 
used  in  a  subsidiary  point  of  view,  to  eke  out  its  deficiencies. 
Some  idea  seemed  fixed  in  the  naturalist's  mind  that  a  higher 
order  of  apes  than  either  the  oran-otan,  or  chimpanzee,  had 
been  said  to  exist  in  China;  and  accordingly  the  native 
authorities  were  most  diligently  searched,  in  order  to  find  the 
animal  in  question,  and  the  results,  such  as  they  are,  are  now 
at  the  disposal  of  zoologists. 

The  oldest  work  which  contains  pictorial  illustrations,  is 
the  '  Shan  hae  king,'  or  *  Book  of  hills  and  streams,'  a  very 
dull  itinerary  of  the  empire,  full  of  mythological  ideas  relating 
to  "  dragon  -haunted  streams  and  elf-frequented  hills,"  but 
excessively  monotonous  and  prosy  in  its  general  narrative. — 
It  is  illustrated  with  an  ample  commentary,  and  was  written 
during  the  dynasty  of  Han ;  being  of  some  archaeological  in- 
terest, but  tiring  to  the  patience  of  the  general  reader.  In 
this  book  appears  a  plate  of  an  animal  called  Sing-sing  or 
Sang-sang ;  and  the  account,  as  well  as  the  plate,  have  been 
implicitly  followed  by  the  Encyclopedia  which  appeared  un- 
der the  dynasty  of  Ming.  As  this  is  the  animal  called  oran- 
otan  by  the  Jesuits  and  Dr.  Morrison,  a  short  description  of 
the  plate  is  necessary.  As  figured,  it  is  essentially  man ;  it 
stands  erect,  with  a  broad  human  countenance,  and  mass  of 
frontal  brain  ;  it  has  feet,  not  hands,  on  its  posterior  extremi- 
ties :  in  its  left  hand,  articulated  as  in  mankind,  it  holds  a 
bunch  of  fruit,  in  its  right,  a  young  animal  of  the  same  class. 
The  features  are  Caucasian,  and  its  hair  reaches  from  the 
crown  of  the  head,  whence  it  falls  in  rich  profusion,  to  the 
earth.  "  In  its  exterior  appearance,"  says  the  Shan  hae  king, 
"  it  is  like  an  ape ;  it  walks  with  its  face  down,  runs  erect, 
and  comes  out  of  the  Chaouyaou  hills." — (Plate  iii.  1).  The 
description  annexed  to  the  plate  of  the  '  San  tsae  too  hwuy ' 
states, — "Tseo  shan  yew  show  chwang  joo  yu,  luy  Me-how, 
fa-chuy  ta ;  keang-tung  shan  chung  yih  yew  ming  Sing-sing 
nang  yen."  "  In  the  Tseo  magpie  hills  there  are  animals  whose 
external  appearance  islike  an  ape's  of  the  Mehow  species;  their 
hair  reaches  to  the  earth.  In  the  Keangtung  hills  there  are 
animals  called  Singsing,  that  can  speak." — (Zoology,  Book 
iv.  Art.  39).  In  the  '  Kang-he  tsze  tsen,'  under  the  article 
Sing,  are  collected  a  number  of  accounts  from  other  diction- 


ON  THE  MONKIES  KNOWN  TO  THE  CHINESE.  589 

aries  relative  to  this  animal ;  and  as  this  work  forms  an  inte- 
gral part  of  every  Chinese  library,  it  will  be  unnecessary  to 
quote  the  original  text,  since  it  is  readily  accessible  to  sino- 
logists in  general.  Sing,  (after  the  usual  preliminaries  as  to 
pronimciation), "  The  Yupeen1  observes  that  the  Sing  are  like 
dogs  with  a  human  face ;  the  Kwangyun  that  they  are  like 
an  ape ;  the  Urh  ya  shih  show  that  they  are  small,  and  ad- 
dicted to  weeping ;  the  Shan  hae  king,  that  it  has  a  man's 
face,  a  swine's  body,  can  converse,  and  is  found  in  the  Fung 
ke  heen  of  Keaoule  (Cochin  China) ;  also  that  its  external 
appearance  is  like  a  Hwan,z  and  that  its  cry  resembles  a  pig's 
squeak,  or  a  child's  weeping ;  the  Leo  ke-le,  that  the  Singsing 
can  speak,  but  is  nevertheless  a  beast."  Nearly  similar  sto- 
ries are  given  of  the  Sang. 

The  term  "  swine's  body"  does  not  ill  apply  to  the  compa- 
rative nakedness  of  the  oran-otan's,  when  considered  in  rela- 
tion with  the  other  apes,  as  a  reference  to  any  specimen  will 
fairly  prove.  The  conversational  powers  of  this  animal  is  a 
fiction  purely  Chinese,  from  its  mournful  chattering  note. — 
But  the  most  interesting  account  of  it  is  in  the  Ching  tsze 
tung  Dictionary ;  where,  after  narrating  at  some  length  the 
manner  of  catching  them,  by  means  of  wine  and  wooden 
shoes,  the  following  opinions  of  ancient  works  are  quoted  on 
the  subject.  "The  Sho  wan  says  that  the  Sing-sing  make  a 
hasty  noise,  like  a  dog's  bark,  and  nothing  more.  Toopo, 
in  the  account  of  the  southern  hills,  gives  a  plate  repre- 
senting a  Sang-sang  like  a  monkey.  In  the  description  of  the 
interior  southern  rivers,  it  is  stated,  there  are  plates  repre- 
senting the  Sang-sang  like  a  dog,  also  a  Sing-sing  whose  ex- 
ternal appearance  resembles  a  monkey.  It  can  speak,  and 
each  part  has  three  feet.  The  original  representation  is  like 
an  ape,  it  runs  erect,  but  walks  prone  to  the  earth,  like  a  dog. 
It  is  said  to  be  naturally  addicted  to  wine,  and  fond  of  light- 
ing a  fire.  It  can  speak,  that  is  to  say,  it  can  emit  a  sound 
like  a  child,  and  it  knows  how  to  keep  up  a  conversation. — 
There  are  two  sorts  of  Sing-sing  and  Sang-sang,  the  great  and 
small ;  and  without  doubt  they  can  speak  as  a  dog  does  to  a 
dog,  by  assuming  a  kind  of  angry  note.  However,  Too  and 
the  plates  are  'at  spear  and  shield'  (contradict  each  other) ; 
if  they  are  in  the  shape  of  a  dog  they  cannot  speak  like  a  man. 
In  the  Shan  hae  king  in  the  account  of  the  interior  southern 

1 '  Gems  Arranged,'  a  Dictionary  mentioned  in  Dr.  Morrison's  preface, 
as  well  as  the  Kwang  yim.  The  Urh  ya,  a  quarto-sized  work,  is  pictorial 
like  the  San  tsae  &c. 

2  This  animal  is  sometimes  said  to  be  like  a  wild  swine,  at  others  like  a 
wild  dog. 


590  ON  THE  MONKEYS  KNOWN  TO  THE  CHINESE. 

rivers  it  is  stated,  that  three  hundred  le  up  in  the  woody  dis- 
trict of  Tsowsze  there  are  male  Sang-sang.  In  the  history  of 
the  eastern  latter  Hans,  it  is  said  that  there  exists  a  tradition 
among  the  southern  barbarians,  that  the  Yen-mang  foreigners 
have  birds  called  Hoke  (game  cocks  ?)  and  Sang-sang."  Tn 
the  Japano-Chinese  Encyclopedia  entitled  the  'Heuen  cheuen 
too  hwuy,'  or  'Collection  of  Plates  explaining  Sounds,'  a 
copy  of  which  is  in  the  possession  of  the  British  Museum, 
and  is  the  identical  one  brought  by  Kaempfer  from  Japan, 
purchased  of  him  by  Sir  Hans  Sloane,  and  from  which 
many  of  the  plates  in  his  work  are  taken  ; — is  a  plate  (part 
xii.  9)  of  the  Sing-sing,  here  evidently  an  oran-otan  walking 
erect,  with  large  ears,  black  body,  and  short  cur-like  tail. 
There  is  no  description  attached  to  it. 

From  the  mass  of  evidence  presented  upon  this  subject, — 
evidence  so  totally  discrepant  and  conflicting,  comparatively 
little  can  be  gleaned.  The  Sing-sing  is  most  probably  the 
oran-otan,  elevated  by  popular  tradition  into  a  rank  interme- 
diate between  man  and  monkey.  In  the  natural  history  of  a 
people  who  have  committed  errors  so  gross  and  ludicrous,  as 
will  be  shown  in  the  course  of  this  communication, — and 
who  admit  into  their  system  every  monstrosity  that  mor- 
bid imagination  has  conceived,  the  assumption  is  almost  prov- 
ed. At  the  same  time  it  comes  within  the  limits  of  the  circle 
of  probabilities,  that  in  the  interior,  so  unexplored,  so  wild, 
and  so  infested  by  brigandage,  there  may  exist  a  race  of  men 
driven  out  of  the  pale  of  human  civilization,  like  the  Cargot 
or  the  Guoita,  and  degraded  by  popular  opinion  into  animals  ; 
or  that  in  a  country  where  infant  exposure  is  tolerated  through 
the  maximum  of  its  population,  some  idiots,  whose  life  has 
been  spent  amidst  the  mountains,  may  have  presented  the 
melancholy  spectacle  of  a  humanity  so  depraved  that  its  fel- 
low-wearers have  refused  to  admit  it  into  their  privileges. 

Another  type  that  falls  into  this  class  is  the  *  Joojin,  or 
"man-like."  In  the  '  Shan  hae  king'  it  is  called  Tung  yang 
(eastern  sun  man),  and  placed  among  the  races  of  men  ;  but  in 
the  San  tsae  &c.  it  is  arranged  among  beasts.  If  ever  it  had 
existence,  it  must  have  been  man.  It  walks  erect,  is  not  quad- 
rumanous,  and  the  only  circumstance  that  could  have  given 
rise  to  a  notion  of  its  being  a  beast,  must  have  been  the  extraor- 
dinary appearance  of  the  head,  which,  in  the  engravings,  looks 
as  if  an  incision  had  been  made  in  the  skin  of  the  forehead, 

1  The  Joo  jin  is  apparently  the  oran-otan,  but  has  the  addition  of  hair. 
For  the  indications  of  the  scientific  names  of  the  animal,  the  writer  is  in- 
debted to  John  Edward  Gray,  Esq.  of  the  British  Museum. 


ON  THE  MONKEYS  KNOWN  TO  THE  CHINESE.  591 

and  the  cuticle  thrown  down  over  the  mouth,  entirely  cover- 
ing the  eyes,  and  rendering  the  visage  totally  irrecognisable. 
The  plates  and  descriptions  are  the  same  in  both,  viz. — 
"Tung-yang  kwo  yew  Yu-yu,  Urh  ya  tso  fuh-fuh  chwang  e 
jin  hih  shin  pa  fa,  keen  jin  tsih  seaou  seaou,  tsih  yen  ke-muh 
Too-po  yun  fuh-fuh  wae  show  pa  fa  Sing-suh  hwo  jin  seaou 
chin-yen  kemuh  chung  nae  Kaou-  taou  fan  wei  go  tsan."  — "In 
the  kingdom  of  Tung  yang  are  inhabitants  which  the  Urh  ya 
calls  Fuhfuh ;  their  appearance  is  human,  with  black  body 
and  straggling  hair.  When  they  behold  mankind  they  smile, 
then  become  alarmed  and  screen  their  eyes.  Toopo  says  that 
the  Fuhfuh  are  monsters  with  straggling  hair  and  Sings'  feet, 
and  that  when  they  catch  men  they  smile,  become  alarmed, 
screen  their  eyes,  burst  out  into  a  loud  wail,  and  turn  back 
to  kill  us." 

The  Tung-yang  (eastern  sun)  kingdom  may  possibly  refer 
to  the  Corea.  The  word  Fuhfuh  is  here  wTritten  with  the  sub- 
stitution of  the  sixtieth  for  the  ninety-fourth  radical  of  the 
language,  an  occurrence  not  uncommon  in  Chinese  literature. 
From  the  term,  Sings'  feet,  it  is  evident  that  the  writer  con- 
templated the  hand-shaped  foot  (to  use  such  a  term)  of  the 
ape  tribe,  as  distinguished  from  that  of  man.  Analogous  to 
this  monkey  is  the  Fuhfuh,  of  which  some  account  is  given 
under  its  name  in  the  Kang  he  &c. — "  The  Urhya  &c.  affirms 
that  it  is  like  a  man,  with  straggling  hair,  walks  rapidly  and 
eats  men.  The  Shan  hae  king,  that  in  appearance  they  are 
like  men,  with  long  lips,  with  black  hairy  body ;  they  turn 
back  and  follow  men's  footsteps  when  they  see  them,  and  then 
laugh.  In  the  hills  of  Keaoukwang,  and  also  in  the  Nang 
kang  district,  are  beasts  of  a  large  size,  ten  cubits  long,  com- 
monly called  Shan  too.  The  Shan  hae  king  calls  them 
Neaouyang  (vicious  goats),  and  also  Kan.  In  the  chapter 
of  kings  in  the  Annals  of  Chow,  the  northern  provinces  are 
said  to  call  them  Toolow  (babblers)."  Similar  accounts  are 
given  of  this  animal  in  the  'Ching  tze  tung,'  and  in  the  Ja- 
pano-Chinese  Encyclopedia  is  a  plate  representing  the  Fuh- 
fuh sitting  upright.  The  lower  extremities  of  the  animal  are 
not  visible ;  but  from  what  is  seen,  it  bears  considerable  re- 
semblance to  the  mandrills,  or  ribbed-nose  baboons.  It  is 
called  in  Japanese  fi-ti.  Fuh-fuh  yew  tso  fuh-fuh  ming  ne- 
aouyang hwo  e  ( ? )  Shantoo  yih  tung.     "  The  fuh-fuh, ■  also 

1  See  second  reduplication  in  the  text.  In  the  preface  or  abstract  of  con- 
tents, after  the  character  Sing1,  Zyao  occurs  some  Japanese  at  the  side  of  Fuh; 
Fi-fi ;  by  the  aid  of  Mr.  Medhurst's  Vocabulary  the  two  terms  have  been 
made  out,  but  the  reading  of  the  Hiragana  character  is  not  easy.  The 
Fuhfuh  is  not  very  distinct,  and  is  the  Simla  Nasutus  or  Papio  Maimon. 


592  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA. 

written  thus,  called  Neaouyang  or  Shantoo."     (Heuen  &c., 
Part  12,  Zoology,  page  9). 

This  closes  the  chain  of  evidence  collected  relative  to  the 
animals  which  have  any  pretensions  to  rank  in  their  works 
with  mankind.  The  observations  made  with  regard  to  the 
Sing-sing  apply  very  nearly  here.  The  same  difference  of 
native  opinion  casts  the  same  doubt  upon  the  authenticity  of 
their  accounts.  Natural  History,  as  a  science  even  of  obser- 
vation, has  been,  and  under  the  present  system  always  will 
be,  at  a  low  condition  among  a  people,  where  all  knowledge 
but  that  of  government  and  morals,  ranks  scarcely  above  the 
mechanical  arts.  The  collection  of  a  few  popular  traditions, 
— the  rough  delineation  of  objects  as  vaguely  seen,  not  com- 
prehended,— has  been  all  that  China  can  boast;  and  the 
practical  and  deeply-theoretical  examinations  and  inductions 
which  build  up  the  towering  structure  of  western  lore,  must 
be  infused  into  them  from  without,  the  Chinese  have  it  not  in 
them,  and,  with  their  distaste  for  innovation,  they  never  can 
examine  the  products  of  nature  with  the  eye  of  accuracy  and 
generalizing  power.  The  Zoology  of  the  San  tsae  too  hwuy  is 
a  glaring  instance  of  this ;  the  fabulous  and  the  true  — imagi- 
nation and  observation — are  alike  blended  in  a  disorder  start- 
ling to  a  European  eye.  The  '  Urhya'  is  rather  more  correct, 
for  it  has  at  least  the  merit  of  arrangement  in  great  classes, 
wide  and  abrupt  in  their  transitions,  but  still  holding  out  suf- 
ficient landmarks  for  future  improvement.  The  '  Shan  hae 
king '  is  one  mass  of  confusion ;  it  rejects  indignantly  all  ar- 
rangement. The  Japanese  Encyclopedia  has  a  mere  glim- 
mering of  presenting  its  animals  according  to  their  type ; — an 
idea  feebly  maintained.  The  only  work  in  which  the  writer 
of  the  present  article  has  seen  any  allusion  to  the  modern  sys- 
tem, was  in  one  apparently  new,  where  the  artist  had,  in  ad- 
dition to  some  birds,  depicted  the  claws  and  beaks,  which 
must  have  been  gathered  from  some  European  work,  since 
such  was  utterly  beyond  Chinese  power.  Yet  we  must  still 
concede  to  the  Chinese  that  they  have  observed  and  noted,  to 
the  best  of  their  ability,  the  animals  existing  in  their  own 
country,  and  have  most  signally  failed  where  they  have  relied 
on  mistaken  information  afforded  from  external  sources  ;  and 
that  European  writers  of  their  date  present  as  little  truth. 

(To  be  continued.) 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA.  593 


Art.  V. — Observations  on  the  Rodentia,  with  a  view  to  point  out 
the  groups  as  indicated  by  the  structure  of  the  Crania,  in  this  Or- 
der of  Mammals.  By  G.  R.  Waterhouse,  Esq.,  Curator  to  the 
Zoological  Society,  Vice-Pres.  of  the  Entomological  Society. 

(  Continued  from  page  279.) 
Family  V. — Arvicolidje. 

Dentition. — Incisors  as  broad  as  deep,  nearly  cylindrical : 
molars  ■§-§■>  or  ii>  rootless. 

Skull. — Ant-orbital  opening  of  moderate  size,  or  small ; 
anterior  root  of  the  zygoma  thrown  up  from  the  plane  of  the 
palate :  temporal  bone  produced  anteriorly  and  laterally,  and 
encroaching  on  the  temporal  fossa? :  palate  more  or  less  con- 
tracted in  front,  the  inter-molar  portion  descending  more  or 
less  below  the  level  of  the  anterior  portion. 

Lower  jaw. — Coronoid  process  large  (usually  very  large) ; 
articular  surface  of  the  condyles  broad, — in  some  species  with 
the  transverse  diameter  equal  to  the  longitudinal :  descend- 
ing ramus  with  the  angles  twisted  outwards,  and  situated 
above  the  plane  of  the  crowns  of  the  molar  teeth.  ■ 

The  genera  Castor,  Ondatra,  Arvicola,  Lemmus,  Geomys  and  Spalax, 
belong  to  this  family. 

A  transverse  section  of  an  incisor  tooth,  in  Arvicola  presents 
a  nearly  circular  figure  (fig.  70,)  and  in  this  respect  differs 
from  Mus,  in  which  the  incisors  {m)  are  almost  always  com- 
pressed and  deeper  from  front  to  back,  and  where  the  sides 
and  front  are  nearly  flat.  In  the  molar  teeth  in  the  present 
family  the  folds  of  the  enamel  generally  divide  the  tooth  into 
angular-shaped  portions,  as  represented  in  the  figure  of  the 
skull  of  Ondatra,  and  these  teeth  are  rootless,  and  continue 
to  grow  at  the  base  as  they  wear  away  at  the  opposite  extre- 
mity ;  but  in  aged  individuals  the  supply  of  pulp  decreases, 
and  the  base  of  the  tooth  begins  to  divide  into  two  or  three 
false  fangs,  as  in  fig.  70,  k,  which  represents  a  molar  tooth  of 
very  old  specimen  of  the  Muskwash.  I  say  false  fangs,  for 
these  roots  are  of  an  irregular  form  and  unlike  the  true  fangs 
of  the  rat's  molars. 

1  The  only  rodents  I  am  acquainted  with,  besides  the  Arvicolidce,  in 
which  the  descending  ramus  of  the  jaw  is  thus  raised,  are  those  belonging 
to  the  genus  Cricetus,  but  here  this  process  is  of  the  same  form  as  that  of 
the  rat,  and  the  space  occupied  by  the  molar  teeth  is  remarkably  small, 
whereas  in  the  Arvicolidce  it  is  great. 

3  T 


594 


OBSERVATIONS  OK  THE  RODENTIA. 


The  molar  teeth  of  Spalax  [n  and  o)  possess  the  same  ir- 
regular-formed and  imperfect  fangs  as  are  found  in  old  speci- 
mens of  Arvicola  and  Ondatra,  but  apparently  they  have 
these  fangs  at  an  early  age,  and  thus  evince  approach,  as 
regards  the  teeth,  to  the  Muridae.  The  cranium  in  the  Arvi- 
colida  is  usually  rather  broad,  and  proportionately  shorter 
than  in  the  Muridce ;  in  Ondatra,  Arvicola,  and  Lemmus, 


70 


Skull  and  lower  jaw  of  Ondatra  zibethica. 

(k)  molar  tooth  of  an  aged  specimen  of  Ondatra.  (J)  section  of  incisor  tooth  of  Arvicola. 

[m)  section  of  incisor  of  Mus.  (n)  and  (o)  molar  teeth  of  Spalax. 


the  temporal  bone  is  produced  anteriorly  and  laterally,  and 
in  some  of  the  species  forms  an  angle,  as  in  Arvicola  am- 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA.  595 

phibia,  and  Ondatra  {a) ;  in  Lemmus  Norvegicus  and  many 
of  the  smaller  species  of  Arvicola  this  portion  is  rounded ; 
in  the  remaining  three  genera,  Geomys,  Spalax  and  Castor, 
the  temporal  bone  is  less  produced  ;  it  nevertheless  encroach- 
es considerably  on  the  temporal  fossce  in  these  genera.  The 
superior  maxillary  bone  sends  backwards  a  lamellar  process 
(b  in  the  figures),  in  most  of  the  species  of  the  present  family, 
as  in  the  Muridas  ;  Castor  and  Geomys,  however,  afford  ex- 
ceptions. These  two  genera  differ  moreover  in  having  a  very 
small  ant-orbital  opening,  which  is  situated  far  forward ;  in 
the  former  there  is  a  projecting  fold  of  bone  which  protects 
the  anterior  outlet  of  this  opening.  In  most  Arvicolidce,  the 
malar  bone  is  broad  and  vertically  compressed;  it  is  im- 
mensely developed  in  the  beaver,  and  unlike  other  species  of 
the  present  group,  runs  up  to  join  the  lachrymal  bone.1  On 
the  other  hand,  in  the  two  genera  Spalax  and  Geomys,  it  is 
small  and  very  slender. 

The  anterior  root  of  the  zygoma  is  in  the  form  of  a  thin 
plate,  of  considerable  extent.  This  plate  is  oblique  in  its 
position,  and  its  lower  edge  is  emarginated  as  in  the  rats. 
The  genus  Spalax  forms  an  exception,  this  plate  being  of 
but  small  extent. 

The  incisive  foramina  are  tolerably  large  in  Ondatra,  Ar- 
vicola and  Lemmus,  but  small  in  the  remaining  genera  ;  they 
are  always  situated  partly  in  the  inter-maxillary  and  partly 
in  the  maxillary  bones,  excepting  in  Geomys  and  Castor, 
where  they  are  confined  to  the  inter-maxillaries. 

The  palate  is  moderately  broad  and  but  slightly  contracted 
between  the  anterior  molars,  in  Arvicola,  Ondatra  and  Lem- 
mus ;  in  Spalax  and  Geomys  it  is  narrow,  and  in  the  beaver 
it  is  much  contracted  between  the  anterior  pair  of  molars, 
but  expands  posteriorly.  The  skull  in  Geomys  (fig.  71)  is 
remarkable  for  the  peculiar  form  of  the  posterior  portion  of 
the  palate.  The  two  pterygoid  bones  converge  and  meet  in 
front,  where  they  expand,  and  joining  with  the  palatine  bones 
form  a  horizontal  platform,  which  is  situated  between  the 
hinder  pair  of  molars,  and  considerably  below  the  plane  of 
the  palate ;  opening  on  to  this  platform  are  two  large  fora- 
mina, which  are  the  outlets  of  two  horizontal  canals  :  these 
canals  run  under  the  palatine  bones,  and  open  in  front  of 
them,  and  are  then  continued  forwards  on  the  palatine  portion 
of  the  superior  maxillary  bone,  in  the  form  of  two  deep  grooves. 
A  similar  structure  may  be  seen,  but  in  a  less  marked  degree, 
in  the  common  water-rat,  and  some  other  Arvicola. 

1  The  malar  bone  of  the  heaver  differs  also  from  other  Arvicolidce,  inas- 
much as  it  enters  into  the  composition  of  the  glenoid  cavity. 


596 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA. 
71 


Skull  and  lower  jaw  of  Oeomys  umbrinus  ? 

The  same  skull  (Geomys)  possesses  two  or  three  other  pe- 
culiar characters  which  are  worthy  of  notice,  particularly 
the  broadly  expanded  and  almost  flat  form  of  the  glenoid 
cavity  of  the  temporal  bone,  the  very  small  size  of  the  ant- 
orbital  foramina,  which  consist  merely  of  two  short  vertical 
slits,  and  the  straightness  of  the  nasal  bones ;  these  are  but 
very  slightly  broader  at  the  apex  than  at  the  base,  and  not 
distinctly  expanded  in  front  as  in  other  Arvicolce.  The  in- 
terparietal bone  is  small  and  nearly  of  a  semicircular  form. 

72 


Skull  and  lower  jaw  of  Spalax  typhlus. 


The  skull  of  Spalax  typhlus  (fig.  72),  like  that  of  Geomys, 
has  a  broad  and  very  slightly  concave  glenoid  cavity  to  the 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTU.  597 

temporal  bone ;  behind  this  cavity  the  temporal  bone  is  di- 
lated, and  forms  a  large  and  deep  hollow,  which  apparently 
receives  the  broad  condyle  of  the  lower  jaw  when  it  is  drawn 
back.  The  ant-orbital  outlet  is  larger  than  in  other  Arvico- 
lid(B.  In  the  skull  before  me  the  suture  between  the  nasal 
bones  is  completely  obliterated  in  front.1  But  the  most  re- 
markable character  in  this  skull  is  the  form  of  the  occiput  (d), 
which  is  enormously  large,  and  instead  of  being  as  usual  ver- 
tical, in  its  oblique  direction2  reminds  us  of  the  occiput  in 
the  Cetacea,  seals,  and  some  other  aquatic  mammals. 

The  upper  and  lower  margins  of  the  occipital  opening,  in 
nearly  all  the  skulls  of  Arvicolida  which  I  have  examined, 
are  situated  in  the  same  vertical  line,  that  is  to  say,  a  straight 
line  touching  the  upper  and  lower  boundaries  of  the  foramen 
magnum  is  at  right  angles  with  the  plane  of  the  skull.  Upon 
first  observing  this  character  in  the  beaver3  and  Ondatra,  I 
imagined  that  having  connexion  with  the  position  of  the  head, 
it  might  be  attributed  to  the  aquatic  habits  of  these  animals, 
being  aware  that  the  same  character  was  found  also  in  the 
seals,  whales,  and  some  other  aquatic  mammals  ;  I  perceived 
however,  upon  further  examination,  that  in  the  Coypus 
[Myopotamus  Coypus)  and  the  Capibara  {Hydrochceres  Ca- 
pibara),  two  other  aquatic  rodents,  the  upper  and  lower 
boundaries  of  the  occipital  foramen  did  not  differ  in  this 
respect  from  the  terrestrial  species;  whereas,  on  the  other 
hand,  in  Spalax,  the  lower  boundary  of  this  opening  projects 
beyond  the  upper,  and  forms  an  angle  of  about  93°  ;  it  is  re- 
markable therefore,  that  the  great  angle  formed  by  the  boun- 
daries of  the  occiput  occurs  in  all  the  Arvicolidce.  In  Arvi- 
cola  agrestis  and  Geomys  umbrinus  ?  the  upper  margin  of  the 
foramen  magnum  projects  slightly  beyond  the  lower,  yet  in 
these  animals  the  upper  and  lower  boundaries  of  this  open- 
ing approach  more  nearly  to  a  vertical  line  than  usual. 

The  form  of  the  lower  jaw  in  the  animals  of  the  present 
family  affords  an  easy  character  by  which  they  may  be  dis- 
tinguished from  other  rodents,  at  least  from  those  whose  skulls 
I  have  examined  :  the  peculiar  position  of  the  angle  of  the 
jaw,  however,  is  not  striking  unless  the  jaw  be  placed  in  its 
natural  position,  that  is,  so  that  all  the  molars  meet  those  of 

1  In  the  skull  of  a  species  of  Geomys  I  find  the  nasal  bones  anchylosed 
in  like  manner. 

9  In  the  crania  of  Arvicolce  and  Ondatra,  there  is  a  slight  approach  evinced 
to  this  form  of  occiput,  and  in  Geomys  the  occiput  slopes  forwards  in  a 
considerable  degree. 

3 1  ought  to  say  the  adult  beaver,  for  in  the  young  animal  the  upper 
boundary  of  the  foramen  magnum  projects  over  the  lower. 


598 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA. 


the  upper  jaw,  and  not  as  represented  in  Cuvier's  plate  in  the 
Ossemens  Fossiles,  vol  v.  pt.  1,  pi.  3.  I  mention  this  because 
being  myself  in  the  habit  of  twisting  the  jaw  of  these  rodents  in 
an  unnatural  position  when  comparing  them  with  others,  it  was 
some  time  before  I  perceived  its  peculiar  characters,  charac- 
ters which  are  important,  inasmuch  as  they  are  combined 
with  numerous  others. 


Skull  and  lower  jaw  of  Castor  Fiber. 

Upon  comparing  the  jaw  of  the  beaver  [Castor  Fiber)  with 
that  of  other  rodents,  the  most  striking  characters  consist  in 
the  large  size  of  the  coronoid  process  and  the  form  and  posi- 
tion of  the  descending  ramus,  or  that  part  (*  in  the  figures) 
which  lies  below  and  behind  the  alveolus  of  the  inferior  inci- 
sor. In  the  species  of  rodents  belonging  to  the  several  fami- 
lies already  pointed  out,  the  descending  ramus  approaches 
more  or  less  to  a  quadrate  form,  the  upper  posterior  angle 
being  generally  acute,  but  the  lower  part  more  or  less  round- 
ed. The  descending  ramus  of  the  beaver  differs  in  being 
more  extended  in  the  direction  parallel  with  the  dental  por- 
tion of  the  jaw,  and  less  extended  in  a  transverse  direction; 
and  if  the  jaw  be  placed  in  its  natural  position  the  angle  (*) 
is  situated  above  the  plane  of  the  symphysis  menti,  or  above 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RODENTIA.  599 

the  lower  line  e  e,  which  is  drawn  parallel  with  the  grinding 
surface  of  the  molar  teeth,  represented  by  the  upper  line  e  e 
in  the  figures ;  the  angle  (**)  is  much  elevated,  and  in  fact 
is  situated  above  the  upper  horizontal  line  just  mentioned. 
Now  it  will  be  seen  upon  referring  to  the  figure  of  the  jaw  of 
Ondatra,  th  at  the  same  characters  exist, — the  j  aw  of  this  animal 
differs  from  that  found  in  other  rodents  in  the  same  manner, 
here,  however,  the  angle  **  is  considerably  produced,  and 
somewhat  twisted  outwards  ;  the  transverse  diameter  is  pro- 
portionately rather  less,  and  the  longitudinal  greater.  In 
Arvicola  and  Lemmus,  with  the  same  general  characters,  we 
find  the  descending  ramus  still  more  twisted ;  here  the  greater 
portion  of  this  process  has  assumed  an  almost  horizontal  po- 
sition. The  jaw  of  Spalax  differs  from  that  of  Arvicola  in 
the  comparatively  small  transverse  diameter  of  the  descend- 
ing ramus,  and  its  greater  longitudinal  extent;  the  upper 
angle  is  directed  outwards,  and  forms  a  small  nearly  semicir- 
cular platform,  which  is  oblique  in  its  position ;  the  lower 
incisor  is  remarkably  long,  and  extends  backwards  and  out- 
wards with  its  thin  covering  of  bone  beyond  the  condyle,  so 
that  the  jaw  appears  as  if  it  had  a  double  condyloid  process. 
The  apex  of  the  coronoid  process  is  situated  above  the  con- 
dyle, as  in  the  beaver,  in  the  form  and  height  of  the  coronoid 
process  however,  Geomys  approaches  still  nearer  to  the  bea- 
ver. The  peculiar  form  of  the  posterior  part  of  the  jaw  of 
Spalax  occurs  also  in  Geomys,  excepting  that  here  the  lower 
portion  of  the  descending  ramus  is  still  narrower,  and  is 
merely  represented  by  a  slight  ridge  which  runs  along  the 
under  side  of  the  alveolus  of  the  inferior  incisor ;  the  upper 
portion  assumes  the  form  of  a  semicircular  and  nearly  hori- 
zontal platform  (the  upper  surface  of  which  is  slightly  con- 
cave), which  is  situated  on  the  outer  side  of  the  alveolus  of 
the  incisor,  a  little  below  the  level  of  the  articular  surface  of 
the  condyle.  As  we  view  the  jaw  from  above,  the  condyle  is 
the  innermost  of  three  processes :  the  projecting  plate,  or 
angle  of  the  jaw  just  described,  being  the  outermost,  and  the 
bony  covering  of  the  posterior  portion  of  the  incisor  being 
situated  between  the  two. 

The  three  skulls  figured  afford  types  of  all  the  forms  which 
I  have  met  with  in  the  Arvicolidce.  The  skull  of  Ondatra 
resembles  that  of  the  water-rat,  and  that  of  the  lemming 
[Lemmus  norvegicus)  differs  only  in  being  proportionately 
broader  and  shorter,  and  in  one  or  two  points  of  minor  im- 
portance. Like  the  species  of  Arvicola  and  Ondatra,  the 
lemming  has  an  opening  in  the  temporal  bone,  situated  be- 


600 


PUPA  OF  NECRODES  LITTORALIS. 


hind  the  zygomatic  process. *  This  opening  is  very  large  in 
the  common  water-rat ;  in  the  beaver  the  corresponding  open- 
ing is  small. 


Art.  VI, 


-Description   of  the   Pupa   of  Necrodes   littoralis. 
By  Henry  Buist,  Esq. 


When  collecting  insects  on  the  5th  of  this  month  (October) 
among  the  sand-hills  which  stretch  along  the  sea  coast  to  the 
north  of  St.  Andrews,  T  picked  up  the  pupa — which  I  sup- 
pose to  be  that  of  Necrodes  littoralis — from  which  the  accom- 
panying drawings  were  made.  Fig.  1,  represents  the  pupa 
in  its  natural  position,  and  shows  its  under  side  ;  fig.  2,  re- 
presents it  spread  out  in  the  way  that  Coleoptera  are  gene- 
rally set,  and  exhibits  the  upper  side. 

74 


Pupa  of  Necrodes  littoralis. 

The  pupa  is  about  an  inch  in  length  and  entirely  of  a  pale 
white  colour  ;  the  head  is  applied  against  the  breast  (fig.  1) ; 
the  antenna}  are  club-shaped  and  lie  along  the  sides  of  the 
thorax ;  the  eyes  are  represented  by  a  patch  of  a  purplish 
colour ;  the  thorax  is  covered  with  scattered  brown  hairs,  and 
there  are  three  larger  ones  of  the  same  colour  on  each  of  the 


A  similar  opening  is  observable  in  the  skulls  of  many  rodents. 


PUPA  OF  NECRODES  LITTORALIS.  601 

anterior  angles ;  the  scutellum,  as  in  the  perfect  insect,  is 
large  ;  the  elytra  are  short  and  folded  over  the  sides  of  the 
body,  and  marked  with  three  elevated  lines,  similar  to  those 
on  the  perfect  insect ;  the  wings  are  longer  and  meet  on  the 
under  side  of  the  abdomen ;  each  segment  of  the  abdomen  is 
furnished  at  the  sides  with  a  large  brown  hair,  and  there  are 
two  anal  ones.  The  two  anterior  pair  of  legs  are  folded  over 
the  breast  and  are  quite  exposed;  the  posterior  pair  are  co- 
vered by  the  wing-cases,  a  small  portion  of  the  tibia  and 
femur  only  appearing  beyond  the  body.  The  joints  of  the 
antennae  and  tarsi  of  the  future  insect  are  perfectly  visible 
when  held  between  the  observer  and  the  light. 

That  this  is  the  pupa  of  Necrodes  lilt  oralis  I  am  led  to 
believe1  from  its  great  similarity  to  the  perfect  beetle,  and 
from  my  having  taken  almost  at  the  same  time  a  specimen  of 
the  perfect  insect  from  the  carcass  of  a  horse  close  by.  It 
is  very  probable  that  the  larva  buries  in  the  sand  and  there 
changes  its  state.  When  handled  it  moved  the  abdomen  in 
the  same  way  as  the  pupae  of  butterflies  and  moths  do.  It 
was  infested  by  a  small  species  of  mite  (Acarus  ?). 

Mr.  Westwood  does  not  appear  to  be  acquainted  with  the 
pupae  of  the  Silphidae,  for  in  illustrating  the  transformations 
of  this  family  (to  which  Necrodes  littoralis  belongs)  in  his 
truly  valuable  i  Introduction  to  the  Classification  of  Insects,' 
he  copies  his  figures  of  the  larva  and  pupa  of  Necrophorus 
humator  from  '  Hosel's  Insect.  Belustig.'  vol.  iv.  pi  1,  and 
states  that  the  larvae,  when  full  grown,  "  form  for  themselves 
a  cell  under  ground,  with  the  inner  surface  smooth  and  shin- 
ing, and  in  which  they  assume  the  pupa  state,  being  at  first 
of  a  whitish  colour,  and  having  two  strong  anal  spines,  where- 
by they  are  enabled  to  turn  themselves  about  in  their  cell ; 
as  they  advance  to  maturity  they  gradually  assume  a  darker 
colour."2  On  comparing  my  figures  with  those  of  Rosel,  as 
given  by  Westwood,  we  find  the  hairs  on  each  segment  of  the 
abdomen,  which  are  so  conspicuous  on  my  specimen,  are  en- 
tirely wanting  in  his ;  the  apex  of  the  abdomen  is  also  differ- 
ent ;  but  the  thorax  appears,  as  in  my  specimen,  to  be  cover- 
ed with  hairs. 

Law  Park,  near  St.  Andrews,  Fifeshire, 
\bth  Oct.  1839. 

1  Before  I  reached  home  the  specimen  from  having  met  with  some  inju- 
ry, was  dead,  and  thus  I  was  deprived  of  the  most  certain  means  of  proving 
that  it  really  is  the  -pupa  of  the  insect  spoken  of.  I  have  not  since  had  an 
opportunity  of  visiting  the  spot,  or  of  ohtaining  another  specimen. 

2  Westwood's  '  Introduction  to  the  Modern  Classification  of  Insects,'  vol. 
i.  page  138,  fig.  10  (8  and  9). 

3  u 


602        ON  COLLECTING  LAND  AND  FRESH-WATER  SHELLS. 


SHORT  COMMUNICATIONS, 


Remarks  on  the  mode  of  collecting  Land  and  Fresh-water 
Shells, — There  is,  perhaps,  no  portion  of  the  Fauna  of  our 
country  of  greater  interest  and  more  easily  collected  than  the 
land  and  fresh-water  shells,  requiring  but  little  exertion  for 
their  capture.  The  land  species  are  to  be  found  abundantly 
(particularly  after  rain,  when  they  ramble  forth  to  feed  upon 
moistened  herbage)  in  hedges,  on  banks,  trees,  walls  and  pal- 
ings, among  moss,  under  stones,  &c,  but  more  especially 
among  the  rejectamenta  of  rivers,  when  the  tide  has  swept 
many  of  the  smaller  species  from  the  banks,  and  deposited 
them  again  on  its  receding.  In  dust  collected  from  various 
places,  such  as  the  tops  of  old  walls,  where  the  leaves  of  ivy 
or  other  plants  have  formed  a  bed  by  their  decay,  many  cu- 
rious and  minute  species  may  also  be  found. 

Those  of  fresh  water  are  to  be  found  either  in  slow  or  run- 
ning streams,  in  still  waters,  on  aquatic  plants,  in  mud,  in 
ditches  adhering  to  stones,  &c.  &c.  It  has  been  found  ne- 
cessary, on  account  of  the  minute  character  of  some  of  the 
species  of  fresh-water  shells,  to  make  use  of  a  net  formed  ei- 
ther of  wire-gauze,  or  the  article  denominated  lenoe,  to  the 
depth  of  an  inch  or  more,  to  collect  them.  This  net  being 
fixed  to  an  iron  ring  at  the  end  of  a  staff,  can  with  the  great- 
est facility  be  made  use  of  in  those  situations  where  shells 
abound.  When  it  is  required  to  search  for  those  species 
which  are  generally  slightly  buried  in  the  mud,  or  at  the  bot- 
toms of  ponds  and  ditches,  such  as  the  different  species  of 
Pisidium,  the  method  to  be  adopted  is  to  skim  the  surface  of 
the  mud  so  that  it  may  easily  enter  the  net,  and  by  bringing 
the  net  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  gradually  moving  it 
from  side  to  side,  the  superfluous  mud  will  be  washed  through 
the  meshes  of  the  gauze,  leaving  the  small  shells  intermingled 
with  pebbles  &c.  in  the  net.  In  this  collection  it  is  easy  to 
distinguish  the  shells  from  the  superfluous  matter  by  means 
of  a  lens,  and  with  the  assistance  of  a  small  pair  of  forceps, 
they  may  be  removed  from  the  mass  and  placed  in  any  con- 
venient receptacle. 

Having  thus  collected  both  land  and  fresh-water  shells, 
with  their  inhabitants  alive,  it  is  necessary  to  destroy  and  ex- 
tract the  animal,  in  order  to  clean  the  shell  for  the  cabinet. 
To  accomplish  this,  they  must  be  placed  in  boiling  water, 
and  after  remaining  in  it  for  the  space  of  ten  minutes,  decant 


GOSHAWKS  IN  THE  POSSESSION  OF  THE  LATE  MR.  HOY.   603 

and  add  cold  water.  The  extraction  of  the  animal  is  the  next 
step,  and  for  this  purpose  a  pin  or  needle  (for  the  smaller 
species)  is  to  be  introduced  into  the  shell,  and  the  animal 
taken  out.  The  shell  must  then  be  well  washed  with  water ; 
if  it  be  of  a  delicate  texture,  a  camels'  hair  pencil  may  be 
used  with  much  advantage  to  clear  away  any  small  particles 
of  dirt  that  may  adhere  to  the  interior.  The  shell  being 
cleaned  and  the  species  ascertained,  the  preparation  employed 
for  fixing  them  to  the  card,  is  a  mixture  of  gum,  sugar,  and 
starch,  which  has  been  found  to  answer  the  purpose  better 
than  plain  gum,  as  being  more  tenacious. — Daniel  Cooper, 
Surgeon,  A.L.S.,  Curator  B.S.L.,  fyc. — 82,  Blackfriars  Road, 
London,  Oct.  16,  1839. 

Notice  of  some  Goshawks  in  the  possession  of  the  late 
Mr.  Hoy. — In  the  early  part  of  the  month  of  September  last, 
Mr.  Hoy  visited  London  on  his  way  to  his  residence  at  Stoke 
Nayland,  in  Suffolk ;  he  had  been  on  the  continent  in  order 
to  obtain  some  goshawks,  for  the  purpose  of  hawking,  to 
which  sport  he  was  much  attached ;  and,  1  believe  few  per- 
sons better  understood  the  nature,  habits,  and  the  modes  of 
training  and  using  birds  of  prey,  than  himself.  He  mentioned 
to  me  long  since,  that  he  kept  several  hobbies  ( Falco  sub- 
buteo)  about  his  residence,  giving  them  their  full  liberty  the 
whole  summer,  and  allowing  them  to  range  about  the  country 
as  they  pleased,  but  always  using  them  to  come  to  him  every 
day  at  three  o'clock  to  be  fed ;  at  which  time  he  would  walk 
into  a  field  adjoining  the  house,  and,  by  whistling  or  waving 
a  glove  in  the  air,  although  the  birds  were  not  before  visible, 
they  might  be  seen  coming  towards  him  with  great  rapidity, 
and  alight  one  after  another  upon  his  arm  to  take  their  meal, 
after  which  they  would  fly  off,  and  perhaps  not  be  seen  until 
the  following  day.  Sometimes  at  a  distance  of  three  or  four 
miles  from  the  house,  he  has  seen  one  or  more  of  them,  and 
by  making  the  usual  sign,  they  would  alight  upon  his  hand ; 
but  it  was  necessary  to  confine  them  before  the  season  of  mi- 
gration, or  they  would  leave  and  not  return,  after  they  had  be- 
come wild — as  was  proved  by  trying  the  experiment.  Du- 
ring the  short  stay  Mr.  Hoy  made  in  September  last,  I  called 
upon  him  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  the  goshawks  :  there  were 
four  of  them,  three  males  and  one  female, — the  female,  a  bird 
of  the  year,  was  the  largest  and  most  powerful  bird  of  the 
species  I  ever  saw ;  Mr.  Hoy  told  me  she  could  secure  with 
ease  a  full-grown  hare. 

With  regard  to  using  these  birds,  Mr.  Hoy  informed  me  that 
their  habits,  mode  of  flight,  &c,  were  much  better  suited  to  an 
enclosed  district  like  Stoke  Nayland,  than  those  of  the  peregrine 


604  DEATH  OF  MR.  HOY. — CHA*LK  VENTRICULITE. 

falcon.  When  used  or  taken  into  the  field,  the  wing  of  a 
bird,  or  the  thin  end  of  an  ox  tail,  is  generally  held  in  the 
hand  to  engage  their  attention,  which  they  are  constantly  bit- 
ing and  tearing  without  being  able  to  satisfy  their  appetites, 
as  that  would  render  them  unfit  for  work.  They  do  not  require 
to  be  hooded,  but  have  bells  attached  to  their  legs,  ( for  the 
purpose  of  giving  notice  of  their  situation  when  they  alight, 
which  would  otherwise  be  difficult  to  ascertain),  and  a  leather 
strap  by  which  they  are  held ;  it  is  also  necessary  to  have 
spaniels  to  hunt  up  the  birds,  upon  the  appearance  of  which, 
the  hawk  flies  from  the  hand  with  incredible  swiftness  direct 
at  the  game,  taking  it  generally  in  the  first  attempt,  but  should 
he  fail,  he  will  perch  on  some  elevated  situation,  and  remain 
until  the  game  is  again  started,  and  is  rarely  known  to  miss  a 
second  time ;  when  the  hawk  has  captured  the  game,  he  is 
rewarded  with  a  small  piece  of  meat,  or  a  pigeon's  head,  to 
induce  him  to  give  up  the  prey  :  if  the  hawk  be  allowed  to 
range  at  pleasure,  by  whistling  it  will  return  with  a  swiftness 
truly  astonishing,  and  finding  it  cannot  stop  suddenly  to  set- 
tle without  striking  you  with  great  force,  it  will  glide  past, 
form  a  circle  round  you,  and  alight  with  the  greatest  ease, 
and  in  the  most  gentle  manner,  upon  the  hand. — A.  D.  hart- 
lett.—Nov.  20th,  1839. 

[The  death  of  Mr.  Hoy,  whose  contributions  have  often 
appeared  in  the  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  took  place 
about  two  months  since,  under  peculiarly  painful  circumstan- 
ces. He  had  placed  a  quantity  of  damp  gunpowder  in  an 
oven,  for  the  purpose  of  drying,  and  which  he  unfortunately 
omitted  to  remove.  The  result  of  this  negligence  was  an  ex- 
plosion, which  was  expected  to  prove  fatal  to  one  of  his  ser- 
vants ;  and  the  anxiety  of  mind  naturally  attendant  upon  so 
distressing  an  event,  brought  on  an  attack  of  fever  which  ter- 
minated fatally  at  his  residence  in  Suffolk.  M.  Hoy  devoted 
his  time  almost  entirely  to  the  cultivation  of  Ornithology,  and 
was  in  the  frequent  habit  of  visiting  the  continental  localities 
which  are  favourable  for  the  resort  of  the  British  species 
during  the  season  of  incubation.  He  was  in  possession  of  a 
large  share  of  valuable  information  relative  to  the  indigenous 
birds  of  this  country ;  and  the  readiness  with  which,  at  all 
times,  he  was  willing  to  aid  the  enquiries  of  his  fellow-natu- 
ralists, will  render  his  loss  a  subject  of  sincere  regret. — Ed.] 

Note  on  the  Chalk-  Ventriculite  figured  in  page  352. — The 
specimen  is  clearly  the  base  of  a  Ventriculite,  with  the 
radicle-processes  attached  to  an  Echinus ;  for  I  cannot  as- 
sent to  the  remark,  "  that  the  Ventriculite  cannot  have  been 


FRONTAL  SPINE  OF  HYBODUS.—  MUS  MESSORIUS.  605 

growing  on  a  dead  shell,"— -for  the  root  of  the  Ventriculite  is 
not  at  the  smaller  extremity, 
but  at  the  larger.     Flints    of 
this  shape  are  very  common ; 
the  marking  *  shows  the  sec- 
tion of  the  stem  of  the  enclosed 
zoophyte,  the  openings,  o,  are 
the  hollows  left  by  the  radicle- 
processes.       I   fear   you   will 
scarcely  understand  my  mean- 
ing from  this  hurried  scrawl ;  I 
but  I  have  so  little  leisure  at 
my  command,  that  I  am  com- 
pelled to  write  in  great  haste.  ° 
— G.  A-  Mantell. — Crescent  Lodge,  Clapham  Common. 

[Our  best  thanks  are  due  to  Dr.  Mantell  for  kindly  correcting  an  error 
into  which  we  had  fallen  in  our  remarks  on  the  Ventriculite,  a  tribe  of  fos- 
sils to  which,  as  it  is  well  known,  he  has  most  successfully  given  his  atten- 
tion.— Ed.] 

Extract  of  a  Letter  from  Miss  Anning,  referring  to  the 
supposed  frontal  spine  in  the  genus  Hybodus. — "  In  reply  to 
your  request  I  beg  to  say  that  the  hooked  tooth  is  by  no  means 
new ;  I  believe  that  M.  De  la  Beche  described  it  fifteen  years 
since  in  the  Geological  Transactions,  I  am  not  positive  ;  but 
I  know  that  I  then  discovered  a  specimen,  with  about  a  hun- 
dred palatal  teeth,  and  four  of  the  hooked  teeth,  as  I  have 
since  done  several  times  with  different  specimens.  I  had  a 
conversation  with  Agassiz  on  this  subject ;  his  remark  was 
that  they  were  the  teeth  by  which  the  fish  seized  its  prey, — 
milling  it  afterwards  with  its  palatal  teeth.  I  am  only  sur- 
prised that  he  has  not  mentioned  it  in  his  work.  We  gene- 
rally find  the  Ichthyodorulites  with  them,  as  well  as  cartila- 
ginous bones." — Mary  Anning. — Lyme  Regis,  April  7,  1839. 

[As  Miss  Anning  speaks  of  100  palatal  teeth,  she  probably  refers  to 
the  genus  Acrodus,  which  may  very  possibly  be  furnished  with  an  organ 
similar  to  the  one  possessed  by  Hybodus,  as  the  genera  are  closely  allied. 
Mr.  De  la  Beche  makes  no  allusion  to  its  existence  in  the  Geological 
Transactions. — Ed.] 

On  the  disappearance  of  the  Mus  messorius,  Shaw,  (Har- 
vest mouse);  followed  by  a  notice  of  Mus  sylvaticus,  Linn. 
(Field  or  Wood  mouse). — These  beautiful  little  red  mice 
{Mus  messorius)  were  three  or  four  years  ago  very  abundant, 
as  I  used  to  cause  a  notice  to  be  given  me  when  a  rick  in  the 
neighbourhood  was  to  be  taken  into  the  barn,  as  they  take 
refuge  in  the  lowest  part  of  the  rick,  burrowing  in  the  ground 
underneath ;  and  I  have  seen  scores  of  the  little  tame  crea- 

Vol.  III.^No.  36.  n.  s.        3  x 


606  DISAPPEARANCE   OF   THE   MUS   MESSORIUS. 

tures,  for  they  are  the  most  tame,  although  not  the  most  fami- 
liar of  all  the  tribe,  the  Myoxus  avellanarius,  Desm.  not  ex- 
cepted, never  attempting  to  bite  eyen  when  hurt.  The  next 
sentence  will  exhibit  them  in  a  different  light ;  I  have  known 
nine  individuals  of  this  species  kept  in  confinement  together; 
they  were  very  voracious,  eating  any  thing  which  was  given 
to  them  :  although  plentifully  supplied  with  a  variety  of  food, 
the  horrible  little  vermin  were  such  cannibals  in  disposition, 
as  to  prefer  eating  each  other,  which  they  actually  did  till 
only  one  remained,  the  disposition  of  the  creature  thus  being 
a  striking  contrast  to  its  pretty  outward  exterior,  and  otherwise 
docile  habits.  These  little  animals  seem  to  have  been  almost 
entirely  destroyed  by  the  dry  summer  and  autumn  of  1836,  per- 
haps the  subsequent  and  following  winters  may  have  contri- 
buted, but  with  all  my  endeavours,  and  searchings,  and  offered 
rewards,  I  had  never  been  able  to  procure  one  after,  and  from 
every  person  who  I  supposed  knew  any  thing  about  the  mat- 
ter, I  received  the  same  sort  of  answer,  that  they  used  to  be 
plentiful,  but  they  had  not  seen  one  for  two  or  three  years. — 
This  autumn,  after  incessant  trouble,  I  have  succeeded  in 
procuring  altogether  five,  old  and  young,  one  of  which  is  now 
alive,  very  tame,  but  mistrustful,  eating  almost  any  thing ;  it 
is  very  fond  of  a  piece  of  apple,  and  has  no  objection  to  a 
little  bit  of  meat,  preferring  most  other  things  to  bread.  The 
whole  genus  of  Mus  appear  to  be  of  sanguine  and  selfish  dis- 
positions, even  the  Mus  sylvaticus  is  not  exempt  from  the 
latter  charge.  A  nest  of  the  Mus  sylvaticus,  Desm.  (field  or 
wood  mouse)  containing  its  builder  with  her  progeny,  was 
ploughed  out:  the  man  observing  the  little  beast  running  very 
heavily  and  awkwardly,  soon  overtook  and  dispatched  it,  and 
was  surprised  to  find  two  young  ones  clinging  so  tenaciously 
to  the  teats  of  their  dam,  as  to  obstruct  her  escape,  and  facili- 
tate her  destruction,  nor  after  the  death  of  their  parent  could 
they  be  removed  without  some  force,  demonstrating  the  affec- 
tion of  the  young  for  the  spring  of  life  to  be  very  strong,  but 
the  desire  of  escape  in  the  dam  stronger  than  parental  affec- 
tion.— Joseph  Clarke. — Saffron  Walden. — Oct,  1839. 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Achatina  acicula  found  within  a  human  skull, 
565 

Achill  island  described  by  Mr.  Newman,  571 

Adder,  supposed  derivation  of  the  name,  566 

Agardh,  Prof,  his  views  upon  the  Marsupialia 
quoted  by  Mr.  Ogilby,  346 

Agassiz,  Prof,  his  opinion  on  the  supposed  mam- 
miferous  remains  at  Stonesfield,  referred  to,  3 
strictures  upon  his  reprint  of  Sowerby's  Mine- 
ral Conchology,  254;  his  vindicatory  letter, 
356  ;  Mr  Sowerby's  observations  upon,  420  ; 
his  letter  lithographed  for  distribution,  418 

Aigoceros  niger,  discovery  of  by  Capt.  Harris 
noticed,  401 

Amphibia,  on  the  Classifications  of  the,  by  Mr. 
Hogg,  265,  367 

Amphicoma  vulpina,  note  upon  by  Mr.  Double- 
day,  97 

Amphidesma  decussatum,  Bean,  n.  sp.  from  the 
cornbrash  of  Scarborough,  described,  59 

Amphigonus,  Agass.  reference  to  the  name  by  M. 
Valenciennes,  9 

Amphitherium  referred  to  byM.  Valenciennes,  3 

Ampfriuma,  referred  to  by  Mr.  Hogg,  370 

Anas  glacialis  killed  at  Lynn,  198 

Annulosa,  by  W.  S.  MacLeay,  in  the  'Illustra- 
tions of  the  Zoology  of  South  Africa,'  reviewed, 
38 

Atwmia  semistriata,  Bean,  n.  sp.  from  the  corn- 
brash  of  Scarborough  described  &  figured,  61 

Anomuptcris,  characters  of  the  genus,  456 

Anser  phcenicopus,  Bartlett,  n.  sp.  characters  of 
noticed,  180 

Anthocephalus  rudicornis,  Drummond,  n.  sp. 
described  and  figured,  228 

Anthophyllum,  its  occurence  in  the  coralline  crag, 
326 

Ardea  alba,  instances  of  its  capture  in  Britain, 
30 

Argonauta. — Researches  of  Delia  Chiaja  upon> 
noticed  by  Dr.  Cox,  99 

•— Observations  and  experiments  of  Ma- 
dame Power,  101 :  her  notice  of  the  opinions 
of  previous  observers,  102  :  manner  in  which 
she  prosecuted  her  observations  at  Messina, 
103 :  her  description  of  the  poulp  and  its  mem- 
branous arms,  104:  natural  habits  of  the  ani- 
mals, and  period  at  which  they  most  abound, 
105 :  her  description  of  the  development  of  the 
supposed  embryo,  150 :  experiments  upon  the 
reparative  power  possessed  by  the  poulp,  152 
correction  of  her  error  respecting  the  supposed 
young  poulps,  153 

■ Summary  of  Madame  Power's  obser- 
vations, and  of  Prof.  Owen's  arguments: 
against  the  parasitic  theory,  in  the  general 
editorial  article,  194 

Abstract  of  Prof.  Owen's  paper  from 


the  Proceedings  of  the  Zoological  Society,  421 : 
evidence  deduced  against  the  parasitic  theory 
from  the  examination  of  the  poulps  and  their 
shells  collected  by  Madame  Power,  422  :  exa- 
mination of  the  arguments  in  favour  of  the 
parasitic  theory — those  of  Mr.  Gray,  427:  of 
Messrs.  Charlesworth,  D'Orbigny,  and  Blain- 
ville,  429:  of  Mr.  Cranch  and  M.  Bang,  430: 
points  in  the  history  of  the  subject  still  requi- 
ring elucidation,  431, 


Arvicola  arvalis,  remains  of  in  the  crag,  318; — 
Arv.  pratensis,  procured  by  Mr.  Wm.  Thomp- 
son at  Ballantrae,  585 

Asclepias  procera,  characters  of,  568 

Aspidium  dumetorum,  Mr.  Newman's  correction 
of  an  error  relating  to,  574 

Asplenium  marinum,  observations  relating  to, 
549 

Asterocarpus,  characters  of  the  genus,  457 

Auricula  myosotis,  found  by  Mr.  Wood  in  the 
crag  of  Sutton,  320 

Avicula  longicostata,  Stutchbury,  n.  sp.  describ- 
ed and  figured,  163 

Baboon,  Sir  James  Alexander's  description  of  a 
large  African  species,  408 

Ballard  Head  referred  to  by  Mr.  Clarke,  393 

Bank  Vole,  see  Arvicola  pratensis 

Basilosaurus,  comparison  of  with  the  Stonesfield 
fossils,  55 

Buckschia,  characters  of  the  genus,  456 

Botanical  Society,  see  Society. 

Botheratiotherium,  objected  to  as  a  generic  name 
by  M.  De  Blainville,  56 

Breccia  of  Dorsetshire  described  by  Rev.  W.  B. 
Clarke,  397 

Bridlington  tertiary  deposit  of  shells  referred  to 
by  Mr.  Lyell,  323 

British  Association,  editorial  remarks  upon,  415 

Bulla,  fossil  species  of,  from  the  crag,  described 
by  Mr.  S.  V.  Wood,  460 ;  B.  undulata,  Bean, 
n.  sp.  described  and  figured,  61 

Byssus,  description  of,  in  the  Cmchifera,  126 

Calcutta,  Botanic  Garden  at,  304 

Calidea  parentum,  White,  n.  sp.  described,  542 

Caliprepes  Grayii,  White,  n.  sp.  described,  543 

Calliphara  bifasciata,  White,  n.  sp.  descr.  541 

Cardium  globosum,  Bean,  n.  sp.  from  the  corn- 
brash  of  Scarborough,  described  and  figured, 
60 

Castor  Fiber,  skull  of  figured,  598 

Caterpillars,  singular  procession  of  observed  in 
South  Australia  by  Mr.  Davis,  146 

Caulopteris,  characters  of  the  genus,  454 

Ceraptei-us,  Mr.  MacLeay's  Memoir  on  noticed, 
42 

Cetacea,  fossil  remains  of  obtained  at  Heme  Bay 
by  Mr  Richardson,  99 

Cetoniidm,  new  species  of,  24 

Cetonia,,  Mr.  MacLeay's  arrangement  of  criticis- 
ed, 38 

Cetonia,  present  arrangement  of  the  species  for- 
merly included  in  that  genus,  171 

Cheadle,  Staffordshire,  on  the  Natural  History 
of,  by  Mr.  James  Carter,  72 

Children,  Mr.  Portrait  of  noticed,  418 

Chimpanzee,  death  of  the  one  at  the  Zoological 
Gardens  noticed,  363 

Chirotherium,  observations  on  by  Dr.  Grant,  46 

Chloroperla,  new  species  of  described,  86 

Chondrites,  characters  of  the  genus,  453 

Cidaris  within  a  fossil  zoophyte,  figured  and  de- 
scribed, 352 

Clangula  vulgaris,  remarks  on  by  Mr.  Blvth, 
471 

Colchester,  Mr.  his  discovery  of  fossil  Mammalia 
in  the  London  clay,  448 

Conchology,  Mineral,  of  Great  Britain,  Agassiz' 
translation  of  noticed,  254 


608 


GENERAL  INDEX, 


Conferrites,  characters  of  the  genus,  453 

( ■...•iiln-ash,  Catalogue  of  its  fossils  at  Scarbo- 
rough, by  Mr.  Bean,  57 

Cottcca,  characters  of  the  genus,  454 

Crag,  the  relative  ages  of  its  separate  deposits 
considered,  313;  niammaliferous,  list  of  its  fos- 
sil shells,  327;  fossils,  presentation  of  to  the 
Geological  Society  by  Mr.  "Wood,  363 

Crane-fly,  projection  of  its  eggs,  566 

Cricetus  auratus,  cranium  of  figured,  276;  Cri. 
frumentarius,  general  description  of,  473 ;  its 
anatomy,  476 ;  habits,  479 ;  food,  480 ;  dispo- 
sition, 481 ;  enemies,  533 ;  propagation,  534  ; 
hybernation,  577;  injury  and  use,  580;  me- 
thods of  catching  and  destroying,  583;  Cri. 
vulgaris,  lower  jaw  of  figured,  279 

Crossbill,  see  Lox'ia  curvirostra. 

Crustacea,  Mr.  MacLeay's  remarks  on  criticised, 
42 ;  malacostracous,  catalogue  of,  occurring  on 
the  coast  of  South  Devon,  by  Dr.  Moore,  284 

Cuttle-fish,  see  Octopvs. 

Cyynus,  remarks  on  the  crania  of  British  species 
of,  by  Mr.  Pelerin,  178;  Cyg.  immutabilis, 
cranium  of  figured  and  described,  by  Mr.  Pe- 
lerin, 179 

Cypselus  Apus,  large  assemblage  of  at  Black- 
burn, 199 

Cyrena  trigonula,  occurrence  of  in  the  crag  at 
Southwold,  316 

Danceacece,  characters  of,  456 

Danceites,  characters  of  the  genus,  457 

Darwin,  Mr.  his  researches  in  South  America 
referred  to  by  Mr.  Lyell,  326 

Deshayes,  M.  his  opinion  respecting  the  propor- 
tion of  the  extinct  to  recent  crag  species,  325 

Desnoyers,  M.  his  Memoir  on  the  crag  and  fa- 
luns*  of  Touraine,  324 

Diatoma  found  fossil  in  Ireland,  353 

Dipus  hirtipes,  skull  of  figured,  186 

Dogger  Bank,  fossil  jaw  of  Mammoth  procured 
there,  348 

Dorsetshire,  Geology  of  the  south-east  of,  390 

Dragon-flies,  great  migration  of  in  Germany,  516 

Eagle,  white-headed,  see  Falco  albicilla. 

Echinodermata,  their  arrangement  by  M.  Agas- 
siz,   501 

Echinorhynchus  filicolUs,  described  and  figd. 
66;  Ech.  Hystrix,  described  and  figured,  63 

Eel,  electric,  see  Gymnotus  electricus. 

Egret,  great,  see  Ardea  alba. 

Endoyenites,  British  species  of,  456 

Entozoa,  Irish,  papers  on  by  Dr.  Drummond,63 

Erica  Mediterrauea,  found  by  Mr.  Newman  at 
Clew  Bay,  570 

Eudicella,  White,  new  generic  name  for  a  section 
of  the  genus  Guliathus,  29 

Eustheuia,  reference  to  by  Mr.  Newman,  32 ; — 
Eust.  Thalia,  Newman*  n.  sp.  described,  33 

Excipulites,  characters  of  the  genus,  454 

Falco  ulbicilla,  siugular  capture  of  at  Potsdam, 
197;  capture  of  at  Swafl'ham,  198 

Ferns,  Irish,  notes  on  by  Mr  Newman,  548 

Fieldfares,  on  their  breeding  in  Britain,  467 

Filaria  capsularia,  occurrence  of  in  the  halibut 
noticed  by  Dr.  Drummond,  230 

Elamborough  Head,  locality  for  fossil  zoophytes, 

Foot-marks,  fossil,  in  the  Stourton  stone-quar- 
ries, observations  on  by  Dr.  Grant,  43 
Fox  squirrel,  see  Sciurus  capistratus. 
Frog,  extinct  species  of  found  in  amber,  256 
Fucoides,  characters  of  the  genus,  453 
Fuhyvla  cristata,  brood  of  reared  in  St.  James's 

Park,  469 
Galathea  strigosa  and  rugosa  found  at  Portpa- 

trick,  587 
Geomys  umbrimis,  skull  of  figured,  596 
Gobillus  brrvkaudatus,  cranium  of  figured,  276 
GcrS.  Indkus,  cranium  of  figured,  276 


Giants'  Causeway  noticed,  549 

Giraffe,  birth  of  at  the  Zoological  Gardens,  363  ; 
chace  of  described  by  Capt.  Harris,  404 

Gleicheniece,  characters  of,  457 

Gleichenites,  characters  of  the  genus,  457 

Glockeria,  characters  of  the  genus,  456 

Gobius  bipunctatus  taken  at  Portpatrick,  586 

Goliathus,  remarks  upon  the  genus,  27;  Gol. 
Morgani,  White,  n.  sp.  described  and  figd.  28 

Goniophorus,  Agass.  characters  of  the  genus,  502 

Goniopyyus,  Agass.  characters  of  the  genus,  502 

G  oshawks,  manner  of  using  in  the  field,  603 

Granite,  erratic  block  of,  472 

Graphosoma  interruptum,  White,  n.  sp.  describ- 
ed, 541 ;  Graph.  Wusoni,  White,  n.  sp.  de- 
scribed, 540 

Gray,  Mr.  J.  E.,  his  opinion  on  the  parasitism 
of  the  argonaut  referred  to,  428 

Gymnotus  electricus,  notice  of  by  Mr.  Bradley, 
564 

Halichcerus  Gryphus  observed  at  Boundstone, 
575 

Hamster,  see  Cricetus  frumentarius 

Hasbro,  remains  of  Mammoth  found  there,  348 

Hectocotylus  mistaken  by  Madame  Power  for  the 
young  of  the  argonaut,  421 

Helix  hispida  found  in  the  mammaliferous  crag, 
320 

Heterotherium,  Blainv.  reference  to  the  name, 
by  M.Valenciennes.  9 

Hexodon,  species  of,  173 

Hippopotamus  described  by  Capt.  Harris,  409 

Holothuria  Physalis,  see  Physalia. 

Hoy,  Mr.  J.  D.  notice  of  his  decease,  604 

Hyas  coarctatus  found  at  Portpatrick,  587 

Hybodus  Delabechei,  Charlesworth,  n.  sp.  de- 
scribed, 243 

Hybodus,  on  the  supposed  frontal  spine  of,  by 
Mr.  Charlesworth,  245  ;  on  a  second  species  of 
the  frontal  spine  of,  by  Mr.  Ogilby,  279  ;  on  a 
supposed  spine  of  in  the  Bath  Museum,  282 ; 
note  respecting  by  Miss  Aiming,  605 

Hymenotes,  observations  on  the  genus>  by  Mr. 
Westwood,  489 

Hystricina,  Waterhouse,  proposed  section  of  the 
Rodenlia,  92 

Ichthyodorulites,  observations  on,  242 

Ignes  fatui,  observations  on  by  Prof.  Bessel,  197 

Infusoria,  fossil,  discovery  of  in  Ireland,  record- 
ed by  Dr.  Drummond,  353 ;  researches  of  Prof. 
Ehrenberg  relating  to  the,  508 

Isocardia  tiiangularis,  Bean,  n.  sp.  from  the 
cornbrash  of  Scarborough,  described  ana  figd. 
60 

Isogenus,  new  species  of,  described  by  Mr.  New- 
man, 84 

Karstenia,  characters  of  the  genus,  454 

Kentucky  rifle-shooters,  skill  of,  403 

Kirtlington,  Oxfordshire,  list  of  rare  plants  found 
there  by  Mr.  Saunders,  239 

Lamellibranchiata,  their  anatomy,  123  ;  muscu- 
lar system,  126  ;  nervous  system,  129  ;  diges- 
tive system,  164 ;  circulating  system,  167,  re- 
spiratory system,  169 ;  reproductive  system, 
439  ;  diseases  and  parasitical  animals,  443 

Lamellicorn  Beetles,  observations  on  by  Mr. 
Hope,  17 

Lamia  Boisduvalii,  Hope,  n.  sp.  described,  230 ; 
Lamia  Lucia,  Newman,  n.  sp.  described,  147 

Lantauvm,  discovered  by  Prof.  Kersten,  472 

LegvminQMB,  artificial  arrangement  of  the  gene- 
ra, by  Mr.  Bird,  181 

Leporma,  Waterhouse,  proposed  term  for  a  sec- 
tion of  the  Ilocloitia,  93 

Leptot  erla,  Newman,  n.  g.  described,  89 

Lettrts  Pomarinvs  procured  at  Ballantrae,  585  ; 
dimensions  of,  586 

LibfUvta  dcj  rcssa  and  quadrimacidata,  migra- 
tion of,  516 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


609 


Lima,  observations  on  the  genus,  by  Mr.  S.  V. 
Wood,  233 ;  on  the  fossil  species  in  the  crag, 
described  by  Mr.  Wood,  234 

Limatula,  S.  V.  Wood,  new  sub-genus  for  a  sec- 
tion of  Lima,  235 

Limnoria  terebrans,  its  destructiveness  to  Kyan- 
ized  wood  recorded  by  Dr.  Moore,  196 

Lincoln,  notice  of  the  strata  in  the  neighbourhood 
of,  553 

Lion,  new  fact  in  the  Natural  History  of,  412 

Liparis  Montagui,  sent  from  Portpatrick,  586 

Lithodes  Maja,  sent  from  Ballantrae,  585 

Lithodomus,  fossil,  containing  shells  of  the  ge- 
nus Modiola,  551 

Littorina  punctura,  Bean,  n.  sp.  described  and 
figured,  62 

London  clay,  unknown  fossil  remains  from,  de- 
scribed by  Mr.  Wetherell,  496 

Long,  Mr.  his  farm  at  Achill  noticed,  573 

Lough  Derg,  569 

Loxia  curvirostra,  on  the  discovery  of  the  nest 
and  eggs  of  near  Farnham,  236 ;  young  of  ob- 
served at  Saffron  Walden,  565;  breeding  of  in 
Gloucestershire,  noticed  by  Mr.  Brown,  310  ; 
in  Surrey,  by  Mr.  Long,  311 

Lycopodium  inundatum,  locality  for,  420 

Macacus,  fossil ,  discovery  of  in  the  London  clay 
near  Woodbridge,  444 ;  description  of  by  Prof. 
Owen,  446 

Mammoth,  fossil  jaw  of,  described  and  figd.  348 

Manentibranchia,  name  proposed  by  Mr.  Hogg 
for  a  section  of  the  Amphibia,  375 

Marmot,  German,  see  Oricetus  frumentarius. 

Marsupialia  (fossil),  traces  of  erroneously  sup- 
posed to  occur  in  the  New  Red  Sandstone  of 
Germany,  44 ;  found  in  the  London  clay  near 
Woodbridge,  Suffolk,  448 

■ Remains   of  from  Stonesfield   treated 

on  by  M.  Valenciennes,  1 ;  his  reference  to  Cu- 
vier's  opinion,  1 ;  to  those  of  Grant,  De  Blain- 
ville,  and  Agassiz,  3;  his  own  examination  and 
description  of  the  original  specimens,  5  ;  com- 
parison of  with  the  Inscctivora  and  Amphibia 
7 ,  his  objections  to  the  generic  names, — Am- 
phiyonus,  Amphitherium,  or  Heterotherium, 
proposal  of  the  name  Thylacotherium,  9 

New  doubts  upon  by  M.  De  Blainville, 

49;  his  reference  to  the  opinions  of  other  zoo- 
logists, 50  ;  quotation  of  the  opinion  given  by 
Agassiz  in  Leonhard  and  Bronn's  Journal,  51 ; 
his  reply  to  the  views  of  M.  Valenciennes,  52; 
reference  to  the  Basilosaurus,  55  ;  his  wish  to 
retain  the  name  of  Amphitherium,  and  objec- 
tion to  that  of  Bothcratiotherium,  56 

■ Abstract  of  Prof.  Owen's  paper  on  the 

Thylacotherium  Prcvostii,  from  the  Proceed- 
ings of  the  Geological  Society,  201;  osteologi- 
cal  characters  exhibited  by  the  specimens,  and 
reasons  for  regarding  them  as  mammiferous 
and  marsupial  in  their  nature,  220  ;  approxi- 
mation of  the  dentition  to  that  of  the  genus 
Myrmecobius,  204 

■ Abstract  of  Prof.  Owen's  paper  on  the 

Phascolotherium,  204:  recapitulation  of  the 
evidence  for  and  against  the  mammiferous  cha- 
racter of  the  Thylacotherium,  205:  objection 
founded  on  the  double  fangs  of  the  Basilosau- 
rus considered,  205:  characters  of  the  jaw  in 
Phascolotherium,  206:  its  supposed  compound 
structure,  207 :  comparison  of  with  the  jaws  of 
IleptUia,  207 

Abstract  of  Mr.  Ogilby's  paper  on  the 


structure  and  relations  of  the  presumed  mar- 
supial jaws  from  Stonesfield,  208 :  comparison 
of  their  characters  with  those  of  recent  marsu- 
pials and  Insect irora,  208:  uncertain  nature 
of  the  assumed  affinities  to  the  Mammalia  in 
preference  to  the  RepiUia,  209 
Allusion  to  the  discussion  on  the  Stones- 


field  remains,  in  the  general  editorial  article 
253 

Marsupialia  (recent),  history  and  classification 
of  the  species  inhabiting  New  Holland,  by  Mr. 
Ogilby,  130 :  alteration  of  his  opinion  as  to  the 
integrity  of  the  group,  Marsupialia,  130 :  con- 
trast of  the  New  Holland  marsupials,  to  the 
Mammalia  generally  of  the  Old  World,  132 : 
limited  number  of  the  species  and  genera,  133: 
of  the  individuals  of  each  species,  135 :  anato- 
my of  the  Marsupialia  in  relation  to  the  pro- 
ductive functions,  135 :  original  constitution  of 
the  genus  Didclphis,  257:  classification  of 
Shaw  and  M.  Geof.  St.  Hilaire,  258  :  impor- 
tant additions  to  the  group  by  llliger,  259 :  dis- 
tribution into  twelve  natural  genera,  with  their 
characters,  360  :  arrangements  of  Baron  Cuvi- 
er,  Desmarest,  and  Latreille,  261 :  relation  be- 
tween habits  and  economy  in  respect  to  clas- 
sification, 264:  objections  to  Latreille's  ar- 
rangement, 336 :  kind  of  food  and  character  of 
dentition  noticed  in  relation  to  natural  classifi- 
cation, 340:  modifications  exhibited  by  the  ex- 
tremities, 342 :  arrangement  of  Mr.  Ogilby,  344: 
the  rank  which  the  entire  group  ought  to  occu- 
py, 344 

Marychurch,  singular  fossil  from  the  neighbour- 
hood of,  471 

Mastodon,  teeth  of  in  the  crag  of  Southwold,  466; 
Mast,  lonyirostris,  jaw  of  discovered  in  the 
crag  near  Norwich,  318 

Melolontha,  present  arrangement  of  the  species 
formerly  included  in  that  genus,  17 

Menoporna  referred  to  by  Mr.  Hogg,  370 

Meteorolites,  fall  of  at  the  Cape,  described  by  Mr. 
Thompson,  145 

Microscope,  improvements  in  by  Mr.  Gill,  199 

Mineral  precipitates,  new  fact  relating  to,  567 

Conchology,  see  Agassiz.  Mr  Sowerby's 


intention  to  proceed  with  its  publication,  417 
Monkeys,  notices  of  such  as  are  found  in  the  Chi- 
nese writings,  587 
Modiola  found  fossil  within  the  shell  of  the  Li. 

thodomi,  551 
Monotremata,  zoological  relations  of  treated  on 

by  Mr.  Ogilby,  345 
Murina,   Waterhouse,  term  proposed  for  a  sec- 
tion of  the  Rodentia,  92 
Mus  giganteus,  cranium  of  figured,  275 
Navicula  tripunctata,  found  in  Ireland,  355 
Necrodes  litloralis,  pupa  of  figured  and  describ- 
ed, 560 
Nephrodium  dilatatum,  its  three  distinct  types  of 

form,  551 
Ncuropterides,  Gopp.  characters  of,  543 
Neuropteris,  Brong.,  characters  of  the  genus, 

543 
Norwich,  crag  of,  treated  upon,  316 
Octopus  octopodia  procured  at  Portpatrick,  586 
Odontoptosis,  Brong.,  characters  of  the  genus, 

547 
Ondatra  zibethica,  cranium  of  figured,  599 
Opossum,  see  Marsupialia. 
Ornithorhynchus,  manner  of  rearing  its  young 

345 
Osmerus,  capture  of  a  new  species  near  Rothsay, 

364 
Otaria,  reference  to  the  angle  of  the  jaw,  8 
Otodus,  tooth  of  figured  and  described,  351 
Pac/rypteris,  characters  of  the  genus,  456 
Payurus  referred  to  by  Prof.  Owen,  424 
Paper  Nautilus,  see  Argonauta. 
Park,  St.  James's,  remarks  on  the  Water  Fowl 

preserved  there,  469 
Partridge,  Red-legged,  see  Pcrdix  rubra. 
Pastor,  rose-coloured,  taken  at  Penzance,  467 
Peltastes,  Agass.  characters  of  the  genus,  502 
Pcntamera,  Mr.  Shuckard's  arrangement  of,  505 
Ptrdix  rubra,  on  the  habits  of  and  introduction 


610 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


into  England,  by  Dr.  Clarke,  142 

Perla  abnormis  described,  35  ;  Perla  Lycorias, 
Newman,  n.  sp.  described,  35 ;  Perla  Xanthe- 
nes  described,  35 

Perlites,  synonymy  of,  32 

Phascolotherium,  characters  of  by  Prof.Owen,204 

Phoca,  dentition  of  referred  to,  7 

Pholades,  occurrence  of  in  the  coralline  crag  no- 
ticed by  Mr.  Lyell,  314 

Photogenic  paper,  on  the  mode  of  preparing,  by 
Dr.  G.  Bird,  188 

Physeter  macrocephalus,  see  Sperm  whale. 

Physalia,  on  the  structure  and  habits  of,  by  Mr. 
Couch,  556 

Pipe-fish,  see  Syngnathus. 

Planorbis  marginatus,  found  by  Mr.  Wood  in 
the  crag  at  Sutton,  320 

Plataspis  (?)  coraciua,  White,  n.  sp.  describ.  540 

Plates,  Supplementary,  intended  publication  of 
noticed,  196 

Platygenia  MacLeaii,  Samouelle,  n.  sp.  describ- 
ed and  figured,  25 

Polistes,  supposed  nest  of,  458 

Polyporites,  species  of,  454 

Pomarine  Skua,  see  Lestris  Pomarinus. 

Popillice,  new  species  of  described  by  Mr.  New- 
man, 365 

Porcellana  longicornis  found  at  Portpatrick,  587 

Porosus,  characters  of  the  genus,  455 

Postage,  scientific  importance  of  reduction  in  the 
rates  of,  416 

Proteus,  referred  to  by  Mr.  Hogg,  370 

Psammomys  obesus,  cranium  of  figured,  276 

Psaronius,  characters  of  the  genus,  455 

Pteronarcys  biloba  described,  34 ;  Pter.  regalis 
described,  34 ;  Pter.  Proteus  described,  34 

Quadrumana  see  Macacus. 

Quarterly  Review,  opinion  of  Capt.  Harris's  ex- 
pedition in  the,  403 

Railway,  Eastern  Counties',  fossils  found  in  the 
cuttings  of,  520 

Rhinoceros,  black,  Sir  Jas.  Alexander's  account 
of,  410;  shooting  exploits  of  Capt.  Harris,  406 

Rodentia,  on  the  cranial  osteology  of  the  group, 
by  Mr.  Waterhouse,  90;  184;  274;  592 

Rotalia,  occurring  upon  Vermetus  Bognoriensis 
figured  and  described  by  Mr.  Wetherell,  162 

Saffron  Walden,  notice  of  scarce  birds  occurring 
at,  99 

Salenia,  characters  of  the  genus,  501 

Salmon-fisheries  near  Roundstone,  576 

Sanguinolaria  parvula,  Bean,  n.  sp.  from  the 
combrash  of  Scarborough,  described  and  figur- 
ed, 59 

Saw-fish,  capture  of  an  immense  specimen  in  the 
Gulf  of  Paria,   519 

Say,  Thos.  list  of  his  entomological  writings,  by 
Mr.  Doubleday,  139 

Saxifraga  umbrosa  grows  near  Westport,  574 

Sciurus  vulgaris,  skull  of  figured  &  described  94 

general  remarks  on  the  genus,  and  on  the 

species  inhabiting  North  America,  by  Dr. 
Bachman,  113;  Wei.  capistratus,  117;  Texia- 
nus,  154:  sub-auratus,\hb:  magnicaudatus, 
157;  cinereus,  159:  aureogaster,  158:  leucotis 
220 :  nigrescens,  334 :  Collicei,  334  :  niyer, 
335:  Audubonii,  378:  fuliginosus,  380:  Doug- 
lassii,  381 :  Hudsonicus,  383  :  Richardsonii, 
385 :  lanuginosus,  387 :  rufiventer,  390 

Scolopendrium  vulgare  on  the  ruins  of  Castle  O' 
Donnel  and  hedge-rows  near  Sligo,  569 

Selborne,  on  the  Botany  of,  by  Mr.  Pamplin,  137 

Shells,  chemical  composition  of,  123 ;  colorations 
of,  123 

Shrew,  see  Sorex. 

Siphonia  anguilla,  Lee,  n.  sp.  described  and  fi- 
gured, 18 ;  Siph.  clavata,  Lee,  n.  sp.  described 
and  figured,  12     . 

Silurian  System,  Mr.  Murchison's  work  on  no- 
ticed, 194 


Siren,  referred  to  by  Mr.  Hogg,  370 

Slieve  Croaghan,  great  height  of,  572 

Sligo,  ferns  of  its  neighbourhood,  569 

Smith,  Dr.  Wm  Biographical  Notice  of  by  Prof. 

Phillips,  213 ;  decease  of  noticed,  510,  515 
Snow-crystals,  on  some  singular  forms  of,  by 

Messrs.  Thompson  and  Patterson,  107 
Society,  Botanical  of  London,  extract  from  their 
Annual  Report,  148  ;    their  Proceedings  no- 
ticed, 194 

-    Entomological,  of  Stettin,  472 

Geological,  extract  from  Proceedings  of 


relating  to  the  Stonesfield  mammiferous  re- 
mains, 201 
Sorex  castaneus  and  Sor.  remifer,  taken  at  Bal- 

lantrae,  585 
Southwold,  crag-deposits  of,  315 
Spalax  typhlus,  cranium  of  figured,  595 
Spence,  Mr.  Portrait  of  noticed,  418 
Sperm  Whale,  Mr.  Beale's  work  on  revwd.  249 
Spongia  ampulla,  Lee,  n.  sp.  described  and  fi- 
gured, 15 ;  Sp.  catablastes,  Lee,  n  sp.  describ- 
ed and  figured,  13 ;  Sp.  fastigiata,  Lee,  n.  sp. 
described  and  figured,  14 ;  Sp.  ftuviatilis,  oc- 
currence of  an  anomalous  insect  in,  described 
by  Mr.   Westwood,  200;     Sp.  radiciformis 
found  at  Bridlington,  11 
Squirrels,  North  American,  see  Sciurus. 
Squirrel,  on  the  carnivorous  propensity  of,  311 
Sternberg,  Count  Caspar,  decease  of  noticed,  567 
Strepitores,  classification  of  the  birds  in  that 

group,  by  Mr.  Blyth,  76 
Studland,  see  Dorsetshire. 
Swansea,  Botany  of,  561 
Syngnathus  ccquoreus,  found  at  Ballantrae,  586 

lumbriciformis,  sent  from  Portpatrick,  586 

Tectocoris  Childreni,  White,  n.  sp.  descrbd.  542 
Terebratula  vsittacea,  occurrence  of  in  the  crag 

near  Norwich  referred  to  by  Mr.  Lyell,  321 
Teredo,  occurrence  of  at  Teignmouth,  197 
Teredus,  generic  name  proposed  for  Lyctus  niti' 

dus,  507 
Thylacotherium,  generic  m?me  proposed  by  M. 
Valenciennes  for  the  Stonesfield  supposed  mar- 
supials, 9;    Thylac.  Prevostii,  on  the  charac- 
ters of,  by  Prof.  Owen,  201 
Toad,  its  existence  without  food,  511 
Touraine,  faluns  of,  compared  with  the  deposits 

of  the  crag,  324 
Trichius,  characters  of  referred  to,  24 
Trout,  white,  of  Ireland  differs  from  the  common 

trout,  577 
Tubicaulis,  characters  of  the  genus,  455 
Tubipora  incrustans,  Bean,  n.  sp.  described,  58 
Tusks,   fossil  elephants',  occurrence  of  at  the 

Knole  sand  and  Scarborough,  349 
Tympanophm-a,  species  of  the  genus,  453 
Udotea  cancellata,  Lee,  u.  sp.  described  and  fi- 

fiured,  17 
Ushar,  see  Asclepias  proceras. 
Valves,  articulation  of  in  the  Mollusca,  124 
Ventriculite  growing  upon  a  Cidaris,  page  352 ; 

note  on  by  Dr.  Mantell,  604 
Vespa  Britannica,  nest  of  described,  459 ;  Vcspa 
Holsatica,  its  supposed  identity  with  Vespa 
Britannica,  460 
Vespertilio  jripistrellus,  early  appearance  of,  198 
Victoria  rcgina,  reference  to,  195 
Viper,  see  Adder 
Wigham,  Mr.  J.  B  ,  his  collection  of  crag  shells 

319 
Woodcock's  nest  at  Berkswell,  255 
Woodward,  Mr.  Samuel,  his  list  of  crag  species 

referred  to,  319 
Zeuglodon,  Owen,  n  g.  described,  209 
Zoological  Notices  by  Mr.  Charlesworth,  242 
Zoophytes,  new  fossil  species  liom  the  Yorkshire 

chaik,  io   xcgvTr3aJs£^x 


GENERAL   INDEX.  611 


CORRECTIONS  OF  ERRATA 


I>AGE.  LINE.  EKBATA.  CORRECTIONS 

228 12 intestine liver. 

243 37 displaced displayed* 

245 41 length width.* 

286 27 Atelycychus  Atelycyclus. 

292 32 Apsendes    Apseudes. 

292 35 Ancens    Anceus. 

292 37 Pranzia Praniza. 

293 2 Leptombra Leptomera. 

In  page  239,  line  12,— 
For  "  seven  eighths  of  an  inch  in  length  and  breadth," 
Bead  "  seven  eighths  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  five  eighths  in  breadth.* 


These  two  errata  will  not  be  found  in  the  whole  of  the  impression,  as  they  were  noticed 
before  it  was  all  printed  off. 


END  OF  THE  THIRD  VOLUME. 


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